Needs-based public libraries
The thinking of Comrade F. Dobler from the early 20th century remains relevant and even prescient: those who need open access to information may be those who are fundamentally excluded from public libraries.
Not too fine a point: COVID-19 reveals the origins of public libraries as agents of social control
In Library Land, the pandemic has exposed inherent fragilities including discriminatory class and race based practices. In turn, these praxis reveal that public libraries have a history of being agents of social control and exclusion.
Class matters
Social class is the most significant single determinant of public library use and non-use. A recent study in the U.K. found that 46 per…
The Great October Socialist Revolution
October 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution which began a new stage in the development of librarianship by creating the objective…
Class and librarianship
The current crisis of capitalism has led to the renewed interest in Marxism and its core categories of analysis such as class and exploitation.…
Alien Nation? New Perspectives on the White Working Class and Disengagement in Britain
This is an uncomfortable but necessary read. It made me think long and hard about how public libraries engage and connect with working class…