Celebrating and agonizing over libraries together

A reader comment on Friday prompted me to reflect upon my work as The Radical Patron. In response to the post Creativity & public libraries, part 2, Justine wrote:

Re “You think public libraries need to be saved and I think their time as come” you are so right – even if our time has come for many people, we still need to convince so many others that public libraries are essential. Thank you for your blog posts, I think you have the guts to say what so many librarians are afraid of saying. Also, the whole “I Love Libraries” thing is great, but too often that sentiment is just coming from librarians so appears self serving.

And I replied:

Thanks for checking in Justine – it’s always great to learn about who’s reading. As a patron, I can say things people within the library ecosystem cannot … and that’s the whole point of the blog. Of the 173 posts to date, many have verbally and pictorially been in the “I Love Libraries” vein. Many have offered good, practical ideas for library operations. Others have asked really hard questions or been critical of public library practices and institutional culture.

The critical essays are the hardest to write. Truth be told, I agonize over them. I put them out there because even though the “I Love Libraries” dialogue feels loads better it’s not enough to maintain the viability of our public libraries (IMHO).

For me, public libraries are absolutely essential to the maintenance and creation of social systems I want to live within. I believe they’re worth celebrating and agonizing over. Folks engaging in the dialogue, like you and the others that weigh in here, convince me of it.

The only way we’ll keep this vital institution going for future generations is by supporting one another and working through the dilemmas together. Open, substantive dialogue is a good first step.

I invite readers to celebrate and agonize over libraries with me. Please consider contributing an essay or artwork to the blog. If you wish to remain anonymous, let me know and I’ll attribute your post to “a kind reader“.