An Essay on Libraries and (Tax) Liabilities

An Essay on Libraries and (Tax) Liabilities; or,Boone County's Taj Mahal and the Bad Book Tax

James Duvall, M. A.
Big Bone University

Libraries are very little understood by the general public. People don't know what they do, or what they have available. “Libraries are about books,” is a widely held idea, and not without reason; however, modern libraries are often about a lot of other things, and books come in as a distant focus, which should become obvious in the course of this essay.

I worked for the Boone County Public Library for seven and a half years, and can claim to have some knowledge of the subject. I certainly think the mystery needs to be taken out of the subject, and so I am working on a book, currently in draft, called “the Extraordinary History of the Boone County Public Library, Boone County, Kentucky, with Special Remarks on the Taj Mahal and Citizens for Lower Taxes”. I feel that I am the only person qualified to write this work. It falls within the scope of the work I was doing for the library, a massive project called the Annals of Boone County, which includes every aspect of Boone County history and genealogy.

My research is not yet complete for the history of the library, and I am not yet in a position to tell all I know. Some things I only suspect. Some of these waters are deep, and one can only draw out the truth by evidence that will mirror the sometimes murky waters of the mind. It it true here, no less than in other aspects of politics and government spending, that there is a kind of mad methodology in the muddiness.

Let me first say that I do not oppose libraries; I love them. When I went to Washington, D. C., the first place I visited was the Library of Congress; a truly impressive collection of books, maps, and manuscripts. I have used many of the local university libraries, including their rare book rooms. These include the Klau Library of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, one of the three great repositories of Judaica in the world, and the largest outside of Jerusalem; I am a graduate of the college. I have researched in the Lloyd Library, also in Cincinnati (though it has Northern Kentucky roots), one of the world's premier collections of pharmacology and materia medica. University of Cincinnati. Northern Kentucky University. The libraries at the University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Archives, and State Historical Society Library, among many others.

I love a good collection of books, but I am opposed to waste. I like good libraries. Good libraries are those that serve the public, and serve their purpose, rather than the egos and advancement of their administrators. A good library is about books. The public always knew this, but many of our professional librarians and “highly qualified” administrators seem to have forgotten this.

Library administrators, that is Directors, and a few other people, will argue that libraries are about service. And this is perfectly correct, so long as we are clear about what the service actually is; however service is an area in which they are deficient, for the most part. It can be very hard to get good service in most public libraries. It is not guaranteed by the fact that the person serving you has an MLS degree (Master of Library Science). This degree, though required for most of the better positions, is a very inferior degree. It is a “systems” degree, concentrating on process rather than content. You don't have to be very smart, or even read much of anything, except the dull text books, and do a few “projects” to get the degree.

Many of the people with whom I worked were knowledgeable in a number of area, and were concerned to help anyone who asked them for help. Good librarians tend to develop area of special interest and expertise, and were always willing to learn. I enjoyed working with these people; but there were significant exceptions. I might understand why, but I never appreciated a colleague who rolled their eyes as certain patrons left the desk. We got some odd requests from time to time; but the real problem is that most Reference people do not know very much about books.

I recently came across a statement in a book that applies here: “Most of the famous people I have met have their feet firmly planted in mid-air.” For “famous people” read “librarians” and you have a perfect description of the bulk of the breed.

Someone once called the library to ask how to season a skillet. The person who picked it up didn't even attempt an answer, they just passed the telephone to me. I didn't have (or need) a reference book on the subject; I just told them how I season mine, and mentioned several other methods I had observed, been told or, or had read about. This person said they liked my method best, which was flattering; but you have to have experience and common sense to answer that kind of question.

You have to study real subjects to be able to recommend books that will help someone after significant information. You have to be able to look at the cover and the publisher, and other indications, to tell if this is a book of value, or one of the many advice books so bad you could die of a misprint. Mid-air people don't have the experience or qualifications to make these types of judgments, which the public pays for, and on which they rely. It is acknowledged in the library journals that about 75% of the Reference questions asked in U. S. libraries receive incorrect answers (if my memory serves); I may be giving an incorrect answer here — the true figure is closer to 85%.

Most reference people are tied to the computer for basic information, and for the catalogue of books (which we all need often enough). They don't have any sense (to speak of) about what is available on the subject, and what is more important, what the library might have.

Speaking of this subject (before I proceed to talk about the Taj Mahal, and its rather pitiful collection of books): There is a real lack of good books in the Boone County Public Library. This is partly by design, and partly through ignorance about what the best books are. I have not used the Kenton County much for years. I lived in Latonia for ten years, and often used it them. The collection at that time was much better than that of Boone County. There were at least a few solid books on almost every subject in which I happened to be interested. (This would include just about any subject you might think of.)

My impression is that this quality was due mostly to the influence of Ms. Mary Ann Mongan, the long-time library Director. How much the collection might have changed since that time I can only guess. When I am there I deal primarily with the excellent collection of Kentucky History, but this has been there for years, and is hardly a good guide to the state of the collection as a whole.

I suspect that Boone County is not the only public library around that is lacking in what should be its primary feature and purpose. Most of the books are new; if they age much they are usually thrown away and replaced by new books of inferior value, if you are considering content rather than retail value. Many of the books have catchy titles, but are short on substance. For example you can get a history of sunflowers, but no commentary on the Bible. You can check out a series that includes “Aristotle in Fifteen Minutes” (which is impossible), but not one book written by a real philosopher. You can get every recent book in print on witchcraft, but there is only one volume in the whole library on anthropology, and it is not very good. The mathematics section is particularly poor, though books on the subject are often requested. We are talking about all the branches here.

