Ms. Todoric
AP Lang
Please attempt to time yourself. Type the essay and turn it in on turnitin.com after you have finished. Make sure you check the calendar for due dates. Please bring your printed essay to class on the same day it is due on turnitin.
Suggestedreadingandwritingtime—55minutes.
Itissuggestedthatyouspend15minutesreadingthequestion,analyzingandevaluatingthesources,and40minuteswritingyourresponse.
Note:Youmaybeginwritingyourresponsebeforethereadingperiodisover.
(Thisquestion countsfor one-third ofthe totalessaysection score.)
As theInternet agechanges what andhow peopleread,there has been considerable debate about the futureofpublic libraries. While some commentators questionwhether librariescan stay relevant, others see new possibilities for librariesin the changing dynamicsof today’s society.
Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for eachsource. Thensynthesize materialfrom atleast threeof the sourcesand incorporate it into acoherent,well-written essayinwhich you develop a position on the role, if any, that public libraries should serve inthe future.
Your argument should be the focusof your essay.Usethesourcesto develop your argument and explainthe reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizingthesources. Indicateclearly which sources you aredrawingfrom, whether through direct quotation,paraphrase, orsummary. You maycite thesourcesas SourceA, Source B, etc., or by usingthe descriptions inparentheses.
Source A(Kranich) Source B(calendar) SourceC(Shank) Source D(charts) Source E(Siegler) Source F(ALA)
SourceA
Kranich,Nancy. Interview by Cecilia M.Orphan. AmericanDemocracyProjectBlog. American DemocracyProject, 4 January 2011. Web.
27 June 2014.
ThefollowingisanexcerptfromaninterviewwithNancyKranich,formerpresidentoftheAmericanLibraryAssociation(ALA),themainprofessionalorganizationforlibrariansintheUnitedStates.
An informed publicconstitutes theveryfoundation of a democracy; after all,democracies are about discourse— discourse among the people. If afree society isto survive, it must ensure thepreservationof itsrecords andprovide free and openaccess to this information toall itscitizens. Itmust ensurethat citizens have the skills necessaryto participate inthe democraticprocess. Itmust allow unfettered dialogue and guarantee freedom of expression. Allof this is donein our libraries, thecornerstoneof democracy inour communities.
BenjaminFranklinfounded the first public lending library in the 1730’s. Hisnovel idea ofsharing information resources wasa radical one. In the restof the civilized world libraries were the propertyof the rulingclasses and religion.The firstsignificanttax-supported public libraries were organizedin the mid-19thcentury,conceived as supplements to the publicschoolsas well as “civilizing agents and objects of civic pride in araw new country.” (MolzandDain 1999, p. 3). . . .Sidney Ditzion(1947, p. 74) noted that late nineteenth century public libraries continued “the educationalprocess where theschools left offand byconductinga people’s university,a wholesome capable citizenry would be fullyschooled inthe conduct of a democraticlife.”Bythe1920’s, Learned (1924) popularized the idea oflibraries asinformaleducation centers,followedby an American Library Association(ALA)report establishing aBoardon Library and Adult Education (Keith2007, p. 244). During WorldWar II, PresidentRoosevelt(1942) equated libraries and democracy, heraldingtheirrole increatingan informed citizenry.
After thewar,librarians joined civicgroups,politicians,and educators to rejuvenate the democratic spirit inthe country. The New York Public Library, describingitself as “aninstitution of educationfor democratic living” (“Library Bill of Rights”1948, p. 285), led a nationwide programof discussionsabout the meaning ofthe American democratic tradition and actions on issues oflocal concern.These programswere described by
Ruth Rutzen, Chair ofALA’sAdultEducation Board, as ideal opportunitiesfor libraries toassumea leadership role in their communities, proclaiming,“Let us allmakeour libraries active community centers for the spreadof reliable information onall sides ofthisvitalissueand for the encouragement of free discussion andaction” (Preer2008,
p. 3). In 1952, ALA joined a nationaleffort to increasevoter turnout by distributingelectioninformation and organizingdiscussion groupsand other activitiesin public libraries. .. . Ascivic programs evolved inlibraries,“the groupsettingoffered an experienceof democracy aswell as aconsiderationof it” (Preer 2001, p. 151). Just as important,libraries definedthemselves as community spaceswherecitizens wereencouraged todiscuss important matters.
