Stephen Colbert Talks About Libraries' Role in Fighting Covid
Long before COVID struck, staff willingly filled other holes in the social safety net, expanding their duties, many times without additional staffing or funding.
In Stephen Colbert’s recent opening monologue, he did a great bit about librarians entering the ranks of first responders since they’re now distributing COVID test kits. He joked the additional task is taking staff away from their “traditional” responsibilities of story time, helping with homework, and kicking porn watchers off the computers. Of course, that got huge laughs. The reality for library staff now, isn’t as funny.
Long before COVID struck, staff willingly filled other holes in the social safety net, expanding their duties, many times without additional staffing or funding. So along with those core services of providing collections and literacy services, many library staff are also responsible for:
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Service |
Why Is It at The Library? |
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Food pantries |
Expansion of need beyond social service agencies and non-profits capacity |
|
Mental Health Services |
Library staff needed help with customers; county, state and federal cutbacks |
|
Small Business and Workforce Development |
Other agencies provide fee-based services |
|
Child Care |
Other agencies are fee-based services |
|
Social Workers |
Library staff needed help with patrons; county, state and federal cutbacks |
|
Tool Rental |
Other agencies are fee-based |
|
Maker Spaces |
Other agencies are fee-based |
|
National Information Campaign Support (Census, COVID, Elections) |
Support other agencies |
Offering these additional services, you’d think libraries must be highly valued institutions in their communities protecting their staff from criticism and cutbacks. Unfortunately, agreeing to be such a one-stop community center without asking anything in return hasn’t produced the return on that investment for libraries or their staff.
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Libraries are seeing their budgets cut or staffing permanently reduced. Across the country, organizations are also challenging library funding and their collections for political reasons.
As for staff, many are leaving the profession. After years of being asked to do anything and everything beyond core literacy services, while weathering uncertain job futures, they’re taking their in-demand skillsets elsewhere. What made them capable of taking on the impossible task of supporting the social service backbone of the country (while also providing its intellectual and entertainment services with little to no recognition or support)? They’re finding their skills are more than welcome in other fields.
How do we stop losing a generation of library staff to other fields and get libraries back to their primary business of providing the collections and literacy services they were created to do? Ensure the voice of librarians is heard and that they have the funds they need to carry out their mission. At EveryLibrary, we do more than educate and advocate for libraries, we fight for their survival. Now is the time to show your support – not for everything libraries can do, but for the things only libraries can do. Because if we don’t get back to that work, there may not be anyone left who will.