LIBRARIAN AS SOCIAL
WORKER:
THE LIBRARIAN’S AXIOM IN
THE NEW ECONOMY
Allison Phillips
Spring 2014
4/28/2014
What is the Librarian’s Axiom?
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Librarian’s Axiom: During periods of economic
recession, library use increases.
In 1986, Stephen James published in Library
Quarterly that he could not find quantifiable
evidence to prove the Librarian’s Axiom
Mary Jo Lynch published in American Libraries that
the theory deserves closer study; many colloquial
accounts exist
Recession Library Use: Job Searching
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Free access to job hunting resources
Quiet and professional atmosphere
Sense of normalcy
Recession Library Use: E-Government
Forms
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Many e-government forms are available exclusively
online; hard copies can be inconvenient to obtain
Applications for government assistance, including
FAFSA forms and food stamps, are found primarily
online
Patrons often complete these forms at libraries in
order to take advantage of free computer access
and assistance from librarians
Also important in community emergencies
Recession Library Use: Free Internet
Access
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“62.1% of public libraries serve as the only provider of free public
Internet and computer access within their communities”*
For low-income households, the library is an essential resource for
Internet access
Library visitors use the Internet to apply for jobs, complete egovernment forms, check email, complete school projects, etc.
Natalie Greene Taylor et al, "Public Libraries in the New Economy: Twenty-First Century Skills, the
Internet, and Community Needs," Public Library Quarterly 31, no. 3 (July 2012): 195, accessed April
7, 2014, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=91cf4c59-294740ff-9c338d8893a10182%40sessionmgr198&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=lih&AN=79830014.
Library Budget Cuts
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Despite widespread accounts of the value of the
library to the community, many facilities are facing
budget cuts
Consequences of budget cuts include: reduced
hours, layoffs, program reduction, facility closings
ROI studies are one tool for library advocates
A Hopeful Note:
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"As public libraries are now playing a vital role in
the recovery, they will secure an even greater place
within the new prosperity.”*
*S Holland and A Verploeg, "No Easy Targets: Six Libraries in the Economy's Dark Days," Public
Libraries 48, no. 4 (July/August 2009): 36, accessed April 14, 2014,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f85b18a3-84d94a48-a59d-e5cb70315f30%40sessionmgr115&vid=4&hid=120.
Resources
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Berman, S. "On My Mind: Libraries, Class, and the Poor People's Policy," American Libraries 29 (March
1998): 45.
Accessed April 14, 2014, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=751d5c30-dc4d4f5d-ad11-465c9b1cd1b1%40sessionmgr198&vid=8&hid=120.
Bertot, J et al, "The Impacts of Free Public Internet Access on Public Libraries, Patrons and Communities," Library Quarterly 78,
no. 3 (July 2008): 285-301. Accessed April 10, 2014,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8fff44e3-8932-41f2-8937b037546e349a%40sessionmgr198&vid=3&hid=120.
Bertot J et al, "Public Access Computing and Internet Access in Public Libraries: The Role of Public Libraries in EGovernment
and Emergency Situations," First Monday 11, no. 9 (September 2006). Accessed April 9, 2014,
http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1392.
Carlton, Jim. "Folks Are Flocking to the Library, a Cozy Place to Look for a Job,” Washington Post,
January
19, 2009. Accessed April 3, 2014.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/
SB123197709459483585.
Diamond, K et al. The Economic Value of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia,
Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, 2010. Accessed April 16, 2014.
http://www.freelibrary.org/about/Fels_Report.pdf
PA: Fels
Resources, con’d
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Greene Taylor, Natalie et al, "Public Libraries in the New Economy: Twenty-First Century Skills, the Internet,
and Community Needs," Public Library Quarterly 31, no. 3 (July 2012): 191-219. Accessed April 7,
2014,http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=91cf4c59-2947-40ff-9c338d8893a10182%40sessionmgr198&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#d
b=lih&AN=79830014.
Hughes, Sandra. "In Recession, Libraries are Booming," CBS News, February 2, 2009. Accessed April 10,
2014. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-recession-libraries-are-booming/.
James, Stephen E., "The Relationship Between Local Economic Conditions and the Use of Public Libraries,"
Library Quarterly 55 (1985): 255-272.
Holland, S and A Verploeg, "No Easy Targets: Six Libraries in the Economy's Dark Days,"
Public
Libraries 48, no. 4 (July/August 2009): 27-38. Accessed April 14, 2014,
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.dom.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f85b18a3-84d9-4a48a59d-e5cb70315f30%40sessionmgr115&vid=4&hid=120.
Lynch, Mary Jo, "Economic Hard Times and Public Library Use Revisited," American Libraries, August 2002.
Accessed April 4, 2014. http://www.ala.org/research/librarystats/