Repositioning librariesas informalciviclearningagentsfits the theoryand practice ofcommunityinquiry conceived a centuryagoby John Dewey (1916). Deweybelievedthat people needtheopportunityto shareideas through multiple media in order to understand andsolveeveryday problemstogether.To this formulation, libraries bringtheir role asboundary spanners.Whether face-to-face or virtual, librariesbuild learningcommunities that bring peoplewith mutualinterests together toexchange information and learn about and solve problemsofcommon concern.
LibrarianofCongressArchibald Macleish (1940, p. 388) once avowed that “Librariansmustbecomeactivenot passiveagents of thedemocratic process.” With renewed interest inpromoting civic literacyand deliberative democracy around thecountry,libraries arepoisedto graspthis cause, buildcivic space, andreclaimtheir traditional role. AsDewey once wrote, “democracyneeds to be reborn in each generation and educationis itsmidwife”
(1916, p. 22). If libraries areto fulfill their civic missionin theinformation age,they must findactive ways to engage community members in democratic discourseand communityrenewal.For, as [political scientist Robert] Putnam has stated parsimoniously, “Citizenship isnot a spectatorsport” (2000, p. 342).
American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU)
SourceB
CalendarofEvents. OrlandParkPublic Library,June 2014. Web. 27June 2014.
ThefollowingisanexcerptfromanIllinoispubliclibrary’scalendarofevents.
JUNE2014
SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
oAll Day-Paws to Read Summer Reading Challenge
o9:00 AM-10:00 Books Before Kindergarten!
o1:00 PM-Paws to Read Summer Reading Kick-off Celebration! / oAll Day-JuniorPage Volunteer Program Registration Begins / o9:30 AM-Storiesat the Village of OP Sportsplex
o10:00 AM-Terrific Tales for Toddlers
o11:00 AM-Babies & Books
o1:00 PM-Once Upon a Time / o9:30 AM-Orland Township/Orland Cultural Center Senior Visits
o7:00 PM-Pilates with Melanie / o10:00 AM-Toddler Art
o11:00 AM-Once Upon a Time
o6:30PM-Night Owls Storytime
o7:00 PM-Microsoft Excel 2010 Part I
o7:00 PM Writer’s Group for Adults / o9:30 AM-Orland Township Senior Drop-inVisit
o10:00 AM-Stories
at the Farmer’s Market
o4:00 PM-(E=MC2) EnvironMental Club 2
o6:15 PM-TeenInc.
o7:00 PM-Animal Figurine Craft Night
o7:00 PM-Cozy Corner Bedtime Storytime
o7:00 PM-Meet theArtist -Kathleen Garness -Cancelled / oAll Day-July Computer Volunteers Registration Begins
o10:00 AM-Bright Starts Family Storytime
8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14
o2:00 PM-Sunday Film Series: Edward, My Son / o9:30 AM-Nursing Home Visits
o7:00 PM-Friends of theOrland Park Public LibraryBoard Meeting / o9:30 AM-Nursing Home Visits
o10:00 AM-Terrific Tales for Toddlers
o11:00 AM-Babies & Books
o1:00 PM-Once Upon a Time
o6:30 PM-Family Dance Party / o10:00 AM-Remember When with Autumn Leaves
o7:00 PM-Pilates with Melanie / o10:00 AM-Music Makers
o11:00 AM-Once Upon a Time
o2:00 PM-Corduroy the Bear
o6:30 PM-Night Owls Storytime
o7:00 PM-Canine Basic Obedience Class
o7:00 PM-Microsoft Excel 2010 Part II / o10:00 AM-Stories at the Farmer’s Market
o11:30 AM-Library Ebooks for Kindle
o2:00 PM-Dig Those Divas Storytime
o4:00 PM-(E=MC2) EnvironMental Club 2
o7:00 PM-Book Appetit
o7:00 PM-Cozy Corner BedtimeStorytime / o10:00 AM-Bright Starts Family Storytime
SourceC
Shank,Jenny. “What Is the Role of Libraries in
the Ageof E-Booksand Digital Information?” MEDIASHIFT:YourGuidetotheDigitalMediaRevolution. PublicBroadcasting Service, 1 May 2012. Web. 27June 2014.
