Of critical import to discovering ways in which the library may be most beneficial to the Amish is through understanding their educational system, and in particular the literacy of the people. Libraries have the opportunity to be of great use in promoting literacy in their service areas, but in order to make themselves of best use to the community, they should be aware of how it can be made culturally responsive to the people in their service areas. A particular concern is that of "constructed meaning", or how a reader’s background knowledge will affect the ways in which she interprets a book. Libraries must remember that the Amish disdain and willingly ignore much of the outside modern world; therefore, the selection of topics about which the Amish may read is highly relevant.
A good way to understand literacy as it pertains to the Amish is from an understanding of their educational system. While the available information in this area tends to be somewhat dated, the Amish likewise tend not to change very much in their practices over the years. Amish classrooms are still one-room school houses with children ranging in age from 6 to 14, and typically taught by an Amish teacher who never attended high school. There are no administrators, textbooks are often a generation or more old, and mastery of the three R’s by rote learning is the accepted educational goal. Individual learning differences among children are ignored; all children receive the same treatment and curriculum from their teacher during their eight years of schooling. This curriculum is pared to the necessities which support Amish life and values, most notably interdependence, mutual respect, and the success of the group as a whole, rather than the success of individuals. The emphasis in Amish culture is homogeny, instrumental education (i.e. that which is for work and productivity), and assimilation.
It can be difficult to envision this kind of instruction in action, which is why and article by Fishman (1996) provides such a useful perspective. She discusses in depth a qualitative study she conducted in which she compared and contrasted the lessons conducted in a traditional Amish one-room school house, to those typically found in a public school. Here one can see the different expectations which the teachers have of their students. With the Amish students, it is plain to see that good learners not only recall what they have learned, but also “recall it quickly, anonymously, and in ways that facilitate the success of the group” (368). By reading Fishman's accounts, those who are unfamiliar with Amish ways are allowed a glimpse into what education is actually like for the children.
Regarding literacy instruction in particular, an Amish parochial schoolteacher was reported as saying, "Learning to read is the most important subject I teach; if you can't read, you can't do much of anything else." Nonfiction books are most important to the Amish, particularly those which teach skills, with clean (and preferably Christian) fiction recommended to be enjoyed in moderation.
Be it fiction or non-fiction, the Amish have quite an appetite for reading, something which could possibly be due to the lack of televisions and computers in their homes. That is, reading is their primary form of entertainment. And Amish library patrons are known to check out an impressive number of books; often upwards of thirty to forty books at a time.
Knowing these things, we can begin to see that promoting library services to Amish patrons can be really quite important for a public library which operates in an Amish service area.
Fishman, A. (1996, January). Worlds together, worlds apart. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(5), 366-381.
