From Awareness to Funding
I was browsing the OCLC website today and happened to notice a report funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (see: From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America). I haven’t read it yet but some of the points are exceptionally ironic. Take the find that:
Don’t get me wrong. I wholeheartedly agree, but I can’t help but wonder what public libraries are doing to set themselves apart? How are they “transformational?” In what way are they social, economic, or political catalysts? I may be feeling overly skeptical today but I just don’t think they are. I’m even a little pessimistic about their chances of becoming something more. For better or worse I see public libraries as auxiliaries that are largely limited to transforming the world around them by participating in your generic community outreach? Public libraries are the guarantors of information, a local community center, and help facilitate education. That’s why we have em’.
In an era where instant gratification, entertainment, and quick fixes are the norm helping educate the general populace can only do so much. That is, with this as they are…