ThefollowingisexcerptedfromanarticleontheWebsiteofthePublicBroadcastingService(PBS),thelargestpublic-fundednetworkintheUnitedStates.
A recent PewResearch Centerreport uncovereda digital divide in the use of e-books.People less likely touse
e-books include Hispanics,thosewithout a highschool diploma, the unemployed, rural Americans, and those with household incomes ofless than $30,000.
[Michael] Crandall* said, “Withoutlibraries, thedivisionwould be even greater,since formanypeople they
serveas the onlyaccesspointfor digital information and services.Ourstudyof library computer usefound thatfor22 percent of library computerusers(age 14 andolder),the library was theironlysourcefor access to computersand the Internet. This would suggest thatsimilar restricted access wouldapplyto e-bookswithout librariesin the mix.”
[Jorge] Martineznoted that librariesarefinding creative ways tomeet demanddespite budget challenges. “In Philadelphiathey areplacing equipment and trainers incommunityorganizationsto make these valuable services availableto their patrons at these sites, even when their regularlocationsare closeddue to budget cutbacks. Inother places, they have recreatedthe oldbookmobile as mobiledigital centers thattake training,computersand Internet access topartsof their communities where there are no[library] buildings.”
A recentOp-Edput outby the Knight, Gates, and MacArthur foundations citedseveralotherinnovative usesof library resources:
“Bookmobileshave been supplemented bymobilecomputer labs—visiting minority communitiesin St. Paul to teach digital literacyclasses in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali, for example.InDover,Mass.,the library has installed QR codesaround town that link signs at the market and playground to communityinformation and services.Seattle PublicLibrary offers live chats with librarians 24 hours a day gettinganswersto reference questions and live homework help.”
It alsomentioned aninitiative at the main Chicagolibrary called YOUmedia that “lets anyteenwitha citylibrary card have in-houseaccessto computers plusvideoand audio recording equipmentto create their owncontent with the helpof a mentor. AtanotherYOUmediaspace inMiami,workshops help teens think critically and creatively abouttheirlives, byteaching them to publishan autobiographical digital story, or to visualize their favoritebooks.”
[Samantha] Becker said,“Librariesare definitely in the middle ofall this [digital] action,bothworkingvery hardto provide accessto e-reading materials, as well as helping patrons enter into the e-reading marketplace byexposing themto e-reading devices through lending and device petting zoosand helping them learn touse new devices in classes andone-on-onesessions with librarians.”
Crandall said hisstudyfound that two-thirds of thelibrary computer users askeda librarian for help in using the technology. “The abilityto use the new technology may seem intuitiveto many,” he said, “but clearly for many othersit is not, and having a community resourcethatisableto help peopleunderstandhowto use digital technologyand information, and why they might want touseit to improvethequality of their lives is something that librarieshave taken on as atransformation of their traditional mission.”
Martinez saidthe KnightFoundation’slibrary funding will focus on “innovative projects and leaders that help to show what the libraryof tomorrow should be.”
*Crandall, Martinez, and Becker arelibrary and information science researchers. Crandall and Becker are attheUniversity of Washington; Martinez is with the Knight Foundation.
Reprintedby permission from PBSMediaShift. Copyright MediaShiftLLC;mediashift.org
SourceD
Rainie, Lee. “Libraries Transformed: Research onthe Changing Role ofLibraries.” PewResearchInternetProject. PewResearchCenter,23 October 2012. Web. 27June 2014.
ThefollowingchartswerepublishedinareportbythePewCharitableTrust,anationalresearchorganization.
In this chart, n representsthe numberof people who were surveyed in eachage group.
SourceE
Siegler, M.G. “The End of TheLibrary.” TechCrunch. TechCrunch, 13 October2013.Web. 12 May 2016.
ThefollowingisexcerptedfromanarticlepostedontheWebsiteofanonlinepublisheroftechnologyindustrynews.
