Public Libraries: The Challenge of Commercialization

An article in Forbes magazine recently caused a stir when the author argued that libraries were obsolete and ought to be replaced by Amazon and Starbucks. Why spend tax money, he asked, when commercial providers and meeting places can provide the same services? The article, however, goes beyond economic concerns, challenging the idea that a library, a service equally open to all without regard to wealth or social position, is even a public good.

 The system of public libraries is a uniquely American invention, centered on the idea that democracy requires an educated and informed populace with access to the information and resources necessary to achieve that goal. Along with the establishment of public schools, libraries were the vehicle for the education of working-class Americans, including the wave of new immigrants. They provided reading materials and meeting places, and encouraged lifelong education. Most importantly, they did so on a free and universal basis. Rich and poor, old and young, educated or not, all could meet at the library. Newly educated professionals curated the emerging system in the public interest.

Commercialization of public spaces poses a threat to the idea of free and equal public spaces open to all. In the commercial public space, access to information depends on the financial resources to obtain them, and such places often reproduce existing social and political hierarchies, discouraging a true public sphere. Imagine a poor person or a grandparent hanging out with the hip crowd at Starbucks in a book discussion group. At the same time, internet public spaces are often influenced by commercial concerns. The aim of Facebook, in the words of one of its founders, is to put eyeballs on the screen for potential advertisers. To have Amazon or a social network like Facebook curate media is to surrender the public interest to the interests of advertisers.

Calls to eliminate libraries are ironic since libraries are still going strong. In the previous decade library usage went up over 30%. Recent cuts in funding has led to a small decline but the Pew Foundation notes that libraries are especially popular among millennials. Restoration of funding cuts would stem any decline.  They are still a vital resource for young people, the elderly, and those interested in continuing education.

To maintain a vital and informed democratic public, we must put our resources into services like public libraries and oppose attempts to commercialize and monetize public goods. It is the only way to guarantee free and equal access to information for all.