Over the past day, I’ve probably seen at least a dozen links via Twitter, Facebook and Friendfeed to NPR blogger Linda Holmes’ recent assertion that Libraries may be the next big pop-culture wave. And just last week, spurred by Andy Woodworth, the “Old Spice Guy” made a short video promoting libraries. It even got picked up by the Huffington Post! Yes, libraries may just be having their moment as a pop-culture phenomenon. Everyone’s thrilled.
Except me.
Listen, I’m really not trying to be a Buzz Killington here. I don’t think there was anything wrong with the Old Spice Guy’s video. Nor is there anything bad about creating and encouraging other pro-library “fluff” like a library themed Ben and Jerry ice cream (a movement also spear-headed by Mr. Woodworth, who I swear I am not trying to pick on and actually respect quite a lot), the Librarians Go Gaga video or book truck drill teams. I can appreciate and enjoy those types of things. Not everything that publicizes libraries or gets librarians excited and active has to be serious or weighty. Hell, I even participated in and liked the Library 101 video.
My fear is that by becoming just another pop-culture icon, libraries and their advocates will, in the long run, lose out on assistance and support they could be getting from people. I guess I just don’t want “Save the Libraries” to become another “Save the Whales” type cultural event where everyone gets really excited for a hot second and then they move on the next thing. Fortunately for libraries, we’re sort of used to being uncool, so the shock won’t be too great.
I also fear that this sort of popularity makes possible advocates lazy. For example, there are few things that annoy me more than ribbons that people wear on their lapels, cars, etc. Wearing a colored ribbon doesn’t mean that you are helping to fight the battle against anything. It means that you pinned a ribbon to yourself and are letting people know what cause you support. This has its uses, but it’s nowhere equal to writing legislators, donating money or volunteering time. Likewise, watching the Old Spice video and getting its YouTube hit numbers up doesn’t do anything to support libraries. These are good steps to introduce people to the issues, but we need to make sure we don’t leave people out on the stoop once we open the door.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sarah Glassmeyer, Meredith. Meredith said: Remember Libraries? They’re back…in pog form! http://bit.ly/dsyfb6 [...]
For example, there are few things that annoy me more than ribbons that people wear on their lapels, cars, etc
And don’t forget Twitter avatar ribbons. Those are my favorite.
Amen. But I still want to have a bacon cupcakes and PBR party in my library.
You’re a bigger buzz kill than Buzz Killington!
I signed on to twitter to re-tweet that NPR article, and immediately below my empty post box I saw you, talking about being a Buzz Killington. It cracked me up. And I certainly see your point, but I disagree with it, and here’s why:
First, you and I work in libraries. They’re on our radar. We think about them all the time, we know their value. That’s not the case for the general public, or even for attorneys and law students and what law librarians think of as our patron base. Public libraries, academic libraries, firm libraries, corporate libraries – they are forgotten by people who aren’t actively using them like I tend to forget about ice cream cake when it’s not my birthday. If a flash of publicity brings libraries to the forefront of the public mind and gets people to actually go back there, or even just check out the library websites, it’s a very good thing.
Second, even if people are coming in the door (or logging on) because of a “save the whales” type fad, a surge in public awareness helps reshape people’s idea of what a library is. A lot of changes have happened in library land over the past twenty years, ten years, five years. Patrons who haven’t thought about libraries in that period of time will walk away with a new understanding of what we do and how we can be relevant to their lives. I can see why you’d worry that they’d just forget about us for another ten years after this short experience, but I think that _even if they do_ that change in their perception of what a library is will help us when they vote on library bonds, or teach their children why we’re important.
Given how hard libraries work to get our names out there, make people aware of resources, work hard to get people to use free services… is a surge of publicity and news coverage something to be worried about?
I tend to see the “fluff” as kind of a baseline attention grabber/amusement thing, that can be followed up with more serious/weighty stuff – get a worm into people’s brains with something silly/nonstereotypical/fun about libraries, and maybe they perk up next time they hear something serious about libraries. Wear a library groove into their brains. Um, I’m realizing that my perspective sounds a little bit like an evil plot.
And Meg, I need an invite to that party.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with examining the attention that libraries are getting from other sources. While I don’t believe that this is bad publicity (if there is such a thing), I do want to look at what it means in terms of impressions and where it leads to. Do I think it made anyone go to the library? No. Do I think there is value in favorable impressions? Yes. While it might not equate directly into funding, goodwill has payoffs down the line. Or so I hope.
[...] like slapping a ribbon magnet on the back of your car doesn’t solve any world problems, talking about an issue only goes so far. Especially if they [...]