Libraries without librarians make us lose heart

‘WHEN we lose a species, we lose a whole universe — and we can never get it back.” I was struck by the stark words of Cork dairy farmer James Murphy, speaking about the Bride Valley Biodiversity Project on RTE’s Ear to the Ground recently, as I live on a river. But they could also apply to the precarious future facing our public libraries.

I grew up getting blissfully lost between my local library’s unassuming shelves, discovering worlds that I might otherwise never have explored. For being able to borrow, instead of buy, means you can follow up on what might be a fleeting fancy or a lifelong love.

Making libraries the last word in civilised society, ditching the dog eat dog for the wonders and wisdom within dog-eared books. We get to press the mute button on the tyrant ‘money talks’ in a library’s hushed atmosphere, where everyone has access to its wealth.

Certainly, the library in this country town is a lifesaver as well as life changer for the entire community, from children literally checking out books for the first time, to older folk for whom it is an essential social outlet. One of very few left.

But a new system that gives us greater access to libraries, via staffless hours, could ring the death knell for these powerful public assets. Instead of benefitting bookworms, it could be the worm that erodes their world. The authorities insist the nearly €5m scheme will not lead to job losses. But only the naive would not question the motive behind the massive investment in security cameras and card swipe technology. “It’s a slippery slope,” as a librarian in a neighbouring town puts it. He says the system has proved disastrous in the UK, leading to the closure of many rural libraries, with some now run by volunteers. There are also concerns about security, especially for children and other vulnerable members of society.

It’s disturbing how hoovering the human element out of our daily interactions is increasingly viewed as an acceptable means of cost cutting — except in the corridors of power, that is. If the authorities care so much about public libraries, then maybe they should invest some of the public’s millions in employing extra staff for those welcome extra hours. Unless they think a librarian is some sort of dispensable check out assistant, instead of an indispensable part of what makes public libraries so good. Otherwise, we risk ending up with virtual bouncers and books, CCTV instead of civilised conversation.

Even the proposed abolition of fines seems a desperate sweetener. Sadly, people can put less value on something that is free.

For as that dairy farmer warns, our problem is the way we plunder and waste, discard and destroy, as if this planet is our property. When, as the saying goes, it is only on loan. Too many species have been sacrificed for our selfish short-sightedness. Now we are living on borrowed time, shouldn’t we change our attitude before it’s too late?