It’s hard for me toeven rememberthe last time Iwas in alibrary. I was definitelyin onethis past summerin Europe—on a historical tour. Before that, I think itwas when I was in college.But eventhen, ten years ago, the internet wasreplacingthe need togo to a library.And now, with e-books,I’m guessing themainreason togo toa library ona college campusis simplybecause it’s a quiet place tostudy. . . .
The point is, times havechanged. Andthings continue tochange withincreasing speed. So where doesthat leave libraries?
Undoubtedly, some of the largest,mostprestigiouslibraries will live on. Butthe people lurking in themmay increasingly look like Gandalf inthe bowels ofMinas Tirithlooking through the scrolls of Isildur.*
Meanwhile,some other spacescurrently known aslibraries may liveon as cultural and/or learning centers. Others like the notion of using libraries as somesortof newfangledtechnology demo pits.Tablets over here! 3D printers over here!One articleeven likenedthem toAppleStores. . ..
All oftheseprospects for thefutureof librariessound niceon paper (figuratively,notliterally, of course). ButI’m also worriedthat some ofus are kidding ourselves.Thesetheoretical places arenot libraries in the ways that any of us currently think of libraries.
That’sthe thing: it seems thatnearly everyone isactually in agreement thatlibraries, aswecurrently know them,are going away. But noone wants toadmitit becausecalling for the endof librariesseemsaboutas popular as the Dewey Decimal System.
It’s almost likesome people want tointerpret anyone talking about the endoflibraries as talkingabout the end of learning—and,by extension, theend ofcivilization. The reality isthat learning has evolved.It’s noweasierthan ever to look somethingup. And theconnected worldhas far better access tobasically infinitelymore information thancanbe found ineven the largest library—or all of them combined. This isalla good thing. A verygood thing. Maybe the bestthing in thehistoryof our civilization. Yet weretain this romanticnotionof libraries ascultural touchstones. Without them, we’re worriedwe’llbe lost and everything will fall apart.
So we’re coming upwith all these other ways to tryto keep thesebuildingsopen. Co-working spaces! Media labs. Art galleries? We’ll see.But it’s impossible tosee aworldwherewe keep librariesopen simply to pretend they still servea purpose for which they nolongerserve.
I’m sorry Ihaveto bethe oneto write this. I have nothing but fond memories oflibrariesfrommy youth. Of course, I alsohavefondmemoriesof bookstores.And we all knowhow that has turned out. . .
* Gandalf is a fictional wizard and Isildur a fictional king in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Middle-earth”stories and novels. Minas Tirith is a fictional city and castle located in Middle-earth.
Techcrunch.com
SourceF
AmericanLibraryAssociation. The2012StateofAmerica’sLibrariesReport. American Library Association, April 2012. Web. 27 June 2014.
ThefollowingisexcerptedfromareportbytheAmericanLibraryAssociation.
Librariesperseverethroughcumulative,ongoingfundingcuts
Overall, funding for public libraries continues tobe suppressed in2011–2012 budgets, with5% more states reporting decreasedstatefunding for public libraries than in 2010–2011. The cumulativeimpactof cuts to publiclibrary funding at the stateand local levels since 2008–2009 has led public librariestocontinuous budget-rebalancing and tough choicesregardingcontinuity of services.
An online survey ofchiefofficers ofstate library agencies inNovember 2011 elicited responses from 49 of 50 states and the Districtof Columbia. Among thefindings:
Twenty-threestates reportedcutsin state funding for publiclibrariesfrom 2010–2011to 2011–2012. For three years ina row,morethan 40% of participating stateshavereported decreased public library funding.
Onlytwostates reported increasedfunding, but onedidso with acaveat.This state hadexperienced twocuts the previous year, followedby alegislative actiontoreset its program toa lowerfunding level.
Sevenstatesand theDistrictof Columbia donot provide state funding.
Sixteenstatesreported therehadbeen no change infunding from2010–2011 to 2011–2012.
Onlynine statesanticipated decreased funding for2012–2013 — 21% of last year’srespondents,compared with 37% of the previous year’s.Thatmaybe the light at theend of the tunnel. .. or atraincoming.
Used with permission from the American Library Association.