Running Head - ETHNOGRAPHY: DAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, CENTERVLLE BRANCH 1

Ethnography: Davis County Public Library, Centerville Branch

Rachel Butterfield

Salt Lake Community College

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Introduction

When someone thinks about a public library, usually the first thing that comes to mind is the

image of organized bookshelves and hushed voices. This image is accurate for most local

libraries. While you can check out paper books and read them in a quiet corner, a modern library

provides a lot more services than that. Some other library services include hosting community

discussions about important local topics, children’s activities, computer training classes, and

providing recreation for the community. All these different services create a subculture within

the main library culture.

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People of all ages, social class, and background visit the library to taken advantage of

library services. Parents take their children to the library for children’s events and to check out

books. The library is a place for young children to start their literacy journey that hopefully will

continue throughout their lives. Students use the library as a quiet place to study and use it as a

great source to find information. Senior citizens enjoy being part of their community by talking

with others and reading the newspaper there. Regardless of age, the public library provides a

public service to all its patrons.

Literature Review

I reviewed three scholarly papers written by anthropology students, anthropologists, and

librarians. The first paper I read was titled, “Reading Beyond School: Literacies in a

Neighbourhood Library”, by Angela Ward and Linda Wason-Ellam (2005). Over the course of

three years, their group of student researchers observed a local Canadian library. They discuss

how ages groups use the library in different ways and how new media forms like DVD rentals,

audiobooks, and computers have changed the dynamics within the library.

The second article I read was called, “Playing in the Past: A History of Games, Toys, and

Puzzles in North American Libraries”, by Scott Nicholson (2013). He examines the history of

gaming in libraries and how that has impacted patrons at different points in history. He talked

about how chess has been available in most libraries for over 150 years, while online gaming is

more recent.

The last article I read was called, “The Smaller Library and Adult Education” by John

Chancellor (1936). That article discussed how a small-town library is a great source of informal

education for adults. He discusses how people in small towns are less pressured to receive a
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formal education and that the local library can be a way for adults to continue to learn about

important subjects and local issues.

Why I Selected This Group

I selected this cultural group because I was already a regular patron of the public library

and wanted to observe it through an anthropological point of view. The Davis County Public

library (Centerville Branch) is a clean, quiet, and safe place to observe others. The people who

visit the library are diverse in age, cultural background, and social class. I thought it would be a

great place to for observation.

My Expectations

Before I started observing my cultural group, I had a good idea of how a public library

works and what people I’d encounter. Most of what I observed met my expectation. There were

certain people I observed that did things there weren’t part of my expectations. There were

people that used the library services that I hadn’t previously considered, like businessmen.

Culture Shock

I didn’t experience a lot of culture shock but there were some experiences that surprised

me (a man loudly farted while looking through the bookshelves). While working through my

class assignments, I learned about aspects of culture that I previously was unaware of. By

learning about these topics, I was able to view my cultural group in a different light. Viewing my

group in a different way led to discoveries that I didn’t expect. These included signs of political

power, social class, gender roles, the way people communicate, etc.
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Methods

Location of Research

The Davis County Public Library (Centerville Branch) is located in Centerville, Utah.

Davis County consists of 15 cities and has an estimated 342,281 residents (Davis County Info

2018). The Centerville Branch is one of seven public libraries in Davis County.

I did all my research within the library. The Centerville library is a small one and I was

able to see every patron that visited. I observed mostly from the eastern study table area that

faces the checkout and information desk. The only way to exit the library is to walk in front of

the checkout desk on the way to the only entrance/exit. The study tables were located within 30-

40 feet from the checkout desk, so I was able to observe a lot other people when they were

talking with the libraries.

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Methods Used

My primary method of research was participant observation. During the time I was

observing, I was also using the library’s resources. I studied at the study tables, checkout books

and bought some used books. I talked with librarians about their used book program and my

children loved being beneficiaries of that program. I interviewed one librarian about the unique

stained-glass windows that are found in different parts of the library. I took notes on my laptop

whenever I saw someone new or observed something worth noting. In my notes, I mapped out

the research area and sketched a picture of the checkout area.

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Centerville Public Library

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Visits

I visited the Centerville Library eight different times over the course a three-month

period (15.5 total hours). I visited on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I took notes on my

laptop and took pictures of the surroundings with my cellphone. I noticed that if the weather was

bad outside that attendance would be low. If the weather was good, mothers with children were

more likely to be there.

