Communication problems of today
From: Tom Lane
Columbus
About 50 years ago, I had just gotten out of the Army and was going back to college. Things were a mess in our country, with riots about Vietnam, racial issues and feminine rights raising their issues. On top of this was the inter-generational struggle with the “hippies.” It was also the beginning of the “communication” revolution.
Spawned by a group of social/psychological problem solvers, much of what we were going through was presented as a huge “communication” problem. Personally, I had my doubts. I walked on both sides of the “Nam” question. Against the war, but a veteran. I found both sides lacking and I just receded. Things quieted down after a bit, but the “lack of communication” thing persisted.
Fast forward to the 1990s and the birth of the internet. The early proponents saw this as a solution to our vast “communication” problem. Now we would be able to instantly communicate to all sorts of people all around the world. We would find connection and dialogue. We would solve the struggles of the world. Ha! We found that expanded communication increased the issues and problems.
So, what happened? When I consulted to companies trying to be more competitive, I would always have them do two things to begin the journey to excellence. One, was to envision the future they wanted to create. It was a detailed and specific description of how they wanted to operate, not just make lots of money. (Make America Great Again is not a vision, it is a slogan.) The vision was to bring people together for a common future.
The second thing I did was to get an agreement on critical facts of how things are going right now. A common starting place. Yes, some aspects of “how things are” were subjective and debated, but the idea was put in place to confront the current status and gather data. So we could work together to move toward the vision.
The internet has not helped either of these key factors of change. It has become a mechanism to spout differences based on spurious facts and no common vision. Both sides of the equation do this. It is the great divider rather than a connector. Communication is not the answer. Communication is a tool to help people with a common vision and agreed to facts, move a system forward. We have neither.
So now we stand on this brink of falling apart as a society, with more “data” than ever to prove our point. We are stuck in our individual “rightness” and seem to refuse to find common ground. And the internet exasperates this. I found that common ground was found more with people facing each other, in person, and not hiding behind the anonymity of digital life.
I fear this great tool of the internet may have the ability to destroy us. I hope not.
Libraries are doing quite well, actually
From: Jason Hatton, Bartholomew County Public Library director
Columbus
I strenuously disagree with a recent guest columnist’s assertion that libraries are struggling to remarket themselves to younger audiences. While I cannot speak specifically for the Allen County Public Library that is cited in Leo Morris’ comments, I can say that the Bartholomew County Public Library is more vital and community oriented than it has ever been!
First of all, I will point out that the author must not have seen the research from the Pew Research Center that millennials (ages 18-35) were the most likely generation to have visited a public library within the past year. This age grouping beat out Generation X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation in public library usage.
As to Mr. Morris’ suggestions that libraries focus on strengthening the community center role, concentrate on local and state history and promote the loaning of e-books, the local library is succeeding in all of those.
In 2018, the total number of visitors to our Main Library, Hope Branch or Bookmobile increased over 9 percent from 2017 to over 311,000. Our meeting room usage increased 14 percent and the number of reference questions increased 8 percent.
As part of our strategic plan, we have been putting much more of our resources toward programming, especially to offsite locations. In 2018, we conducted 1,782 programs that were attended by over 40,000 people. This is an increase of 53 percent and 37 percent, respectively. The number of library programs conducted at other locations increased over 141 percent from 2017.
In regard to local and state history, our record is clear that we take this commitment to preserving the historic record seriously. Our recent merger with the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives, in which the library agreed to take all necessary steps to continue to make these important documents available to the community, perhaps best exemplifies this. We hired an archivist and have consolidated the collection into the Main Library. Through other partnerships, we will work to digitize and process these collections to ensure access for generations to come. We work hand-in-hand with the Bartholomew County Genealogical Society, the Yellow Trail Museum, the Bartholomew County Historical Society and other interested parties to host many great programs including our annual Steps Through Time.
As many residents know, we have been expanding our digital collection for many years. In fact, our digital collection of e-books, audiobooks, magazines, music and more now accounts for over 22 percent of our circulation. Digital items circulated more than 163,000 times in 2018!
While we always have room for improvement and growth, I encourage Mr. Morris or any non-believer to visit the Main Library at 3:15 p.m. on a Monday afternoon. You will very much see a vibrant, active library that is not struggling, and is in fact excelling at serving our community.
Ash Wednesday is good for vegans
From: Cyrus Robertson
Columbus
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, 40 days during which devout Catholics fast and abstain from eating meat. It’s a great opportunity to reflect.
Vegetarianism has been a tenet of religions back to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:29: “I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food.”) However, plant-based eating isn’t simply a religious mandate. Countless medical studies link consumption of animal products with deadly diseases, including elevated risk of heart failure, stroke, cancer and more. Meat production accounts for the largest source of greenhouse gases and water pollution according to a United Nations report. Animal abuse on factory farms is as real as meat recalls.
Here’s the good news: Today’s vegan options are just a trip to the supermarket away, with everything from plant-based meats, milks, cheeses and ice creams to traditional vegetables, fruits and grains. Searching “vegan” online offers lots of products, recipes, transition tips and support.
