Does anyone but me see our library as relevant? Why don't we have a sense of mission and purpose?

I want to thank everyone who gave me advice about story time turnout, but the problem is bigger than that - it's about community AND administration AND co-worker committment to the library as a whole. I didn't want to come right out and say that before, but that's the real issue - most people are trying to just take care of their own survival here in the metro Detroit area, and they don't see the library as a useful part of the community, but yet the library stays because of unions, government bureaucracy, etc. I'm trying not to be elitist (that's why I didn't want to post this before) but I want my job to be more than about survival - I want it to be about making a difference in the community I serve. People seem to think this is an elitist way to think because I have the "luxury" of thinking beyond my immediate survival, and thinking about my life having purpose. Should I feel guilty that I have this "luxury" when much of the community I serve is just worried about making the rent? I am fully aware that at any moment I myself could be in the same situation!!!

This past Sunday, the Detroit paper ran a special section about why employee morale is important even in a lousy economy, and reported that most workers surveyed agreed that "when workers are focused on a clearly understood mission, they bust their chops happily" "EMPLOYEES WITH A COMMON GOAL OVERACHIEVE" BY TOM WALSH (Section D, page 17) I agree - I understand that now's not the time for pay and benefits to be improved and that we're lucky to even have jobs, but I can't understand why communicating and solution-finding as a workplace and as a community are "luxuries" Am I just too childish? too spoiled, sheltered and elitist or other wise out of touch with reality or might I just have a point whether or not my boss and coworkers care to listen?