A Librarian on the Power of Libraries

THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE IS A LIE, I?m not technically a librarian. That?s the job title I give to basically everyone who asks, both out of convenienceand, admittedly, asameanstoappear more qualified and cultured than I actually am. After all, this article would imply a lot less authority if it were called ?A Circulation Desk Student Assistant on thePower of Libraries?

I have been working at Vic?s own EJ Pratt Library for just over a year, and I don? t believe I can adequately express my appreciation for the job Asan aspiringresearcher and educator, I have found my constant interaction with the UofT Libraries System?s seemingly endless supply of high-quality academic resourcesto be remarkably informative and inspiring. I have also found that working at a campus library has given me the opportunity to become better intertwined with the proverbial pulse of the student body, feeling my own levels of tension ebb and flow along with the bustle of the space during busy academic periods. This is to say nothing of the profound emotional value that I derive from my frequent visits with the simultaneously foreboding and invitinglife-sizestatueof Northrop Fryesitting on thebench just outside(who, at thetimeof writing, is wearing a fashionable scarf sculpted from snow by aroguestylist).

I am given the opportunity to glimpse into the work of thousands of UofT students and faculty Some of these are regular patrons, and I get to witnessthedevelopment of their respective projects over the course of many months. There?s the postgraduate cinema studies student who seemed to stay until closing almost every day during the summer He and I developed a non-verbal saluting ritual to indicate the imminence of 4:45 PM as I made my rounds To thisday, westill exchangesalutesashepassesthe front desk. There?sthematurestudent majoringin anthropology who would approach the desk almost weekly last semester, showing me his handwritten essays and asking me about mine (which, to his amusement, are only ever typed). There?s the professor who habitually resides in a first-floor study carrel, reading Chaucer and dressed so immaculately that I, despite my steadfast belief in emancipatory pedagogy and classroom democratization, cannot help but call him Sir. At work, I am often struck by a sensation that I once heard someonecall ?sonder?(defined by the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as ?the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own?[1]). It is practically impossible to exist in the space of a library and maintain asenseof insularity

For most of my first year at Pratt, we operated under a reduced schedule due to the ongoing pandemic. Recently, we have returned to our pre-COVIDhours, and thishasrevealed to mea principle underlying the unique benefit of libraries? whether public or university-affiliated Wearenow open until midnight on most days, and theselatenightshavegenerally been characterized by a scarcity of patrons. A co-worker and I were discussing this fact, and I began to wonder aloud whether the library might reconsider its extended-hour policy. I then realized, however, that my question incorrectly assumed that libraries operate according to market logic. That the library incursoperating costsduring hoursof minimal use isnot amatter of concern, asit isnot operated with maximizingefficiency in mind

Indeed, what makes libraries unique and essential learning tools is precisely the fact that they do not exist asameansof profit-seeking. They provide access to broad ranges of human thought and knowledge through countless forms of media, and they provide this service for free. This is obviously not arevelation of any kind, but I believe that this aspect of the library as an institution is worthy of direct mention and praise due to its rarity in an age of rapidly encroaching neoliberalism As is well-summarized in a tweet by Amanda Killian, ?libraries literally aren? t just a place to obtain books for free. They?re one of the few public spaces left in our society where you?re allowed to exist without the expectation of spending money?[2]. The offering of such a service for freealmost seemsanachronistic, acall-back toa time of greater perceived social responsibility. Libraries are a welcome refuge from the seemingly ever-sprouting tendrils of cynical capital accumulation, representing oneof thelast bastions of noblesseoblige.

In the final years of his life, steel baron Andrew Carnegie turned his attention to philanthropy Though he ultimately left behind a complex and contradictory legacy that wasmarred by anti-labour sentiment, Carnegie donated the equivalent of $55 billion ? 90%of hisfortune? to variouscharitable endeavours. One of hisaimswas to spread education, and funding library construction wasa central element of hiseffortsin this regard. Nearly 1,700 ?Carnegie libraries? were ultimately constructed, 125 of which were built in Canada (including the building that would eventually become the UofT bookstore) It is no accident that Carnegie?s principal means of spreading education was to invest in libraries These institutions, whether public or university-affiliated, are essential tools to ensure access to knowledge, thought, and culture They provideaccesstoeducational resourcesof all levels, and, perhaps more importantly, serve as increasingly rare public spaces that don? t demand payment Awell-funded, well-stocked, and well-run library can change lives, change a community, or simply provide a great place to write your cinema studiesdissertation I?ll salutetothat

WorksCited:

[1] Dictionary of ObscureSorrows.(2012,July 22). Sonder TheDictionary of ObscureSorrows Retrieved March 3,2023,from https://www dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/ 23536922667/ sonder

[2] DCPublicLibrary.[@dcpl].(2017,December 26). RT@ Amanda Killian:Librariesliterally aren't just aplacetoobtain booksfor free They'reoneof thefew publicspacesleft in our society whereyou'reallowed toexist without theexpectation of spendingmoney Twitter.https://twitter.com/dcpl/status/ 945664273740718081?lang=en

[3] TorontoPublicLibrary.(2023).CarnegieLibraryCentral TorontoPublicLibrary Retrieved March 2,2023,from https://www toronto publiclibrary.ca/ about-the-library/ libraryhistory/carnegie- central-reference.jsp