Kasi Nelson ENC 3331-0001 November 19th, 2012 Analysis: Final Draft Libraries: A Civic Issue Students claim

that their academic research libraries are a relevant and reliable source of scholarly information, and are important in regards to research. Patrons are passionate about their public libraries, and believe that their library is a valuable tool in the community that provides free access to valuable resources. However, support for libraries and their role in academics and education has declined as alternate available modes become more available. Budget cuts in federal spending have led to a drastic decrease in funding for libraries, and have even forced some to close down. Students use the library to do research, but with the advancement of technology, the function of libraries has changed. Technology has offered more outlets for opinion-pieces articles, though it may not have all of the facts or academic research, and the gathered information may be illegitimate. This is a civic issue that relates to libraries, specifically the decline in funding by government and patron support, due to factors such as the economy and technology. My goal is to remind the audience of this, and present this ethically and logically as my rhetorical persuasion of why libraries matter. Technology and the Changing Library No longer are books the primary source for information because libraries increasingly incorporate technology such as internet data and media outlets; this has led to the convergence of many areas within information science. Libraries and librarians offer access to journals, books, and access to in-depth research that many people dont take advantage of. These resources

provide greater access to knowledge electronically, which has drastically changed users interaction with the library system. Still, it is recognized by these students and patrons that with the increasing technology, it is much easier to access information from the internet. The internet hosts outlets such as Wikipedia, Spark Notes, and Yahoo answers, which are quick and effortless ways for finding information. With search engines such as Yahoo, Google, and Bing, the user is able to ask a question and pull up pages and pages of links to sites hosting the information sought. This is a wonderful tool to access information. It is also a huge drawback for libraries. As access to technology and the capitalism of bookstores expand, libraries which are mostly funded by the government, and generate hardly any revenue, cease to gain support in legislation for funding. Today millions of Americans rely on public libraries for what may often be their only choice for free Internet access. This has increased the need for library computers; but libraries are typically not seeing a correlation between this demand and funds for computers and high speed internet connection. U.S. public libraries continue to expand as technology centers for communities, providing essential resources for job-seekersand e-government services. However, budget cuts have forced libraries to scale back drastically on operating hours and access to services when resources are most needed (Hoffman). Besides a lack of support at a federal level, libraries have become overshadowed by retail stores and electronic books. As a whole, this is a wonderful thing for authors and publishers to provide a wider access to written art. However, the library as an institution is impacted as well. The rapid growth of e-books has stimulated increasing demand for them in libraries, but libraries only have limited access to e-books because of restrictions placed on their use by publishers. [Some publishers] refused to sell e-books to libraries. Additionally, HarperCollins

has allows 26 loans per e-book license, and Penguin will not allow libraries lend its new titles altogether. When Random House raised e-book prices, the ALA urged it to reconsider (American Libraries, 17-21). Library Advocacy in Legislation As recently as January of this year, one bill in particular received much attention from the American Library Association, for its literature that essentially did not include school libraries in the reauthorization of an act formerly known as No Child Left Behind. On October 20, 2011 the Senate committee of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) revised and updated the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Including school libraries in the ESEA reauthorization ensures that school libraries will also receive federal school funding. Additionally, and what ALA is more concerned with, is having school libraries included in ESEA because it sends the strong message that school library programs are considered an important part of the learning environment. This will make it harder for local decision makers to de-professionalize or cut school library services (Take Action). One movement in particular brought to my attention by ALA is supported online through ILoveLibraries.org, the American Library Association's (ALA's) website for the public, designed to keep America informed about what is happening in today's libraries, which are found in public, school, academic, corporate and institutional settings. Taken from their website:

Ilovelibraries.org is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world with members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. ALA is a more than 60,000member-strong organization that seeks to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services, and the
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profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. Ilovelibraries.org is produced by the ALA Office for Library Advocacy, and it's brought to you by ALA staff from all corners of the association (Take Action). This article is found under the Take Action section of Ilovelibraries.org. The title of the article is School Libraries and the Elementary and Secondary Education ACT (ESEA). The Goals of Rhetoric In rhetoric, the goal of getting a message to an audience is to fulfill a purpose and create an exigence for them to be moved to action or into persuasion, and in the right kairotic timing, this is achievable. Kairos reminds us of the numerous factors that rhetors do not control but that nevertheless determine what is rhetorically possible at a given moment and one of my favorite quotes that I personally want to include in this response is I hear you say the time is not ripebut if the time is not ripe, then it should be your purpose to ripen the time (9). I think these ideas will help a rhetor keep focus on his purpose, and even serves as a motivation to produce rhetoric. I plan to use rhetoric as effectively as possible to portray to my audience the importance of libraries, not only as a federal institution, but one of which solely benefit the user, not just with books, but as an outlet to an education and a future. I plan to use rhetoric as a civic engagement in my argument, because I want appeal to ethos and logos to the audience. As a rhetor and library advocator, my message is to provide a clear lens on this civic issue, and provide information from a logical and ethical standpoint. As the economy continues to suffer and jobs and careers are lost, and as education reaches to a new standard, libraries at the public and university level will continue to provide a place for constituents to access free

resources that can assist them in reaching goals and achieving dreams. It is important for these constituents to support their library, and to vote on important legislation.

Works Cited ALA, comp. "New Focus On E-Books." American Libraries 2012: 17-21. American Library Association. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. ALA. Office for Research & Statistics. New Library Study: Demand up for Technology, Budget Cuts Limit Access. American Library Association. Judy Hoffman, 21 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ala.org/news/pr?id=7447>. "Take Action", American Library Association, November 30, 1999. http://www.ilovelibraries.org/takeaction (Accessed April 5, 2012) Document ID: 3826e1c8e66e-aef4-7137-f314eb736e02