Open AccessRe-Localizing the Library
Author(s) -
Amy Brunvand
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of critical library and information studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2572-1364
DOI - 10.24242/jclis.v3i1.94
Subject(s) - scholarship , value (mathematics) , world wide web , anthropocene , cultural artifact , sociology , library science , history , political science , computer science , environmental ethics , archaeology , law , philosophy , machine learning
The preservation mission of libraries means that all librarians are futurists. When librarians curate collections, we have to make guesses, and those guesses tell a story about what we value and what we hope for. A dominant story about the Anthropocene is about a globalized, technological future in which libraries and librarians will become obsolete. An alternative, more human story is suggested by place-based scholarship regarding the relationship between human beings and the places we live. A place-based library is more than simply a portal or container for information; the library itself becomes part of a story about place and an active participant in cultural sustainability. Libraries exist as local nodes within a global information network, each with unique community concerns that should be reflected in collections and services.
Pre-print first published online 08/31/2019