Response Paper One
Based on the short story by Ursula Le Guin
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
(for an online copy of this story go to
http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/crawfor/apcg/Unit1Omelas.htm)
Note: It will help if you first read The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas to understand my fictional story below.
The Library of Omelas
by Jared Burton
At the center of Omelas, the country of perfect joy, is erected the most glorious of architecture found anywhere in the entire land: The Library of Omelas. What better to compliment the ideals of a nation that thrives on celebrations of pure delight for life? What else to bring generation after generation all that is needed to know for such a glorious culture? When young children first begin to read, they are introduced to The Library as the grandest of all buildings found anywhere because they can find anything they want to learn there. With sweeping arches that follow sacred geometry and patterns of brick and stone that evoke great curiosity, there is no better place to be than in The Library, breathing in the information that transforms into flawless knowledge.
As we know, the citizens of Omelas are a happy people and their happiness has a foundation on what is necessary. Therefore, their technology never evolves into instruments of gluttony. Homes do not have information seeking devices like those found in The Library (finding the phone number for the bakery is another matter!) In essence, The Library does not exist in the private sphere—it is recognized as an integral social institution because the society believes information should only be public. The Library has all the tools needed for a citizen of Omelas to find any information he or she needs. Whether it is a hilarious novel or a technical manual for the inner workings of microchip, the Library has it. The guiding principle of The Library is making available to the members of its society the widest possible array of information-bearing entities which are absolutely necessary for the society’s survival (Miksa, 107). Without a doubt, it is public in the sense that it is 1) supported by taxes, 2) governed by a board, 3) open to all, 4) voluntary, 5) established by state law, and 6) provides services without charge to the user (Rubin, 231). The Library exists as an expression of the specific cultural and societal context in which it is found (Miksa, 101), and so the mere sight of it by anyone will cause them to smile and laugh at the sheer, wonderful fact that such a place exists to sustain their mental ecstasy.
Lest we forget, the people of Omelas are not naïve or less complex than us, especially in the matters of information and The Library. There is no rudamentary catalog with cards in long drawers or cumbersome microfiche machines. The Library is furnished with the finest computers and Internet connections. Users can enter the Library and find any title on a computer’s database by subject or they can use a search engine with an immaculate algorithm that censors no information. All of this, and a Librarian is always standing by to assist with a nurturing attitude and honed research skills. The Librarians are unique to Omelas because they are not selected for employment like other jobs through application. Librarians enter the payroll because their logged time in the Library reaches a threshold which determines they are qualified to deftly use the Library’s media and technology and to assist others. In other words, the Librarians of Omelas are the most devout and adept patrons, recognized by the society. They naturally learn the (modified) ancient laws of S.R. Ranganathan: 1) information is for use, 2) information is for all, 3) all information its seeker, 4) save the time of the seeker, and 5) The Library is a growing organism (Rubin, 253). Few Librarians ever leave the doors of the Library, unless their skills in detail and manipulation of information are needed by groups (the bakery?) to design websites or organize data (Rowbotham, 62-63). Rather, they find happiness in educating themselves and improving ways of making information accessible to all. For this, Librarianship is an admired and appreciated way of life.
The Library of Omelas is, by all standards, a bibliographic universe. One may ask how such a thing is possible given that, in theory, it can not ever be organized in one structure. When we speak of a bibliographic universe, we refer to a bibliographic Omelas. The total of all texts, graphics, sound recordings, visual recordings, manuscripts, books, microform, drawings, music, maps and electronic sources that have existed since Omelas was built can be found in The Library (Miksa, 114). There is an Archive which resides in the many basement levels of The Library. Archivists, unlike Librarians, are concerned with all the records of Omelas. They are not simply advanced patrons, but masters of cataloguing. This job revolves around the life cycle of records, which in Omelas has only three stages—creation, use, and storage. There is never a need to destroy any record because all that is created can be stored and used again for the furtherance of happiness by the citizens of Omelas. All information and records are for this end, and therefore it would be a crime to take any of it away when they can be used timelessly for joy. A good portion of the work of Archivists is to reconstitute and repair old records. All of this revolves around the principle of keeping the records in their original order—for physical control—and the principle of recognizing the provenance of a record—for intellectual control (O’Toole, 55). The Archive is used especially by Librarians and all those who wish to compliment their learning done in The Library. What a wonderful thing, this Library of Omelas! What a nexus for all the information ever to be found in a culture of bliss!
And how does such a Library exist? How can such a place, with instantly accessible information of any kind be available with such amazingly helpful Librarians? I will tell you. There was a room at the very highest level of The Library that houses only one book. The room is dark except for one light that shines onto a chair and a table upon which the book lays. It is considered a sensitive record. There is doubt of its authenticity because it is the only known bit of information to have come from outside Omelas. Nevertheless, it is kept locked in its room for the sole viewing of those who ask if such a thing exists—a book from beyond the bibliographic Omelas. A normal citizen has only been known to ask once. Few Librarians ever think to ask. Archivists seem to inquire more. When such a question arises, it inevitably makes its way to the Head Librarian who possesses the only key to the room. The inquirer is let in and then left to observe the book. This book, entitled The Tao Te Ching, has all lines blacked out except two:
The Library of Omelas
by Jared Burton
At the center of Omelas, the country of perfect joy, is erected the most glorious of architecture found anywhere in the entire land: The Library of Omelas. What better to compliment the ideals of a nation that thrives on celebrations of pure delight for life? What else to bring generation after generation all that is needed to know for such a glorious culture? When young children first begin to read, they are introduced to The Library as the grandest of all buildings found anywhere because they can find anything they want to learn there. With sweeping arches that follow sacred geometry and patterns of brick and stone that evoke great curiosity, there is no better place to be than in The Library, breathing in the information that transforms into flawless knowledge.