I have a graduate degree in history (besides the one in Bible and Ancient Languages), and have found only a few books in the collection having any solid worth; nothing that even covers “world history” that I could recommend. The section on language (my favourite) is not worse than that of most small public libraries, but nothing much to brag about. At my suggestion a Greek dictionary, and a few other books were acquired and added. There are a few good books on the sciences; a good bit of it is little more than trash. Most of the best books have never found a home here. I don't mean the kind of books demanded and written by research scientists; I mean ordinary works that actually cover the subject, in writing. The “Illustrated Book of Stars” and “The Complete Idiot's Guide to Traveling in Black Holes”, are not the kind of thing for people who really want to know. I don't have an MLS, but I know better than that.

We do have a nice history of the Taj Mahal (the real one). I remember putting it out on display once, when the controversy about the new library was at its height, and it found its way back to the shelf rather quickly, to spend a life of indolence. It was rather an interesting book, lots of pictures. I could go into great detail about other sections of the collection. The Literature section is actually in rather good shape, except the high school students never can find much on Shakespeare for their yearly assignment, for there is only one book on the subject they can use! It is thanks to one or two literature-loving librarians that this area has been kept up fairly well, one of whom has now passed to the great “Library of the Infinite”. The section on religion is the worst in the library. Don't get me started on this subject — go and look for yourself!

I wrote a plan to correct this problem. It had enough promise, even on the face of it, that copies were distributed to everyone on the Selection Committee (though probably not read), by order of the Director. However, nothing was done to improve selection. The feeling seems to have been that it is more important to buy books than to improve the collection. (Link: Notes on Book Selection)

So what about the Taj Mahal on Wildcat Blvd.? The building of that come as a surprise to everyone, certainly the public. (I had heard vague rumors.) This was because the public was not aware of the “Five Mile Plan”, which is still in effect. This was an agenda agreed on by Lucinda Brown, the former Director, and Ted Bushelman, back in the day when he was president of the Board of Trustees, to put a library facility within five miles of every resident in Boone County. That is going to cost you more than you realize, sooner or later!

The Taj was the crown jewel in this plan, though it was but three miles from an existing facility in Hebron. However, you will be happy to know that this thriving, and much used branch, is going to be axed, and a new one built at Francisville, a few miles further north. The branch built at Union was a bargain at $5 million, I was told; and that included building and contents. The fifty acres of land for the new one have already been purchased for $3.1 million. I have seen the initial sketches for this building. It will be at least as large as the branch at Union, and I estimate it will cost over $10 million. Probably this includes the contents also. It doesn't include the staff. I estimate that it will take about fifty people, full and part time. I can assure you that your taxes will go up considerable when the present library staff of about 150 begins to approach 200.

Libraries are about books, not buildings. No one is arguing that you can have books with no place to put them, but here the emphasis seems to be all on buildings. They say people aren't interested in books, so the have programs to draw them in. These include concerts, yoga, magicians, food-crafting (from people who don't even know how to season a skillet?), and even sleep-overs. You have to have something in a building that big to justify the expenditure, so you spent more to drag people in. It is true that people come to the library to use the Internet and computers. It is a nice service; I sometimes use it myself, as I do not have Internet at home. I still think $18 million is a little expensive for an Internet Café. My dentists office is nice, but not so costly as that — why not offices all around the county that are rented by the year, and closed if they don't get much use? People could order their books online, and pick them up within five miles of home! Why invest so heavily in one spot?

Why not at least ask the public, particularly the taxpayers, what they really want?

Why keep these big productions secret until the Director and the “secret Trustees” roll them out for our expected applause? Why not concentrate on books and media — downloadable books (I know the value of all kinds of books), DVDs, recorded books, periodicals, and traditional children's programs, rather than have specialized banquets at $20 a plate, or exercise programs with enrollment fees of $25 to $35. That excludes the underpriviledged. Why should taxpayers underwrite a huge building with a club atmosphere that discriminates against poor citizens? Why should we have programs there at all that are not directly concerned with books? If the programs are for the public why should individuals have to pay at all? Why not concentrate on the reason libraries even exist, rather than create new demands from a limited public, while ignoring or downplaying the true purpose of a library?

Call to Action

There is a very great deal more that I could say, and perhaps will say in my “Extraordinary History” of the subject. I will be glad to personally discuss this subject with any reasonable person (that is anyone who doesn't yell or cuss). There is a basis flaw in the Statues which govern the administration of Kentucky's Public Libraries that often doesn't show up as long as library systems are small; but it needs to be fixed. And now is the time to fix it! Library Trustees should be directly accountable to the public. They should be elected just as the members of the School Board are. In theory the Board controls the Library. In actuality the Director controls the Board. The Board needs to be in a position to demand accountability from the Director and Staff.

I have written a detailed essay on the subject of how Library Boards are appointed. (Link: “Then There Are Five”) They are chosen by the Director, and approved in a rubber-stamp process. It is possible to impeach Trustees by action of the Fiscal Court; but it is not possible. Trustees have a right to appeal this action through the State Courts, and iffy and endless process, which means that practially speaking they cannot be ousted before their term expires. In essence they are untouchable.

Anyone with authority to raise and spend your taxes needs to be accountable to you!

Written 16 Aug 2010.

Archival Quality Quotation:

“We're not sure yet whether the new library will be another Taj Mahal, or the Tomb of King Tut. Either way, there will be a lot of Lucinda Brown's carefully hoarded tax money spent. In both cases the money was spent without your consent!”

Kathryn James
Teacher and Teaparty Member

Big Bone University: A Think Tank, Research Institute, & Public Policy Center
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jkduvall@gmail.com