Body

Communication

People at the library speak in hushed tones. I never saw a sign that said people must

speak with quiet volumes; it was more of a social norm for library culture. The only time I heard

a person speaks at a normal volume was when a librarian answered the phone, or when someone

answered their cellphone while studying. Children had a hard time keeping quiet and often seem

unaware of the volume of their voices.

Parents and children were often physically touching one another. It was common to see a

mother holding hands with their child, so that the child didn’t wander off. It was common to see
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a child sitting on a parent’s lap to while looking through a book in the children’s area. If a child

was upset, their parent would give them a hug to make them feel better. I saw multiple mothers

nurse their babies while an older child was busy playing with toys or reading books. The only

time I viewed people who were not related come in physical contact with each other was when

two men shook hands after a meeting.

People in the library would usually walk in with a neutral facial expression. Teenagers

playing online games at the library computers would sometimes slump their shoulders in their

chairs. People would also slump over at study tables when reading text books. Children would

smile when their parent was reading them a storybook or when they were chasing a sibling. Most

people remained quiet and didn’t show much facial expressions.

When observing friends, I noticed that they will will sit within 12 inches of each other

when they are sharing a library computer. Strangers would usually maintain a distance at least 4

feet from each other. I’ve never observed strangers share a study tables (they seat 3-4 people).
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Parents and children were usually touching or within two feet of each other. When a librarian

would check books out for someone the checkout table separates them by a couple of feet. The

desk maintains a comfortable space between librarians and the public but is still close enough for

the librarian to comfortably reach over and grab books on the counter to scan.

The information desk at the library had a chair for a patron to sit down in and talk with

one of the librarians. The chair was within a foot of the seated librarian, allowing the patron to

ask questions without raising their voice.

Economics

The patrons of the library practices balanced reciprocity. A person will borrow a book

from the library and promise to bring it back at a later data. The only time money is exchanged is

if the person borrowing the book brings it back past the due date. The librarians themselves work

for an annual salary which average is at $45,487 for Utah (Salary Info 2018).

Gender

All the librarians who I observed, were women. Out of all the librarians in Davis County

(53 total), only 3 are men and none of them work at the Centerville Branch (Davis County Info

2018). Women are completely in charge of sorting, organizing, and maintaining the library

system.

As patrons, women outnumbered men at least four to one. Many stay at home mothers

brought children in during the day to check out books or participate in weekly story time

activities there. While women are primarily there with children, I’ve noticed that men primarily
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use the study tables. There were usually at least one or two males using the study tables every

time I visited the library. I observed only one or two other women using the study tables during

all of my visits.

Marriage/Religion

The only legal form of marriage in my observation area is monogamy. Utah has a history

of practicing polygamy so some of the patrons of the local library might be part of a polygamous

family or be in a polygamous marriage illegally.

Most Utah couples strive for a nuclear family and to live in a neolocal residence instead

of a multigenerational household. Gay marriage is legal in Utah and a small percentage of

households consist of same sex marriages. If a young couple cannot afford to live on their own,

they will often live with the bride or groom’s parents until they can support themselves.

The predominant religious group in Utah is Mormonism. Mormons believe that to reach

the highest level of heaven you must obtain certain ordinances (baptism, temple marriage). You

can only obtain a temple marriage if you are an active member in good standing and follow

certain rules. As a result, LDS Church leaders heavily promote endogamous marriages.

Typically, both men and women work or attend college until they have children. Mormon

women are taught that motherhood is the highest calling a woman can achieve and being a stay

at home mom is encouraged. I observed many stay at home mothers at the library with their

children during each visit.

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Making a Living

To be a librarian, you must have a master’s degree and become licensed and certified by

the state in which you’re working. The average librarian in Utah makes $45,487 which is 13%

below the national average (Salaries 2018). Most of the people I observed during the day were

there for recreation and not for work. I observed many stay at mothers whose job is taking care

of their children. The senior citizens I observed have retired from their paid jobs and were

enjoying the library services as part of their retirement. There were some adults who were using

the library as a place to do business. I observed a US marine recruiter, who was trying to

convince a teenage boy to enlist. I saw men dressed in suits use conference rooms for meetings.

