www.degruyter.com uses cookies, tags, and tracking settings to store information that help give you the very best browsing experience.
To understand more about cookies, tags, and tracking, see our Privacy Statement
I accept all cookies for the De Gruyter Online site
Jump to ContentJump to Main Navigation
Show Summary Details

Libri

International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies

Editor-in-Chief: Albright, Kendra S. / Bothma, Theo J.D.

4 Issues per year


IMPACT FACTOR increased in 2015: 0.339
5-year IMPACT FACTOR: 0.469

SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 2015: 0.489
Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 2015: 1.016
Impact per Publication (IPP) 2015: 0.730

Online
ISSN
1865-8423
See all formats and pricing
Online
Institutional Subscription
€ [D] 369.00 / US$ 556.00 / GBP 277.00*
Individual Subscription
€ [D] 99.00 / US$ 149.00 / GBP 75.00*
Print
Institutional Subscription
€ [D] 369.00 / US$ 556.00 / GBP 277.00*
Individual Subscription
€ [D] 369.00 / US$ 556.00 / GBP 277.00*
Print + Online
Institutional Subscription
€ [D] 445.00 / US$ 666.00 / GBP 335.00*
Individual Subscription
€ [D] 445.00 / US$ 666.00 / GBP 335.00*
*Prices in US$ apply to orders placed in the Americas only. Prices in GBP apply to orders placed in Great Britain only. Prices in € represent the retail prices valid in Germany (unless otherwise indicated). Prices are subject to change without notice. Prices do not include postage and handling if applicable. RRP: Recommended Retail Price.
Volume 66, Issue 3 (Sep 2016)
Loading journal volume and issue information...

Intellectual Freedom, Libraries and Democracy

Paul Sturges
  • Corresponding author
  • Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Extraordinary Professor, Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Professor Emeritus, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK
  • Email:
Published Online: 2016-08-02 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2016-0040

30,00 € / $42.00 / £23.00

Get Access to Full Text

Abstract

This exploration of the connection between the library and the broader socio-political sphere in which it functions is based on a keynote presentation originally given at the BOBCATSSS Conference in Lyons, January 2016. The freedom to seek and receive information and ideas in a secure and private environment is identified as the way in which the library contributes to intellectual freedom. Historical examples of radical thinkers who had or did not have this kind of access can be identified. The contribution of libraries is seldom overtly radical, but by offering access to content in a protected environment, libraries nurture potential political activists and leaders. A connection between libraries and democratic activity, which cannot necessarily be thought of as causal, can be observed, and even in non-democratic states the library can still make its own unobtrusive contribution.

Keywords: freedom of expression; radical; privacy; principles of librarianship

References

  • Adams, J. 2015. Women and the Vote: A World History. Oxford: University Press.

  • Baker, D., and W. Evans (eds.). 2011. Libraries and Society: Role, Responsibility, and Future in an Age of Change. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.

  • