Today I read a journal article from Libri, a journal which has been around since 1950. In Portrait in Paradox: Commitment and Ambivalence in American Librarianship, 1876-1976, Michael H. Harris casts a critical eye on how the government has pressured libraries in a series of moral panics and how librarians have reacted. His goal is to counter the often rosy picture that people have when thinking of libraries in the past. My main takeaway from reading this was that his comments still apply today, as does his rallying cry for librarians. History repeats itself and the way that librarians react to government intervention has alternated between playing it safe and standing their ground. Their ethics and choices have been criticised and held against them, and at times it’s been impossible to win, but the author calls for librarians to stand firm. While the article is about America specifically, other countries can surely relate.
If I had to choose any quote from the book to exemplify the point the author is making, it has to be this:
The future of librarianship in America should be predicated on choices librarians make, and these choices must grow out of a clear articulation of the ideas, beliefs, values, and dreams of librarians for the good life. The alternative is to mindlessly, pathetically, hug our chains.
I think it bears repeating that this was from almost 50 years ago. The challenges that librarians face are truly ongoing, and the challenges have roots in a long history. It’s regretful that this article isn’t freely available online, but hopefully it will be from various institutions you might have access to.
HARRIS, M. (1976). Portrait in Paradox: Commitment and Ambivalence in American Librarianship, 1876-1976. Libri, 26(4), 281-301. https://doi.org/10.1515/LIBR.1976.26.4.281