1. Annie Watkins
4/29/2015
LIS 636
Griffis
The Evolution of the Public Library’s Mission and Roles: How the Library Has Changed to
Serve the Public
The public library is a common foundation in most cities and towns. If a person has just
moved to an area it is one of the first places that look into because the library will hold key
information about their new home. A public library is a haven of information, a source of
entertainment, and it can also be a social hub. No matter what purpose a library serves to the
public, it is always a crucial asset.
While libraries are known for their dedication to the serving the public, it should be
remembered that the definition of “public” has changed over time. Libraries were not always
available for the use of everyone in the service areas. For example, due to racial laws in the
South, public libraries were heavily segregated. In order to appease the rigid Jim Crow laws, two
libraries were usually built, a whites-only main branch which had better materials, conditions,
and service and a smaller “negro” branch that had to rely solely on the donations of its patrons.
The public library has also changed in terms of the gender of the librarians that work there. The
earliest libraries were managed solely by men; women would not join the workforce until later.
How has the public library evolved since its beginnings? To understand this it would
beneficial to discuss the following:
 The diversification of the public being served.

2.  The adaption of the public libraries for the future of the library and how it could
continue to adapt to better serve the public.
While the ultimate mission of public libraries is the provision of knowledge and services
to the public, over time it seems that that the definition of public and services has changed as
have libraries themselves. With the advancement of technology, libraries both academic and
public have had to adapt or be left behind.
From Serving the Few to Serving the Many
The beginning of books would be seen in the clay tablets of ancient Mesopotamia.
Usually the ones who handled these tablets were scholars or apprentices to the scholar. In
contrast to today’s patrons, those who were able to read usually had a noble or financially
padded background. This trend would continue from the libraries of Greece and Rome until the
middle Ages. Was the lack of literate persons that were not of noble blood really due to the fact
that those in the serfdom just did not have the time to learn or is it similar to the attitudes of
white Americans toward blacks during the time of segregation, that a “higher illiteracy rate
within the black population suited the interests of capitalism”? Knowledge is power after all. It
obviously was beneficial for the ruling class to be educated and the poorer citizens to be
ignorant. Not only did it serve to make the poorer workers depended on the upper-class, but it
gave their words and laws a sense of authority.
Over time it would become useful for some to be able read, so that tasks could be
delegated and the need of the upper-class to mingle with the commoners would lessen. This
delegation would morph into a form of paternalism. This type of paternalism was one that could
be hidden or masked as forms of philanthropic gestures of charity while still managing to be
insulting and condescending.

3. Public Libraries Mission
The mission of a public library should detail how it plans to serve its community. A
library’s goal is to make sure that it promotes literacy and a love for reading in future generation.
They achieve this goal by providing services to the public for free, or providing a space where
patrons can come to learn.
Libraries and Racial Issues
White members of the Southern community believed it was their duty to provide the
black population with a means to raise them out of savagery and into civilization. The best way,
they decided, was to give them a library so that they could read and better themselves through
literature. However, the white community preferred that this betterment took place in an area that
was separate from their main branches. This led to the creation of Negro branches. These
branches were created under the idea of separate of equal. This would mean that the branches
would have the same amenities offered at the main branches that serve white patrons, but in
reality they were anything but. On the outside, the libraries appeared just as nice as the branches
that served the white populace, however the inside told another story. Like other facilities that
served the Negro community the libraries were shoddy, poorly funded, and poorly staffed. Black
librarians made less than their white counterparts and received little funding if they received any
at all. Books added to the collection at Negro branches were paid for by combined effort from
charities, black civic leaders, and personal donations (Graham, 2002 p. 12). More often than not
branches were maintained by a single librarian contributing most if not all the physical labor.
Female black librarians were forced to do manual labor in sharp contrast to their white
counterparts who were only allowed to run the desk, leaving the manual labor to male librarians.

