Public Libraries and the Future of Democracy

Lukensmeyer talks about the perfect moment for libraries to take leadership as one of the great engines of democracy in their nation. Today, survey after survey indicates that the majority of Americans have lost confidence in the ability of elected officials to solve the major challenges facing their country. Recently the National Institute for Civil Discourse asked voters what they believed the underlying causes are for this inability to solve problems. Time and time again, AmericaSpeaks, like many other organizations working in the field of deliberative democracy, demonstrated that when they bring together a demographically representative group of the public in a specific jurisdiction, decision makers will take their collective recommendations seriously and incorporate them in budget decisions, policy frameworks, planning decisions, and rebuilding priorities after disasters. Libraries can and will play a vital role in ensuring that people's voices will have their rightful place in their democracy. Public demand can and will reverse the hyperpartisanship, the incivility, and undue influence of money and special interests that currently drive our politics.