As we know, the citizens of Omelas are a happy people and their happiness has a foundation on what is necessary. Therefore, their technology never evolves into instruments of gluttony. Homes do not have information seeking devices like those found in The Library (finding the phone number for the bakery is another matter!) In essence, The Library does not exist in the private sphere—it is recognized as an integral social institution because the society believes information should only be public. The Library has all the tools needed for a citizen of Omelas to find any information he or she needs. Whether it is a hilarious novel or a technical manual for the inner workings of microchip, the Library has it. The guiding principle of The Library is making available to the members of its society the widest possible array of information-bearing entities which are absolutely necessary for the society’s survival (Miksa, 107). Without a doubt, it is public in the sense that it is 1) supported by taxes, 2) governed by a board, 3) open to all, 4) voluntary, 5) established by state law, and 6) provides services without charge to the user (Rubin, 231). The Library exists as an expression of the specific cultural and societal context in which it is found (Miksa, 101), and so the mere sight of it by anyone will cause them to smile and laugh at the sheer, wonderful fact that such a place exists to sustain their mental ecstasy.
Lest we forget, the people of Omelas are not naïve or less complex than us, especially in the matters of information and The Library. There is no rudamentary catalog with cards in long drawers or cumbersome microfiche machines. The Library is furnished with the finest computers and Internet connections. Users can enter the Library and find any title on a computer’s database by subject or they can use a search engine with an immaculate algorithm that censors no information. All of this, and a Librarian is always standing by to assist with a nurturing attitude and honed research skills. The Librarians are unique to Omelas because they are not selected for employment like other jobs through application. Librarians enter the payroll because their logged time in the Library reaches a threshold which determines they are qualified to deftly use the Library’s media and technology and to assist others. In other words, the Librarians of Omelas are the most devout and adept patrons, recognized by the society. They naturally learn the (modified) ancient laws of S.R. Ranganathan: 1) information is for use, 2) information is for all, 3) all information its seeker, 4) save the time of the seeker, and 5) The Library is a growing organism (Rubin, 253). Few Librarians ever leave the doors of the Library, unless their skills in detail and manipulation of information are needed by groups (the bakery?) to design websites or organize data (Rowbotham, 62-63). Rather, they find happiness in educating themselves and improving ways of making information accessible to all. For this, Librarianship is an admired and appreciated way of life.
The Library of Omelas is, by all standards, a bibliographic universe. One may ask how such a thing is possible given that, in theory, it can not ever be organized in one structure. When we speak of a bibliographic universe, we refer to a bibliographic Omelas. The total of all texts, graphics, sound recordings, visual recordings, manuscripts, books, microform, drawings, music, maps and electronic sources that have existed since Omelas was built can be found in The Library (Miksa, 114). There is an Archive which resides in the many basement levels of The Library. Archivists, unlike Librarians, are concerned with all the records of Omelas. They are not simply advanced patrons, but masters of cataloguing. This job revolves around the life cycle of records, which in Omelas has only three stages—creation, use, and storage. There is never a need to destroy any record because all that is created can be stored and used again for the furtherance of happiness by the citizens of Omelas. All information and records are for this end, and therefore it would be a crime to take any of it away when they can be used timelessly for joy. A good portion of the work of Archivists is to reconstitute and repair old records. All of this revolves around the principle of keeping the records in their original order—for physical control—and the principle of recognizing the provenance of a record—for intellectual control (O’Toole, 55). The Archive is used especially by Librarians and all those who wish to compliment their learning done in The Library. What a wonderful thing, this Library of Omelas! What a nexus for all the information ever to be found in a culture of bliss!
And how does such a Library exist? How can such a place, with instantly accessible information of any kind be available with such amazingly helpful Librarians? I will tell you. There was a room at the very highest level of The Library that houses only one book. The room is dark except for one light that shines onto a chair and a table upon which the book lays. It is considered a sensitive record. There is doubt of its authenticity because it is the only known bit of information to have come from outside Omelas. Nevertheless, it is kept locked in its room for the sole viewing of those who ask if such a thing exists—a book from beyond the bibliographic Omelas. A normal citizen has only been known to ask once. Few Librarians ever think to ask. Archivists seem to inquire more. When such a question arises, it inevitably makes its way to the Head Librarian who possesses the only key to the room. The inquirer is let in and then left to observe the book. This book, entitled The Tao Te Ching, has all lines blacked out except two:
The more you know,
The less you understand.
Now do you believe that such a Library can exist? That it can rest on such a lynchpin of paradox? Those who read the passage all wonder what the other lines say. They become quiet and usually spend a great deal of time sitting in the room with a contemplative gaze after acquiring this information from the Tao. The Head Librarian attests that everyone, except him, who has read the lines, has joined The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.
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