The Library Takes Up The Case: Generating Library Power

Authors: Mikael Böök and Anders Ericson
Price: : $25.00
Expected: Delayed indefinitely
Printed on acid-free paper.

This book investigates the possibilities of a new political public library for the 21st century. The authors’ vision of a pro-active democratic public library is based on the current institution and profession as known in European and North American democracies for the last one and a half centuries. This vision is furthermore based on well-established ideas found in such documents as contemporary Unesco and IFLA manifestos and the legislation and policies of democratic nations and federations. But the authors claim that the prevailing Western “classless” and consensual liberal societies have rendered the democratic services of the public library harmless and practically meaningless. Any librarian today would claim that she runs a democratic, egalitarian and independent service, but few, if any, can exhibit services that make a big difference to groups that truly need and deserve a difference. This is a characteristic the library shares with almost any public institution today, but no institution has the opportunity to cut this Gordian knot of convention and indifference like the public library. Public schools, archives, most museums, publicly owned media, health and social services, etc., all have much closer formal bonds and obligations to their owners. Further, because of the ongoing deterioration of true democratic rights, including difficulties faced by the press, it is more important than ever for the public libraries to claim and demonstrate their independence from their owners.

The authors were both raised under the celebrated Scandinavian Public Library Model of the latter half of the 1900’s but from somewhat different starting points. Mikael Böök (60) is one of the most dedicated Finnish library activists but not a librarian. He has a masters degree in political science but has been a metal worker, a school teacher, and the director of studies of the People's Educational Association, and today runs an ISP for libraries and library associations. He is engaged in World Social Forum activities, with a focus on librarians’ roles within the movement. Anders Ericson (56) is a librarian but has been a freelance journalist for a decade after many years as an adviser at the Norwegian Directorate for Public Libraries. He is now the web editor of the Norwegian Library Association. He started as a public librarian and has worked in libraries at two universities. Both authors have written and edited books and articles on related issues.

The authors are responsible for their separate chapters or articles:

“The political library” (M.B.) is a review of the traditions and ideas of the public library, from the classic “pre-history” through European Renaissance, the modern public library of the 19th century and socialistic interludes until what he sees as an emerging political library of our time.

“A principle in decline” (A.E.) investigates the performance of the library as a distributor of information with a focus on local and national governmental information. This chapter notes indications that librarians only maintain their ideals of independence on paper.

“Library Power as if Montesquieu still mattered” (M.B.) proclaims the library as the future “Fourth Estate” in a new division of powers. What is the political potentiality of the library? The author takes a definite stand against what he calls financial laissez-faire and information feudalism.

“The Library Takes Up the Case” (A.E.). The title is a translation of the Norwegian name of the authors’ blog and stands for a concept that focuses on the unused potential of libraries as independent distributors of information, a potential that is growing due to the trivialisation and commercialisation of the press. The aim is to make public libraries irreplaceable to their communities. The author describes a pilot website to show the potential of his concept.

“The Social Forum” (M.B.) is an attempt to help librarians and social activists cooperate and unite. How to document the multiple activities of a social movement and a conference? The author refers to his experiences from Social Forums in Porto Alegre, Mumbai, Bamako, Helsinki, Nairobi and Atlanta.