Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Libraries as Mirrors: Reflections on Chapter One of The Portable MLIS

Upon a first read, this chapter may primarily appear to be the summation of the history and underlying beliefs that have lead to the modern library. However, it also frames that history and those beliefs within the explicit and inseparable notion that “libraries are reflections of the societies in which they are embedded” (Rubin, 2008, p. 4). When viewed through such a lens, it is possible to link specific historical circumstances to the basic needs behind the conceptualization of libraries so that when we study the what of libraries we also understand the why. Understanding why libraries were created and how they evolved is a key factor for determining where libraries must turn to be relevant in the future. Thus, exploring libraries as mirrors of society is essential in order to discover the underlying needs on which to base libraries in the future.

The historical needs that have been met by libraries in the past are intriguing, ranging from the practical to the thought provoking. It is not surprising that one of the first libraries was an extension of the practical needs of a society, specifically that of ancient Sumeria. As it flourished into a trade center, the ancient Sumerians recognized the need to keep very organized trade and land records—a sign that they had evolved beyond a basic, survivalist existence (Rubin, 2008, p. 4). The ancient Egyptians created libraries for more inspirational reasons; they kept spiritual literature within the very temples that were so important to their lives and made their priests its keepers (Rubin, 2008, p. 4-5). Once again, this practice shows that the society had grown beyond mere surviving to a kind of religious scholarship. Perhaps the most intriguing library was the Alexandrian, the first academic library. If libraries are signs that a society has reached a higher level of sophistication, then the Alexandrian’s society—that of the Greek and Egyptian worlds after the conquests of Alexander the Great—was one of the more enlightened societies. Scholars from around the known world both contributed to its resources and studied from them, making the Alexandrian a learning commons unrivaled in its own time (Rubin, 2008, p. 5). Naturally, there are many more examples of past libraries, nevertheless they all mirrored the societies that they were born out of by fulfilling a need that arose in their society.

But what kind of mirrors should libraries be in our modern society and its future? The first question to ask is simple: what needs do we, as a society, have that can be fulfilled by libraries? We all have the same basic needs to survive, communicate, learn, and escape. Survival can be achieved without them, however libraries play a crucial role in our need to communicate, learn, and escape from our reality from time to time. To demonstrate a few examples work best: one can physically enter a library and immediately check their email messages, learn something new from any print resource in the building, and pick up a novel he or she can read to cart him or her off to a far away place. One can also use technology to find a library website, download an audio book to listen to as the world melts away, look up an article for research on an online database, and check the library’s events for the week. What is important about the kind of library above is that it creates a space, whether it be actual or virtual, where we can meet our own intellectual and spiritual needs as thinking and feeling beings. As long as libraries continue to provide such a unique environment in which to achieve this, and continually improve upon that environment with new technology and services, they will remain relevant.

Rubin, Richard E. (2008). Stepping Back and Looking Forward: Reflections on the Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship. In Ken Haycook & Brooke E. Sheldon (Eds.) The Portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. (pp.3-14). Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

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