As a columnist, I’ve often opined on topics I don’t have a ton of personal experience with; it’s part of the job, and I always do my research. With that said, I have a fair amount of experience with libraries — rural libraries and interlibrary loan systems in particular.

I basically grew up in the Salmon Falls Library in Hollis, a tiny rural library founded in 1911 by local author Kate Douglas Wiggin (of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” fame). In college, I worked for a couple years in Smith’s Interlibrary Loan Department. I also served as a substitute at the Portland Public Library’s Interlibrary Loan Department while I was studying for my master’s degree in library and information science. 

The interlibrary loan system is one of the lesser known functions most libraries, but in my opinion, it’s one of the most valuable. The ability to borrow books between libraries means that patrons expand their access to materials by a factor of basically infinity.

At Smith, the ILL department facilitated scholarship of all kinds, sending rare and expensive texts from one school to another, free of charge. (I did hate having to drag up the enormous bound collections of old newspapers from the sub-basement, but I guess sacrifices must be made for scholarly advances.)

Crucially, interlibrary loan allows small libraries to offer materials to their patrons that they would not otherwise have the budget to purchase. 

When people ask me why I’m not working in a library, despite my degree, I tell them it’s mostly because Maine doesn’t have that many full-time library jobs. We are a small, generally rural state, and our libraries are staffed by and large by volunteers or part-time employees. Salaried positions are hard to come by and people tend to stay in them for a long time.

I thought this was all general knowledge, especially for people who work at or with libraries. So I was as surprised as anyone else at the Maine Library Commission’s proposal that would require libraries to agree to meet a single set of standards, which include having a paid director and being open at least 12 hours a week.

Failing to meet those standards could cause libraries to lose access to services such as the state’s interlibrary loan system (which includes van delivery — I used to help unload it!), e-books and e-audiobooks through a Maine Infonet Workload Library subscription, free and low-cost staff training, internet connection subsidies, technical support and Ancestry Library Edition services offered through the Digital Maine Library. 

In theory, those standards are fine. In an ideal world, every library would be open more than 12 hours a week and would have a well-paid director (and while we’re idealizing, one of those directors would be me). But we live in the real world; specifically, Maine.

There are a few dozen public libraries in the state that simply can’t afford to meet those requirements. The money just isn’t there; extra library money isn’t in a lot of small town budgets. We’re talking about the libraries that actually depend on their annual book sales to raise money, not just to remove extra paperbacks from the shelves.

This proposal from the Maine Library Commission would be an unfunded mandate and remove vital services from the communities and libraries that can least afford them on their own.

I’m sure the commission had best of intentions. After all, the new proposed rules are in large part to bring libraries into compliance with various state and federal wage and hour laws. (And honestly, good luck to anyone tasked with putting the puzzle of those rules together.)

I was just surprised that they had put this proposal out in the first place, especially so suddenly. Librarians have a reputation for being smart. You’d think someone would have pointed out this would go over like a lead balloon. 

Wisely, the commission voted at its Nov. 17 meeting to seek a legal opinion on the document, to avoid “punishing” rural libraries. It also voted to postpone the vote until January, after a great deal of negative public comment.

With the caveat that they should definitely check with their legal team (always check with a lawyer!), I hope the commission’s members will vote down the proposal as it is currently written.

I fully understand that the costs to the Maine State Library of providing services is rising; this would be a great opportunity for the Legislature to step in and increase funding during the next budget cycle.

Pretty much every public library in the country is underfunded to an extent, many chronically. People tend to preach about how much they love libraries but when budget time comes around, they somehow slip to the bottom of the priority list.

Fortunately, in the way the universe tends to balance things out, the libraries with the smallest budgets often have the most dedicated volunteers. We should be supporting them.