Thoughts on Libraries and the American Dream

Note: The post below is a reflection on issues of equity and inclusion within libraries. The thoughts expressed herein are my own. I am a second-career librarian with a background in law and public and academic librarianship.

Works Progress Administration poster, “Information at your Public Library: An American Privilege.” https://dp.la/exhibitions/history-us-public-libraries/immigrants-americanization/adult-education-movement?item=1478

During a recent staff discussion, the topic of systemic bias in our library systems was raised by a colleague of mine. Libraries, he argued, were the manifestation of our belief in the “American Dream.” He argued that in providing a means for people to educate themselves to achieve financial success, libraries were perpetuating the notion that hard work alone would garner these results. I would like to examine that argument.

How is the “American Dream” commonly described? In a paper exploring the impacts of parental education and socioeconomic conditions on three families, the following summary of the “American Dream” was posited by the authors:

“The ‘American Dream’ encompasses deeply rooted historic ideals. Equal opportunity is a fundamental basis of legitimacy in our society, and apparently many Americans believe that opportunities for all remain ample. There is widespread agreement, irrespective of income, that ‘most people can succeed if they are willing to work hard’. Compared to respondents in four European countries, Americans are more likely to think that children in the bottom economic quintile can rise to the top quintile.” (internal citations removed)[1]

The “American Dream” – in reality – benefits only select members of our society. In my view, the means to financial success is, in part, having the privilege of choosing a career path that is well-rewarded by the marketplace. It is very difficult to move up the economic ladder, and, indeed, rates of social mobility are declining [2]. This video provides an illustration:

IS AMERICA DREAMING? UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL MOBILITY

Brookings Institution (https://youtu.be/t2XFh_tD2RA)

So, back to the question: Do libraries perpetuate the myth of the American Dream? I believe that this is, in part, true. Libraries are designed for individuals who have the time to self-educate. If time is viewed as a commodity, the assumption that individuals have extra time in their lives to utilize library services is inherently biased. It neglects to consider that some do not have the means to meet basic needs with the time they do have. Libraries are in a difficult position; we are being asked to provide services that will never be adequate (on their own) to address structural inequities that bar social mobility. A few articles addressing the issues surrounding this topic:

VOCATIONAL AWE AND LIBRARIANSHIP: THE LIES WE TELL OURSELVES
By Fobazi Ettarh
“Vocational awe describes the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique. I argue that the concept of vocational awe directly correlates to problems within librarianship like burnout and low salary. This article aims to describe the phenomenon and its effects on library philosophies and practices so that they may be recognized and deconstructed.”
https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/

THE COMPLICATED ROLE OF THE MODERN PUBLIC LIBRARY
By Jennifer Howard
“That commitment to inclusivity, along with a persistent ability to adapt to changing times, has kept public libraries vital in an era of divisive politics and disruptive technological change. But it has also put pressure on them to be all things to all people, and to meet a vast range of social needs without correspondingly vast budgets. These days, a branch librarian might run story hour in the morning, assist with a research project at lunchtime, and in the afternoon administer life-saving medical aid to a patron who’s overdosed on the premises.”
https://www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library

Moreover, it is a shameful fact that our libraries were not always welcoming to all. These concepts are explored in the following resources on these topics:

SANITIZING AMERICAN LIBRARY HISTORY: REFLECTIONS OF A LIBRARY HISTORIAN
By Wayne Wiegand
“Librarianship has a propensity to sanitize its history. As evidence for this statement, this article uses the Library Bill of Rights that the American Library Association adopted in 1939 and the School Library Bill of Rights that the American Association of School Librarians adopted in 1955 as lenses through which to view the profession’s response to selected events in American library history since 1939. By such means, the article attempts to show that librarianship has manifested a consistent desire to control the narrative surrounding libraries and their defense of intellectual freedom and opposition to censorship.”
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/707669?journalCode=lq

A HISTORY OF US PUBLIC LIBRARIES
By Digital Public Library of America
https://dp.la/exhibitions/history-us-public-libraries/segregated-libraries

In addition to the history of unwelcoming libraries, we also face issues of inequitable funding between libraries. I know that this is a familiar issue. Funding is a struggle (always, it feels) for all libraries and it directly impacts the resources that we can provide to our users.

WHEN UNIVERSITIES CUT, LIBRARIES BLEED
By Anne Ford
“How academic libraries respond to shrinking offerings.”
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/11/01/when-universities-cut-libraries-bleed/

MILLION-DOLLAR BUDGET CUT HINDERS RESOURCE ACCESS, BURDENS LIBRARIANS
By Catherine Mclaughlin
https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2021/04/million-dollar-library-budget-cut-hinders-resource-access-burdens-librarians

WHY DO WE THINK LIBRARY SERVICES ARE FREE?
By Nadine Kramarz
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2021/06/why-do-we-think-library-services-are-free/

Because this complex topic touches on subjects of vocational awe, social mobility, leisure time, funding, and education in our society, a summary is very difficult to write and I will not attempt to do so here. Additionally, I am afraid that I don’t have any solutions to offer in this post. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions for further readings.


[1] Mortimer, Mont’Alvao, A., & Aronson, P. (2020). Decline of “the American Dream”? Outlook toward the Future across Three Generations of Midwest Families. Social Forces, 98(4), 1403–1435. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz130

[2] Chetty, Grusky, D., Hell, M., Hendren, N., Manduca, R., & Narang, J. (2017). The fading American dream: Trends in absolute income mobility since 1940. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 356(6336), 398–405. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aal4617

Amanda McCormick (she/her), Science Librarian, University at Buffalo

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