Responding to pressure from beleagured public libraries, Massachusetts legislators have proposed temporarily waiving certification requirements. Mass Library Commissioner George Comeau reportedly does not support this measure, stating that it would “result in an ‘open season’ on cutting library budgets“.
I couldn’t agree more. This would sanction a variant of the “race to the bottom” we’ve seen in the manufacturing, service and retail sectors of our economy. With cost containment as a primary driver, poor product quality, choice and service would become the norm. You don’t need to look far for validation on this point. Has your local Walmart delivered the same value as everyone expected when it was first built—or do you tolerate the poorly maintained facilites, long lines and merchandise tumbling everywhere because it’s one of the few retail choices left to you?
Additionally, meeting the bottom line would encourage the “ubiquitous upsell”— the incessant pitch to fork over money, like Dunkin Donuts offering donuts and muffins when you asked for coffee or your dentist recommending cosmetic or preemptive procedures every time you have your teeth cleaned. Waiving municipal funding requirements would pressure our libraries to devote more mindshare to fund-raising and less to public service.
While I believe there’s more than a lack of funds behind the public library crisis, fiscal factors are significant. All but the most affluent communities are desperately struuggling to stay afloat without levying additional taxes on cash-strapped residents—and public libraries are increasingly casualties of this struggle. But what’s to be done?
I have some ideas to share. Stay tuned.