4. Even government funded operations meant to assist libraries that had trouble operating during
the Great Depression generally ignored black libraries (Graham, 2002, p. 36).
As the rigid Jim Crow laws were enforced to keep the Negro community from using
services offered to white patrons so were they in place to keep white patrons from using the
services available to the Negro branches. Today, if a main branch has a second branch it is not
unheard of for the materials to be left at one and brought back to the other later. Nor would it be
odd for a patron to frequent both libraries if they chose to do so. This was not the case in the
past. White patrons caught using Negro library branches were met with ridicule and assault.
Materials from one branch could not be interchanged. Luckily, with the push to integrate schools
and businesses, civil rights leaders were also able to integrate public libraries doing away with
the need of a “separate but equal” library. Public libraries opened their doors to not only the
black community but to other races as well. Today, public libraries are diverse offering such
services as multilingual story time and having bilingual books. It is because of integration that
public libraries are able to abstain from politics and adopt a more neutral mindset. If there is a
downside to this neutral stance it is that when a group meets at the library because it is a free
public space, the library must announce that while the group is using their space, it in no way
reflects the library’s opinion or allegiance to what the group stands for. For example, in fall of
2014 the Hattiesburg Petal and Forrest County Library a group reserved a study room so that
Hattiesburg residents could sign a petition to legalize the use of marijuana. The HPFC library
had to go on record (going as far as printing out a typed memo of a prepared response) stating
that they had no opinion on the subject matter, the people were just using the space, and they had
nothing else to say.

5. Why is this important? While it was obvious that the Southern libraries could not be in
favor of servicing the black community pre-integration, they were never vocal of their opposition
to the ideas. Really, it was the white patrons that demonstrated the most virulent attitudes
towards the idea of sharing their library space with their black counterparts. When activists
organized “read-ins” at the main branches, they were met with verbal and physical abuse, spat
on, and greeted with a KKK rally (Graham, 2002, p. 79). There were no guarantees of police
intervention. When the libraries finally did integrate, the first people to sign up were two
ministers. These men were dragged outside and beaten by the white patrons. This sort of mob
violence is horrifying, but it showcases why a library is ethically responsible to remain neutral.
There might have been librarians who were pro-integration during this time, but they were not
able to voice this (Graham, 2002, p. 94).
Youth Services at the Library
It is a difficult thing to find activities for those that fall into the category of preteen to
teen. They are just discovering themselves, carving out their own forms of creativity and
deciding what it is they want in the world. A Youth Services librarian often finds that preteens
can be the most neglected age group to service. After all they are not old enough to do the same
things as those that fall under the heading of young adults and they are too old for things that
would please children. An easy catch-all for planning an activity for the summer would be a
movie showing, but that is often seen as uncreative.
When libraries first began they were institutions of learning. It was a place where people
could go for scholarly pursuits. The atmosphere was stuffy and academic, and definitely not the
most exciting place for any child or teen. In 1852, the public libraries started to work as an
extension to the public schools (Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). By doing so, it would make it possible for

6. the public libraries to be seen as a “means of completing our system of public education”
(Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). By achieving this, public libraries believed that they could better society
and provide the young people with the means to further their education so that they could
become contributing members of society (Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). This academia-minded approach
ultimately gave way to adding more fiction books into the collection as it became obvious that
those books were more popular than the books used for educational purposes.
It was Samuel Swett Green who believed it was important to have “in every library a
friend of the young” (Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). Green argued in that this would be best way for the
young to utilize a library’s reference services. For the young to feel comfortable in a library,
Green stressed that they needed someone that they could “consult freely when in need of
assistance, and who in addition to the power of gaining their confidence, has knowledge and tact
enough to render them real aid in making selections” (Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). The trouble with this,
is that sometimes it is difficult to provide help a teen even when the librarian attempts to provide
assistance. Is this because the youth, in question is doing something sneaky that they do not want
the librarian to see and report on or are they simply trying to establish a sense of independence
and resourcefulness. Surely, librarians must remember their teenage years as they tried to ensure
those around them of their maturity. Green may have believed that it was important for a
librarian to be a friend to the youth that enter, but he seems to forget that no one wants a friend
pushed upon them. And certainly they do not want one in the form of a librarian
In the aftermath of World War I, technological advances saw away to make smaller
workforces and in effect removed the need for children to work long hours in factories and other
places. One of the first things that had to be considered when public libraries began to develop
their youth services was the establishments of age restrictions. In his 1876 report, William

