This war on libraries – and on the traditional values of equal opportunity, universal education and cultural preservation they represent – directly contravenes the will of the majority in the United States. Polls reveal that public support for libraries is as strong as ever. But the profession of librarianship has become a hazardous one, because of the actions of a hostile minority. It’s time to reverse course.
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Why are libraries under attack in the United States? We can talk about the rise of authoritarianism, and theories of empires in decline. But today, practically, it comes down to whether the public will defend an institution that has helped us so much as a society.
Will we fight to support and defend universal education and equitable access to information – or stand by as some politicians and powerful corporations take deadly aim against those long-cherished values?
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
