Reservations

The Amish are a very traditional, reserved, and isolationist people. The very foundation of their belief system is to shun modern progress in particular and the outside world in general. They believe temptations and distractions found in the outside “English” world interfere with their relationship with their God. Therefore, while some of the established research has reported success in open discussions of library services and reading preferences amongst members of the Amish community, it must be remembered that not all of them may be so cooperative or receptive to such perceived intrusions.

When attempting to extend service to the Amish, there is no guarantee as to whether they will cooperate, or to what extent. Indeed, it unfortunately is entirely conceivable that they may choose to reject the offer of library services in any form. If this is the case, a library would be advised not to waste the time, effort, and funding needed to implement these services; instead, these can be directed towards more appropriate areas of need.

Because Amish communities can vary considerably across locales, and it is the bishop of the community who generally deems what materials and technologies are acceptable and which are forbidden, each Amish community must be considered unique. Therefore, what works for one library system may not work for another. However, those researching library services to the Amish in their own service areas may still benefit from a review of the existing literature in order to glean an idea of what approaches may be useful.

Questions

Under investigation here are a number of questions pertinent to implementing library services for the Amish communities in a given region.

• To what extent do the Amish in the region already use existing library services?
  
• Would the Amish, in fact, like to make better use of the library?
  
• In what ways could library services better accommodate their needs; e.g. should there be bookmobile services to locations outside of horse-and-buggy range of library buildings?
  
• If bookmobile service were to be implemented, where should the stops be located?
  
• And finally, what types of materials are appropriate for selection for these Amish communities?
  

The answers to these questions should prove vital in seeking to establish service to an Amish community. By exploring the matter in some depth prior to implementation, a library stands to save a great deal of time, funding, and effort, by establishing only those services which are desired, and in ways in which the Amish will make real use of them.

Who are the Amish?

The Amish comprise a sect of Anabaptists founded under seventeenth century leader Jacob Amman, and are among the most socially conservative of those known as the “Plain People”, which also includes Mennonites and Brethren. Virtually all of them live in rural agricultural areas, in relatively isolated areas of twenty-five different states, with the largest populations concentrated in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They are recognized for their uniformly plain and somber clothing, horse-and-buggy transportation, and shunning of virtually all technology and the outside world.

Each Amish community differs in some very minute, yet significant, ways from one another. Examples include the technologies which may or may not be used and under what circumstances; in which particular types of books members are allowed to read; in how much contact is allowed with outsiders from the “English world,” and so forth.

Generally forbidden items include television, film, radio, VCRs, CDs, DVDs, and the Internet, although some communities accept limited use of computers, cars, electricity, and telephones (especially cell phones), usually for business use. When technologies are accepted, it is invariably to enable the Amish to better serve their God, as they believe that they are to use technology when they can control it, as opposed to feeling that it controls them.

The following brief definitions may prove helpful with understanding the relationship between the Amish and other similar peoples:

• Plain People: members of any of various Protestant groups, especially in the United States, who wear distinctively plain clothes and adhere to a simple and traditional style of life excluding many conveniences of modern technology.

• Amish: of or relating to a strict sect of Mennonites who were followers of Amman and settled in America chiefly in the 18th century.

• Brethren: members of various sects originating chiefly in 18th century German Pietism.

• Mennonite: a member of any of various Protestant groups derived from the Anabaptist movement in Holland and characterized by congregational autonomy and rejection of military service.

Why the Amish?

Although the Amish are traditionally an isolationist people who disdain the outside world, higher education, and intellectual pursuits, they are known to be voracious users of the library. Despite this, very little research on library service to the Amish has been conducted. Published articles are few and far between, and misconceptions abound as to how best -- or even whether -- to try to serve the Amish community. Therefore I intend to examine how the library can be of best use to the Amish, in the hopes of recommending what services a library could implement in order to best serve them.

An understanding of the borrowing habits and library usage of the Amish can only enhance what it is to exist as a public library; after all, the public library serves to exist for all of its constituents and those who are under-advantaged have arguably an even greater need of its services. By taking the time to learn about Amish beliefs and culture, libraries which serve these rural communities would create the opportunity to bridge this gap in the services they offer, particularly by contributing to the literacy of both Amish school children and adults, and by assessing ways to accommodate Amish needs, such as by providing bookmobile services, in order to better reach them.