In the novel “The Last Library in the World” by the British author Freya Sampson, which was published two years ago, there is a remarkable uprising in civil society.
After local politicians decide to close the city library using well-known arguments such as the institution’s unprofitability, the small British town organizes resourceful protests to save the educational institution from going under.
No money for libraries
Not only in England does this fictional novel have numerous real models. In Germany, too, public libraries are always on the verge of collapse. In times of tight coffers and municipal consolidation, it is quickly the libraries that rank high on the checklists of chamberlains and city councillors.
Whether in Jena, Meckenheim or Helba – the arguments and procedures are similar. With reference to the lack of financial leeway, the maintenance providers withdraw funds from the libraries, which often leads to the closure of the facilities despite repeated protests from the citizenry.
If you look at the relevant statistics from the German Library Association, year after year they list libraries whose continued existence is threatened or that are about to be closed – in some cases only temporarily, but unfortunately in others completely.
The silent death
It is a silent death that attracts little attention, especially when it comes to smaller institutions in rural areas. The benefit of libraries with code numbers cannot really be represented at all. Libraries, as meeting places, places of lifelong learning, places to stay without the obligation to consume and promote reading, are far more than can be measured and illustrated with numbers alone.
As an important factor for sustainability, it is also these houses, especially in sparsely populated areas, that enable social encounters in their rooms and promote culture and education on site with their event work.
Far more than “just” borrowing and reading books
The employees in the facilities teach media skills, provide support with applications, organize hackathons, film evenings, cooperate with schools, also visit people in old people’s homes, use the mobile library to visit their customers. Behind everything is the mandate of informational participation – albeit always subject to financing.
“Libraries belong on the political agenda in Germany”. This was stated by the then Federal President Horst Köhler in his speech on the reopening of the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar in 2007. Three Federal Presidents and 16 years later, it must be said that this topic has completely disappeared from public awareness.
While more than half of the EU states around us have had such a law for a long time, in Germany it is still up to each federal state to decide to what extent it considers the role of libraries important and worthy of support and the financial resources of the libraries as legislative mandatory task. There are currently only five federal states that have passed such a law.
Strengthen the role of libraries
It would be so important – especially now in times of rising book prices and falling purchasing power – to strengthen the role of libraries in society throughout Germany and to give them security for their important activities through a solid financial framework.
A library law could significantly enhance this work and also send a political signal of the visibility and appreciation of library work. It’s about time!