7. Fletcher asked what services libraries could provide and how (Yalsa.ala.org, 2014). It is
important to remember that by providing excellent services to young patrons, libraries can ensure
their relevance in the future. After all, the children of today will one day grow and perhaps bring
children of their own to the library to spread a love of reading to the next generation.
What services should libraries provide for children and teens? For starters, it is important
that students have a place where they feel comfortable to do their homework after school. While
librarians might not always know the answers, they can point the child in the right direction. It is
the library’s job to ensure that the research materials are kept current and updated for any child
needing reference materials.
Public Libraries Adapting for the Future
There are those that believe that the digitization of printed materials will be the downfall
of libraries. According to his 2014 article, Michael Agresta believes that “A library without
books was once unthinkable. Now it is almost inevitable” (Slate.com, 2014). The internet has an
increased range of sources, can be used to talk to or view a live session of someone’s lecture, and
can transmit information between users in an instant. Three-quarters of the average American
household has access to the internet, either by broadband or by using their mobile phones
(Slate.com, 2014). Although these numbers are steadily climbing the internet is not always a
guaranteed or trustworthy source for reference. Unless the information is from a credible source
it is untrustworthy and non-credible. The user must also take into consideration that the person
presenting the information might have a personal bias.
Rather than fight against new technology, cringing from it in fear, public libraries have
begun the process of offering their materials on a digital catalog (Cave, 2014, p. 237). This
allows patrons who are unable to come to the library themselves an opportunity the check out the

8. materials that want to read without having to pay for the items. For example, the Hattiesburg
Petal and Forrest County library allow patrons to check out books and magazines through a
database known as Hoopla. Not only are libraries beginning offer books online, they have also
began to offer the option for patrons to stream movies.
Conclusion
Libraries, especially public libraries, are constantly evolving entities. Once they were
establishments that were only opened to the educated noble class, but they have since become a
place where everyone come and use the library’s free services. The library is not just an institute
for information and a reference tool anymore. Now it is can be seen as a place where patrons can
come to socialize or congregate. Public libraries are a social hub, a safe place, and a place where
patrons should feel welcome. Libraries have gone through many changes. While they were once
forced by the law and by societal norms to build separate libraries that provided unequal services
to its black patrons, now libraries welcome patrons to use their services no matter their race,
nationality, or background. It is because nothing is constant that libraries have had to adapt, to
embrace change and mold themselves so that they can continue to reliably provide their patrons
with the best service. It is not only the laws and social mores that change, but also technology.
Libraries are said to be threatened by the advancement of technology but this is not so. Libraries
have learned to adapt by digitizing their collection and developing new e-services for their
patrons.
While the future of the public library is uncertain there is one thing that is not, public
libraries are necessity for society. They are a social and educational institution that provides the
citizens of their area with free services and knowledge and a source of entertainment. Whatever

9. changes may come in the future, it can be certain that the libraries will be able to face them head
on.

10. Works Cited
Agresta, M. (2014). The future of the library: How they’ll evolve for the digital age. Retrieved
25 February 2014 from,
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/design/2014/04/the_future_of_the_library_how_they_ll
_evolve_for_the_digital_age.html.
Battles, M. (2003). Library: An unquiet history. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Cave, R. & Ayad, S. (2014). The history of the book in 100 books: The complete story, from
Egypt to e-book. New York: Firefly Books.
Graham, P. (2002). A right to read: Segregation and civil rights in Alabama’s public libraries,
1900-1965. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.
Jaeger, P., Gorham, U., Taylor, N., Kettnich, K., Sarin, L., & Peterson, K. (2014). Library
research and what libraries actually do now: Education, inclusion, social services, public
spaces, digital literacy, social justice, human rights, and other community needs. The
Library Quarterly, 84(4), 491-493. Retrieved February 25, 2015, from,
http://www.jstor.org.lynx.lib.usm.edu/stable/10.1086/677785.
Lee, S. (2014). Beyond books, nooks, and dirty looks: The history and evolution of
library services to teens in the United States. Retrieved 25 February 2015 from,
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/2014/05/beyond-books-nooks-and-dirty-looks-the-history-
and-evolution-of-library-services-to-teens-in-the-united-states/.