<
https://observer.co.uk/news/international/article/there-is-no-political-power-without-power-over-the-archive>
"I am a librarian. I am fortunate enough to run one of the world’s largest and
best known libraries – the Bodleian in Oxford – but my experience of libraries
began as a reader. My mother took me as a child to the Deal public library
in Kent, and it was there, in its modest book-filled rooms, that I discovered
new worlds. My life was transformed by a public library (and its librarians)
that allowed me to read freely from its well-stocked shelves. Throughout my
career, I have seen at first-hand how libraries underpin the education and
self-improvement of all of our citizens, rich and poor, young and old, of all
creeds and colours, through providing access to a multitude of ideas and
knowledge.
They celebrate the history and identity of our communities; they are stout
defenders of facts and truth in an age of misinformation; and they are places
where people can learn about their rights and how to protect them. This year we
celebrate the 175th anniversary of the
Public Libraries Act of 1850, which
created our system of free public libraries – a kind of “NHS for the mind”. But
what has been happening to American libraries rings a loud alarm bell for our
own cherished library system.
Libraries large and small in the US are now on the frontline of the battles
over knowledge that have intensified since the second presidency of Donald
Trump began. The attack on libraries and librarians there is shocking and
happening at a disorienting pace. Thousands of books have been banned from
public and school libraries, librarians have received death threats and many
have been fired. The heads of both the National Archives and the Library of
Congress have been sacked on spurious grounds. Data has been deleted and
funding for critical initiatives ceased.
Why is the US, the land of the free, where the realm of ideas and knowledge
has been enabled by the first amendment, now turning on institutions that have
been among the most trusted in society?"
Via David Farber.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
