What’s my social contract with public libraries?

In a recent discussion with a librarian I shared the dissonance I feel about whether it makes sense to fund public libraries in their current form. A spirited discussion ensued and caused me to articulate some familiar thoughts in a new way.

“I’m unclear about my social contract with public libraries” I said “and this is not true of other municipal agencies.” These examples then tumbled out:

• I help fund public education; I know how it works and who uses it. I also know the years I pay for it will probably exceed the years I actually use it.
• Same is true for my town’s Senior Center; they’re clear about the services they provide and for whom, and it just doesn’t happen to be me right now.
• I fund Police and Fire even though I haven’t called on them once. Lucky me. The social contract is that I pay into the system to help maintain community safety and also so that I’ll get trained, dedicated and potentially life-saving services when I need them.

I’m far less clear about what I’m asked to fund with my public library.

The next day at work, I asked one of my colleagues for her understanding of the social contract. She replied reflexively about how we have to fund libraries — though when asked she couldn’t explain why. I probed a bit more and she got stuck … and then said she wasn’t interested enough to think about it any longer.

Many taxpayers may be like my friend; they’ll think about libraries when prompted and then move on. In the absence of more information, at budget time it seems likely their reflexive support for libraries will determine their vote or they’ll be influenced by an increasingly prevalent “police or libraries” framing.

My own voting tendencies are to support services I’m unclear about in good financial times, whether or not I personally use them, if I have a general sense they’re in the public good. My inclination in tough times leans in the other direction; I’m more likely to veto an expense where the service or value is uncertain to me.

How much are my colleague & I like other taxpayers? What does it mean if we have difficulty articulating why we fund public libraries … particularly if reports¹ correctly predict another 5-7 years of high unemployment and tough times? What information can libraries provide to help us grapple with difficult funding decisions?

NOTE: Graphic adapted from a bronze sculpture by Leo Wirth, Citizen of the World
¹Daniel Indiviglio. Rutgers: Full Employment Won’t Return Until 2017. The Atlantic. September 30, 2009 ♦ Don Lee. U.S. unemployment rate falls unexpectedly, but job losses continue. Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2010.