Political Organization

The most prominent official leaders of the library are the librarians. Older female

librarians tend to stay behind the checkout and information desk. The younger librarians

(associate librarians) do a lot of the work beyond the counter like restocking books, organizing

books, etc.

Librarians make more money than librarian associates. To be a librarian, you must earn a

master’s degree, whereas an associate librarian requires a bachelor’s degree. Librarians are like

supervisors and can make final decisions about library policies. Associate librarians can provide

their opinions for library policies but usually don’t have the authority to make the final decision.

Associate librarians defer to librarians when they don’t know where to find certain information

that a patron is looking for.

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Librarians exist has part of a nation-state government. They are local government

employees and are subject to the laws of that government. They have the authority to kick

patrons out of the library if the patrons are being disruptive. They also hold the power to collect

money for late book fees or reject a patron’s membership to the library. While they hold

significant authority within confinements of their workplace, they have little authority or power

outside of it.

Among library patrons, there are some people that hold unofficial power. I’ve noticed

multiple pairs of men that visit the library together. One usually has influence over the other

(military recruiter and young teenager). Mothers have power over their children and make sure

they follow the rules of the library. I’ve observed younger people opening doors for senior

citizens as a sign of respect.

Class and Inequality

Some patrons come to the library solely to use the computers. They can’t afford a

computer or internet services at their home, so they come to use the ones at the library. I’ve seen

people of all different ages and races use the computers there. One specific group doesn’t

dominate them. People who own their own laptops use the study tables that are set apart from the

library computer stations. This creates a type of class segregation between the ones who can

afford their own computers and those who use the library computers.

A lot of white middle class stay at home moms visit the library with their kids during the

day. They check out books for their children and use the experience primarily as a social outing.

They have a working spouse that makes enough money which allows them to be with their kids
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during the day. Many seniors visit the library to read the newspaper or to look up specific

information. They prefer holding a physical book or paper in their hands versus using a

computer.

The librarians hold power over the librarian associates. Librarians oversee managing the

library, whereas library associates do a lot of the physical work. Librarians get to have the final

say when making decisions about the library. Librarian associates do not have a final say in the

library decision making process.

Conclusion

The Centerville Public library has a unique culture. The library brings people of the

community together and caters to a diverse group of people. Patrons who use certain library

services have individualized cultures within the main library culture. People who use the library

to play online games has a different user experience/culture than a parent who brings their

children there for story time. Each subculture is an important piece of the main culture. As

people grow, they may switch from one library subculture to another. The library can provide a

service to anyone, no matter what their age, gender, social class or background.

While my main research method was participant observation, I wish I would’ve done

more formal and informal interviews. I interviewed one librarian about some physical features of

the library and another about one of their book selling programs. I wish I would’ve interviewed

someone about how many patrons visit a day, what their busy hours are, and more questions

about library patrons. If I were to do this ethnography again, I’d visit my research site at varying

times instead relatively the same times. I’d also talk to more patrons to see what their opinions of

the library are.

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Reflection

During my observation of the library, I overheard some conversations that could be

considered ethnocentric in nature. Ethnocentrism enforces the thought that one group’s culture or

way of life is superior than another group’s. Ethnocentrism can cause a lot of harm and doesn’t

bring people together. I remained an impartial observer in those situations and tried to keep a

viewpoint of cultural relativity in mind. Cultural relativity encourages others to judge people not

by their own cultural norms and values but teaches them to understand someone’s culture by

their point of view.

I learned so from studying my cultural group. The library is a diverse place and I was

fortunate to have a safe place to observe the habits of so many people. By looking for certain

social cues and structures, I was able to understand why people act the way they do within this

cultural group and in the outside world.

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References

CHANCELLOR, J. (1936). The Smaller Library and Adult Education. Bulletin of the American
Library Association, 30(3), 162-167. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.libprox1.slcc.edu/stable/25688720
Davis County Information (2018) - http://www.co.davis.ut.us/home
Nicholson, S. (2013). Playing in the Past: A History of Games, Toys, and Puzzles in North
American Libraries. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 83(4), 341-361.
doi:10.1086/671913
Salary Information (2018) - https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Librarian-Salaries,-Utah
Ward, A., & Wason-Ellam, L. (2005). Reading beyond School: Literacies in a Neighbourhood
Library. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éducation, 28(1/2), 92-108.
doi:10.2307/1602155