Does not inherit the WIU library. Until recently, my will directed me to bequeath $100,000 to the library to purchase books related to English, Latin, and Greek literature that would benefit the library, English department, and humanities.
However, with the administration’s decision to lay off all librarians, I realized that there was no one at the library whose expertise I could trust to meet my posthumous needs. Throwing money away like that, even if it turns into ashes, is a luxury you can’t afford.
I also do not support supporting libraries that WIU is creating that do not serve students, faculty, or the community. All tenure-track librarians at WIU have a master’s degree in library and information science. They also have additional master’s or doctoral degrees in specialized areas such as sociology, pedagogy, theology, or, in my case, English literature when I worked there. Some are multilingual. Some people are highly literate in databases and web design. You get the picture. Librarians are highly educated and trained to help students with their everyday information needs, such as “Where can I find information about immigration from Norway to the United States?” And to help people with more specialized needs, “I need help finding Richard Harding Davis’ correspondence.”
Librarians reduce library opportunity costs for students: the time and energy needed to get people the right information they need. Things are easy when opportunity costs are low. For example, driving across Macomb is easy because the roads are paved and there are traffic laws to ensure safe driving. The opportunity cost of driving a car is low for librarians and libraries alike. Librarians make libraries easier to use.
There’s nothing intuitive about using the library. People have to learn to use them. This is especially true for university libraries, which are large and complex institutions that house information in all its forms. Even if students know some basics, such as how to read shelf classification codes, they quickly run into problems when they need specific types of information, such as information about Norwegian immigration to the United States. For many years, it has been a regular assignment for students to research their ancestors’ migration to America. It helped them understand their traditions more deeply and they had to find different stories and statistics to do the tasks. The library had many resources to help students complete this assignment. Librarians have spent years acquiring resources that focus on migration. Librarians also learned where to find different types of migration statistics recorded in databases, government resources, and major collections. Librarians also have to learn. Librarians created an online guide to information to teach students how to obtain immigration information both in the classroom and at the reference desk. For librarians, student opportunity costs were regulated. It was set low enough to allow students to complete the task and high enough to require them to think independently. Without a librarian, the opportunity cost for students would be so high that the task would not be possible. For example, even if students were able to find specific immigration information in the catalog, would they notice if it was in the reference stack rather than in the main collection? Doubtful.
Without librarians, libraries would become indifferent to students’ information needs. Such a library is, in effect, saying, “We have the information you need, but we won’t tell you where to find it.”
Libraries without librarians won’t help retain first-generation students—after all, they want to get an education and pay tuition, and that’s probably why universities have to hire faculty and patrons. They are probably hoping to provide services such as a library where possible. It’s hard to retain first-generation students in the best of times, but at Western University, these are not the best of times. Why is it becoming more difficult for them to stay in school? I have no interest in funding libraries that are difficult or impossible for students to use effectively. What about databases? Isn’t it easy to use? not much. There are databases, but to use them effectively you need to understand the Boolean logic and controlled vocabulary of each database. Without a librarian to support students and faculty, database searches can quickly become frustrating. Without a librarian to manage the database behind the scenes, the database will sooner or later crash.
Why should I support a library that makes things worse for students? I don’t. Nor should you. When universities fire all their librarians and make claims in the media that librarians are an unaffordable luxury, universities ignorantly assume that librarians are useless and that universities can always do without them. Because we have always been a luxury. I know that the work my colleagues and I did was not in vain. Supporting student and faculty learning is not a wasted activity. Sending students to university libraries without professional assistance may be a wasteful exercise. That is certainly what will happen on May 15, 2024. For these reasons, I will not inherit the university library. I encourage others to do the same. There is no need to abandon WIU. You can also move your bequest to another part of the university, like I did. The library’s loss is another sector’s gain. However, if all librarians disappear, everyone will suffer a loss.
William Thompson is a former WIU librarian.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Western Illinois University or TSPR.
Diverse perspectives are welcomed and encouraged.
