Culture of reading
Reading is among the avenues for obtaining knowledge. People read different types of materials, which include books, magazines, novels, and newspapers. Notably, the choice of the material that people will read depends on what they want to achieve through reading. For instance, if one wants to read for pleasure, he/she is likely to fictional novels and storybooks. On the other hand, a person desires to be informed; he/she is expected to read materials such as newspapers. To assess the reading culture of Americans, I visited the Los Angeles public library here, and I talked to the facility’s staff. Interestingly, I learned that the library has over 6 million books that cater to everyone, regardless of age, occupation, race, or group. From the ethnography, it is evident that the reading culture in America still exists, and it cuts across people of different groups, including age, status, and race.
The culture I observed was composed of people of different ages, races, classes, genders, and nationalities. The reading environment in the library was serene and conducive for studies. For instance, the library was silent such that one would hear the sounds of pages being perused or hushed footsteps of the readers moving from one area to the other. Moreover, the library staff ensured that there was enough lighting through installing numerous electric bulbs, and ensuring that the curtains of the library’s glass windows were drawn during the day. Furthermore, the equipment used by readers in the library, including tables and chairs were of high quality. The surfaces of tables were smooth such that when writing on a piece of paper, one did not have to place it on top of a clipboard or book. On the other hand, the bottoms of the seats were made of soft materials to ensure that readers did not get fatigued even when they sit on them for long hours.
When I interacted with the readers, I noted that most of them used spoke English. However, some would not use fluent English, while others had their local accented. Additionally, the group in the library was composed of individuals from different races, including African- Americans, whites, and Asian Americans. The people not included in the group are children below eight years since they would require constant monitoring, and they may disrupt the peace in the library. Moreover, individuals without valid documents such as national and school identity cards or library registration cards are not allowed into the facility due to security reasons. The individuals with power are staffs playing roles such as guiding attendants on where and when to get certain services and ensure there is order. The power is vested on both males and females, but the majority of the staff are white.
The concept I have found in the text is positionality (Castor, 3). In the text, positionality involves the political and social status that creates a person’s identity as per class, gender, ability status, and sexuality. On the other hand, I understand positionality as how a person’s identity influences, and sometimes leads to a biased perception of the individual’s outlook and perception of the world. The perceptions and outlook of the world are shaped by the person’s experiences and the people that surround him/her. In my ethnography, the concept is noted on how various staffs in the library undertakes different duties, and among them, some have privileges such as having their private offices. For instance, there are officers maintaining order in the library, while librarians are in their offices handling issues such as the lending of books. Overall, Americans from different groups still observe the reading culture. In this paper, I have observed whether Los Angeles Library accommodates people from all groups, regardless of aspects such as race, the language that the library users speak, and how positionality plays out in the facility.
Work Cited
Castor, Helen. Joan of Arc. Faber & Faber, 2014. pg. 3