Unvalued: The Power of the Public Library’s Duty in Ethics to Serve the Community Outside the Pages of a Book

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For some, the library is a faint childhood memory, having its introduction be our beautiful look into the world of literature for the first time. For many, though, that is the extent of what they know. Outside of fellow scholars or students studying for their degrees, there isn’t much use for public libraries in the public consciousness. However, a city's public liberty is not only the epicenter of learning but positivity and open arms to the community. The public library is the undervalued lifeblood of a city’s information ecosystem. It brings people closer to information and provides them with many extra resources they might not know about in a diverse and equitable sense. A library doesn't say no to its community.

Figure 1: Inside the Multnomah Country Library.

Image Source: Willamette Week

 
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On February 13, 2023, Multnomah County reached a state of emergency, declared by  Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. During high snow accumulation and freezing low temperatures, all open Multnomah library branches were available to the public during the day as a warm and safe place to avoid the weather.

As of 2023, 19 locations in the Portland area offer a broad and diverse support system for the community, from Capital Hill out to Troutdale, and the libraries have become more than a building full of books. Portland hosts the Public Library Association conference, bringing over 3,000 librarians to the city, according to Kathi Inman Berens from The Oregonian/OregonLive, to witness how diverse the workers in the county's libraries operate. After a tumultuous few years with the pandemic, protests, the ever-growing houseless crisis, and other social crisis circumstances, there has been a notable change to expand its reach as far and inclusive as possible. The Multnomah County Library advocates for black communities have gone up 383% before the change of the decade, as well as offering diverse communications in more languages. They also worked well to make more effort to support the BIPOC community struggling disproportionately from the effects of the pandemic. The BIPOC community and many others share a lot of overlap between the houseless community and many other struggling communities in Portland. The resources they receive are excellent for shortening these individuals' struggles.

To discuss the homeless issue directly, The Oregonian’s Berens discusses how the library has operated recently: “Serving homeless people was one of the biggest challenges the library faced. Curbside services weren’t going to help those who need a library’s physical shelter.


‘The library is one of the few places where (homeless) people feel welcome,’ said library communications specialist Paty Rincon, ‘where they are able to be treated fairly and kindly, have a place to use the restroom, drink water, and read books. A lot of folks spend their days there, have library cards, and access technology.’


When library buildings were shut, Multnomah County Library increased wifi access, making it available 24/7 in the outdoor environs around its physical libraries.


The library also doubled down on coordination with the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services. When library doors opened after vaccination rates rose, on-site social workers offered window service for walk-up assistance at the Central Library in downtown Portland”.


 

Figure 2: Window service at the library.

Image Source: Kylie Young from Huntingdon Daily News


With extra coordination during a struggling time, the library has been able to serve the homeless community immensely and show its dedication to past expectations. A genuine love for community service shines through these actions. As Tamara Stigler, a Hollywood Library Black Cultural Library Advocate, states: ‘“There is so much knowledge and resources that should be afforded to everyone, and representation matters. I am a native Portlander, and I remember going to the school library, but I don’t recall going to the local library. When I had my son, we encouraged him to go. The library opened up so many doors for him to explore and to learn, and in part because of these experiences, he is now a computer engineer.”’ The dissection here shows a real example of how unvalued the public library is. From the smallest of changes to the biggest, it helps bring together a sense of community, no matter who you are. The undervalued nature of the public library dismisses the love and passion library workers have for serving their community. It’s time to remember how valuable these public institutions are and begin to give back and use these resources to your advantage.


Further Reading


Berens, Kathi Inman. “As Librarians Convene in Portland, Multnomah County Library Showcases Its Work in

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” Oregon Live, The Oregonian, 18 Mar. 2022, https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2022/03/as-librarians-convene-in-portland-multnomah-county-library-showcases-its-work-in-diversity-equity-and-inclusion.html.

Carew, Michelle. “Portland-Area Destination Libraries.” PDX Parent, 27 Dec. 2021, https://pdxparent.com/pdx-

area-destination-libraries/.

Comnes, Julia, and Sarah Dean. “Three Severe Weather Shelters Opening Feb. 13 as Chair Declares State of

Egan, Elisabeth, and Erica Ackerberg. “A Love Letter to Libraries, Long Overdue.” The New York Times, The

Jensen, Latisha. “The Multnomah County Library Wants More Buildings, Which Means Higher Operating

“Meet Geoff Brunk, Library Outreach Services Coordinator.” Multnomah County Library, 16 Apr. 2018,

Young, Kylie. “Library Window Services Begin Again.” The Daily News, Hunting Don, 22 Jan. 2021,

https://www.huntingdondailynews.com/news/local/library-window-services-begin-again/article_3d287ddd-c7f3-55f2-be78-a91df485cc04.html.

                                                                                                                                                 3/06/23 Nathan Varner 

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