public libraries as impartial spaces in the 21st century - ifla 2009
DESCRIPTION
Co-authored paper presented at the IFLA 2009 pre-conference in Torino, Italy: Libraries as Place and Space.TRANSCRIPT
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PUBLIC LIBRARIES AS IMPARTIAL SPACES IN THE
21ST CENTURY:POSSIBLE, PLAUSIBLE,
DESIRABLE?
Christine Rooney-Browne, PhD ResearcherDavid McMenemy, Course DirectorUniversity of Strathclyde, Glasgow
IFLA 2009Satellite MeetingTorino, August 2009
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To discuss...
The public library as a public space
Adopting retail models Exploiting revenue streams Public libraries in virtual spaces Impartiality: romance or reality?
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The public library as a public space...
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The public sphere...
Photographer: Wolfram Huke
“... Access is guaranteed to all citizens...They...behave neither like business or professional people
transacting private affairs, nor like members of the constitutional order subject to the constraints of a
state bureaucracy. Citizens behave as a public body when they confer in an unrestricted fashion – that is, with the guarantee of freedom of assembly and
association and the freedom to express and publish their opinions - about matters of general interest “ *
*(Habermas, 1964, p.49).
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The public library as a public sphere...
Real world: branch libraries
Virtual world: online libraries
* **
*(Photo courtesy of Edinburgh’s City Libraries); **(Darien Library)
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‘Back in the day...’
The Public Libraries Act 1850*(Images courtesy of Cartoonstock.com)
*
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The Times They are a-Changin’*...
*(Dylan, B, 1964).
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Adopting retail models...
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Bookstores: better at delivering the ‘library experience’...?
“Part bookstore, part library, part living room...” *
*(Kotler and Armstrong, 2001, p.494).
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“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em...”
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A match made in Heaven...?
?
“In a true public library the user is a citizen rather than a customer. The commercial sector is not concerned with citizenship. Customers and
consumers are viewed differently from citizens”**
(*Image courtesy of iStockimages.com) ** (Usherwood, 2007, p.47).
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Rise of the Citizen-consumer...?
(Usherwood, 2007, p.120 - 121); **Clarke et al 2007. p. 9).
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Exploiting revenue streams...
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Commercial partnerships...
*(Gazette, 2008).
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Sponsorship...*
**
*(Aye Write Festival, Glasgow, 2009); **Library of Congress Book Festival, 2009)).
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Affiliation schemes...at the click of a button
*
*(Milton Keynes Library, England 2009)
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A step too far...?
“civic society’s unique space for free
communication and critical reflection in
contrast to the market’s commercialisation of
experiences” **
*Staffordshire County Council, England; **(Skot-Hansen, 2002).
*
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Impartiality in virtual spaces...
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Users expect the (virtual) world...?
*
* (Maness, 2006); Darien Public Library, 2009).
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‘Free’ web 2.0 services…
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...but at what cost?
*
*Facebook ad page, 2009
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Impartiality: romance or reality...?
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A bleak future...?
*(Getz, 1989, pp. 4-5).
“the strength, diversity and growth of our library community is a consequence of the affluence of our economy... libraries – along with the rest of society –
have to ride the waves of macroeconomic activity”*
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Conclusions...
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Values for sale...?
*
*Word cloud created using wordle.net
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