When someone says, “the pursuit of truth,” what do you envision, and how does it make you feel? Put yourself in the minds of your friends and your ideological opposites—what would they think? I imagine everyone has an opinion on acquiring knowledge, eradication or establishment of censorship, and the awareness of misleading information. The sharing of stories, data, and media online is running at an unprecedented pace, which, for some, is the ultimate form of truth, while others see it bringing truth down to its knees.
History of the Library Card
However, an institution providing free flowing and reliable information, entertainment, and other works is often only a trip (or click) away. Public libraries, and what better represented by the library card, have been an American staple since 1790, when Benjamin Franklin donated a collection of his books for free lending in what is now Franklin, Massachusetts.
Concerning the evolution of the library card, the oldest library “tickets” found date back to 1846 but underwent a revolution in 1932 with the invention of an embossing press used to record a book’s borrowing status developed by the Gaylord Brothers. The pieces of plastic that we know today are being replaced by digital codes and online logins, but the connection of a community member to a wealth of free material remains.
Library cards are a concrete representation of the pursuit of truth to better a community. A community has a duty to its members to allow for academic and ideological exploration, while individual members have a responsibility to maintain the ability for future generations of knowledge-explorers. Although access to a library is not necessarily a legal right, it often functions as one, as expressed by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights:
“Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”
With the purpose of civic engagement in mind, the community-building ability that a library card represents is nearly infallible. A library card is the key to the expression of the identity of both the local town and a portal to communities around the world. Many libraries hold collections specific to a town or city’s history and track the movement within it.
A 3D printer, which are featured at some libraries.
Moving further into the twenty-first century, libraries are adapting to foster community growth by providing services like childcare, as well as new technology like 3D printers to catalyze members’ math, science, and engineering interests.
Considering the resources to building a library, a well versed and institutionally sized library will require some financial resources, usually a few percent of a settlement’s budget. Budgets of libraries differ from place to place (you can look up your library’s budget using this tool at the Institute of Museum and Library Services), but most spending usually goes toward staff. The cost of a library card itself is negligible and allows those with little means to have access to larger means, although they bear the responsibility of a loan.
A library card in today’s world simultaneously has a great relation and little relation to place. One could see that the card is to be used at a building that needs to be within a reasonable distance to a community, which is certainly true. However, the modern library provides access to online content, requiring only an internet connection and a library card. In some ways, having vague relationship to place serves the purpose of the library card better: anyone can get the resources they need anywhere.
Who Actually Uses the Library Card?
The utilization of the library card and the value of one differs for individuals. According to this Pew Research study, in terms of who uses the library the most outright, female users under twenty-nine years old that are college educated are the most frequent library users. In a separate study from Pew Research, those identifying as African American or Hispanic and low-income view library services as community anchors, although the share of those who have never been to a library is higher for lower income male residents who identify as Hispanic or African American.
Why the demographics are the way they are isn’t completely clear. One could speculate that those who need the services more out of financial circumstance would utilize them more and that is partially true. Those who have a lower house-hold income and are of Hispanic or African American descent are more likely to say that the library should offer services for immigrants and first-generation community members and are more likely to say it introduced them to learn more about new technology.
On the other hand, the same demographic, in addition to those who have never started college, are more likely to have never been to a library. It is possible that their perceived need to go to a library is less, but it is not safe to assume anything about their decision to use their library card or not.
The Library Card From a Wider View
A decision to register and use a library card represents an ideology, regardless of socio-political background. Someone who interacts with the library may have an altruistic outlook on life, believing that having concern for others is valuable, because they see the opportunity to borrow and return to benefit every community member, no matter their way of life. From a different perspective, it can also be individualistic since loaning knowledge without censorship allows for individuals to form their own ideas.
Some commonplaces that the library card comments on are, “knowledge is power”, knowledge as an investment, and that having a library card makes you a colossal nerd. The first two of these commonplaces are mostly true—anyone can use the truths and resources found on the bookshelves and library databases to learn new things or develop thoughts.
To the last thought about nerds, I put this in here because I heard it when high school teachers require students to register for an online card and go to the library’s website. But why would someone say that? Firstly, using a library is harder than clicking the first link on Google. But also, being passionate about something and putting thought and time into researching it often equates to vulnerability and a tendency to dismiss in the eyes of some onlookers, which is sad.
A bad time to bust out the library card and visit the library doesn’t exist (unless it’s closed, or you plan to dump liquid feces around other users). Especially in today’s misinformation craze, investing in yourself by opening a library card, physical or digital, is a stupendous start. Whether it is an actual book, a rental podcast on the way to work, or a swing by the 3D printers, a library card is always an opportunity to develop new awareness from published sources and experience new technologies.
