The Mission: Consensus and Contradiction

The dilemma of popular materials versus educational materials is perhaps one of the oldest philsophical questions to have faced librarians. While popular materials naturally cause circulation to rise, what good is a rise in circulation, some argue, if their is not a corresponding rise in the "diffusion of knowledge" (p. 13).
Where once the materials offered by a library were seen as a good in and of themselves, with the changes in social values and the role of the library in many communities, some argue that the expectation for the role of the materials distributed should change as well.
One might suggest that the notion of the "library faith" holds up not just the printed word, but elevates certain words, books and authors above others for their supposedly high moral content. Yet the way in which materials are being used does not suggest the quest for moral and social direction that some in librarianship suppose it does. While laws increasing funding for school libraries have increased the presence of those libraries, not every library user is browsing for academic reasons.
As neighborhood needs changed, places such as Detroit established ready reference information sites to distribute social service information. During this time libraries across the country looked more at the needs of community versus the goals of the library. With the rise of the shopping mall taking place during this time, libraries became consumer-driven, and focus marketed. It was less about having the greatest books and more about having enough copies of best sellers.