Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That order is being challenged in court, but already cuts are trickling down to libraries across the country. Debates around censorship and book banning continue to play out.
Amidst these challenges, a writer and a teacher are asking, what is the role of libraries to bridge cultural divides?
Public and school libraries have seen a number of challenges in recent years, including debates over books that feature LGBTQ perspectives, or discuss race and identity.
“Libraries have traditionally been a place that have been very trusted,” said Shamichael Hallman, director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council. “And I do start to wonder what happens to that trust as some of this rhetoric is coming about, which is one of the reasons I wanted to write this book.”
Hallman’s book is called “Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy.” His writing inspired Andrea Hamre to teach a course for Virginia Tech’s Lifelong Learning Institute, exploring, among other things, how history is repeating itself with book bans.
“Libraries have faced censorship since day one, absolutely,” Hamre said. “There’s been debates and discussions and battles over what libraries should have in them.”
Despite the threats, she thinks libraries are one of the most powerful examples of social infrastructure, in part because they have the ability to help people overcome isolation.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of empathy. And how we in many ways I think are facing a real deficit and decline in empathy in our society,” Hamre said. “And libraries can be this tremendous forum and engine for empathy.”
One example is a project in Colorado, where a library invited people from the community to serve as “human books.”
“The library was particularly, with this open call, were looking for people who typically might be judged by the community,” Hallman said. “Someone who has a history with the criminal justice system. Someone who is a trans individual.”
Readers can check out these “Human Books” for 30 minutes. “So these individuals were actually coming, checking out this human book, sitting down in a corner of a library, saying tell me what it’s like to live your life,” explained Hallman.
Hallman asked those who signed up as readers what drew them to the program. “Some people said, I had never came to a library before, I’ve never interacted with the library, but I’ve always had questions about this particular person, this particular lifestyle, this particular way of seeing the world. And this seemed like a safe place to be able to come and explore that.”
The program was popular, and other libraries across the country have started similar human book projects.
“And in this way the library is creating a space, sort of a safe container, by which people can actually enhance their connections with other people in the community.”
Libraries are also adapting by using outdoor spaces, creating podcasting studios, food pantries, cafes, and community gardens.
At the library, anyone can feel rich, said Hamre, and making books available to all people is still at their core. Even today, she thinks there is still value and interest in reading.
She points to a phone ban that a Kentucky school system implemented this fall. Students weren’t allowed to use phones even during breaks and lunchtime. The number of books students checked out at their school libraries increased dramatically.
“And so I think students, when they put their phones down, are remembering what’s available at the library,” Hamre said.
She said this can be a lesson to adults too, that when we allow more time away from screens, we may remember just how valuable books can be.
The course Hamre is teaching this fall is full, but she encourages anyone interested in learning about libraries to reach out. She can share a list of documentaries and books from her class, including “Meet me at the Library,” by Shamichael Hallman.
