Final Presentations of December 15

Public Libraries and Urban Redevelopment

What a cool topic of library research!  Yet, what an overwhelmingly complex topic as well.  This topic is gigantic, and could easily have been an entire semester long course.  I liked the way the group brought in many different facets of urban redevelopment together and introduced us into many current debates and issues.   With the college campus smack downtown, I sometimes forget that Madison is classified as Urban.  Until Laura talked about the new renovations to the central branch downtown, I didn’t really think about how it might affect the homeless population in Madison.   I wonder if security will be tighter, or if they will use that manpower to help staff the library so it can offer help to more people.  This summer when I was in Harlem for a week (I was studying the history of African American culture and observing in successful urban schools to help address the issues of our achievement gap for African American students in Madison) we spent a lot of time in the Harlem Branch of the New York Public Library.   Right across the street was Marcus Garvey Park where a large number of homeless men lived.  I saw them a lot in the library, not just to use the bathrooms, but also to use the computers, stay cool in the hot summer sun, and read books to pass the time.  I actually got into a conversation with one about ‘James and the Giant Peach.’  I wonder what their policies are concerning the use of the library… if the homeless men could get a library card… or do they have to do their reading in the library?  Does their presence affect the rest of the patron population?  Public libraries and urban redevelopment is still a topic that I am fairly new to exploring, but this presentation opened my eyes to the services a library provides to different clientele.   

Banned Books

Most interesting aspect of the presentation for me: the history of banning books.  David’s portion of the presentation was simply fascinating (I think, being a historian himself really helped his base knowledge on the topic and he was able to discuss the topic rather than just report findings… good work!).  The evolution of banning books was never something I really considered before.  Banning books started because “people in charge” didn’t want the public to be exposed to opinions that differed from their own (political, religious, etc).  But over time, banning of books has been moved to protecting children from sex, profanity, and adult themes.  Being a school teacher, I am not stranger to banned books.  It seems to be a hot topic that many people are very adamant about… especially when it comes to the children.  Interesting though, that we then have “Banned Book Week” in schools where we encourage students to read a book that has been banned…  Isn’t this slightly counterproductive?  It almost seems as proponents of banning books realized they have no right to tell adults what to read, but when it comes to protecting children- no one wants to be blamed for providing corrupt materials.  Looking at the history of banned books is something that I think I would like to look more closely at.  The history was an interesting aspect to the presentation… it brought in more than just “people don’t like what books say and so they don’t want others to read them.”  Also, good information for school libraries about the ins-and-outs of banned books in schools… this will probably be something that comes up in my profession. 

Bookstore Model Libraries

Funny that I didn’t even know that this was a topic people were presenting on, since for another class I wrote a 12 page paper on a spin off of this topic!  I thought the presentation brought up many good points, and it seemed as if they group was taking the opinion that a library could NOT run like a bookstore and function at the level at which it is currently operating.  Not saying this is a wrong opinion, but from my research, it seemed that libraries that had done this switch seemed very pleased with their decisions.   For my paper I looked specifically at school libraries, and the idea that some schools have of ditching the Dewey Decimal System in store of a bookstore model.  Personally, I don’t really know where I stand on the issue.  I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing, but I do think that it is a HUGE time and financial commitment that not every library needs to undertake.  Also, I wished they would have discussed a little more in their presentation, the purpose for the library.  One of the things that I found throughout most of my research was that people were opposed to the switch because of the purpose of school libraries.  School libraries are still a classroom where students are learning.  The aim of a school library is not for students to solely browse for books they want.  Instead, they are learning research methods and problem solving skills.  I would be interested to see what the groups take on the purpose of public libraries is as well… are they also institutions of learning, researching, and problem solving?  Or should they cater to the fast pace browsing methods of bookstores?  Lots to be said on the topic, I am sorry we did not have time for questions. 

E-readers

I really, really enjoyed the presentation on E-readers in class on Wednesday.  I have to admit that before the presentation, I did not really know what an E-reader was.  Of course I had heard of them, but I thought of them more as a new, not that necessary, technological toy (kinda how I also feel about things like the iPhone as well…).  However, after the presentation, I saw a lot more depth to the E-reader, the reasons it was created as well as its limitations.  First off, I had no idea that there was different E-ink used in the E-readers.  That actually made me feel a lot better, for the idea of E-readers always made me skeptical in relation to issues with eye strain (I have very bad eyes and I think I am a little over sensitive to the topic of eye strain).  I was very intrigued by this, and also felt a little silly that I did not know about this facet of the technology before.  Additionally, I did not really think about the ways in which an E-reader could benefit someone who is unable to read a traditional codex book.  However, all that being said… I don’t think I will be running out to buy an E-reader any time soon.  I was SUPER turned off of the E-reader when the group discussed how the books can ‘disappear’ after a certain amount of time!  You bought it; you should get to keep it!  I am also a lover of a physical book and reread many of my same favorites over, and over, and over again.  I can’t imagine purchasing it (or the “rights to it”) and then having it disappear later.  It is a cool thought to think about how E-readers will affect libraries though… the idea of checking out a device with preloaded booklists, themed or not, is a neat new way of thinking about library sharing.  Too bad you only get to check it out for about 2 weeks at a time… you probably won’t get through all of the texts on the E-reader.  Very well put together presentation that made me reevaluate my own personal thoughts on E-readers.

The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown

                “The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown” is a very interesting case that I enjoyed reading about.  As I was reading, three main points kept running through my head:

1)      I wish I knew more history about McCarthyism during the 1950s.  I feel I have a good base knowledge of racism, integration, and the struggles of African Americans during this time period.  Because of this, I found Ruth’s involvement extremely interesting.  During the 1950s, her behavior would have created many shockwaves in the community (as obviously documented in the book).  Yet, not knowing a lot about McCarthyism and threat of communism in the United States, I had trouble fully understanding the scope of the accusations again Ruth and the communist magazines.  This book made me wish that I had listened a little harder in 10^th grade American History.

2)      Ruth Brown was one firecracker of a woman.  I was almost laughing aloud at the court hearings where Ruth was being interrogated.  Her short, blunt, almost sarcastic answers were pure entertainment.  While I found enjoyment from them, I couldn’t help but think… “Um, Ruth, you are on trial here.  Maybe you shouldn’t be trying to aggravate the court.”  But then again, that is who Ruth Brown was.  I would have loved to meet her in person.  The way that librarian patrons described her made her seem a little rough around the edges, but extremely good at her job.  The book even alluded to the fact that she was straightforward with adults, but very kind to children.  She obviously had a mission, and was not afraid to follow it.  Her actions in terms of racial integration were considered quite bold for the time period.  To add on top of that, she was a woman, and during this time period, a woman’s “role” in the 1950s is not as it is today.  And even after this whole “issue,” she moved to a new city, and kept on being a librarian for 20 more years.  That shows dedication.

3)      What would be the equivalent of this type of town uproar today?  McCarthyism and racial integration were HUGE topics in the 1950s.  Sixty years from now, I would be interested to hear what HUGE issues were fought for in this day and age.  And also, with the vast accessibility of knowledge and resources in libraries today (both physical and electronic), would this type of prosecution occur in a library today?  Or is that cases such as Ruth Brown’s are more common today and thus less widely covered?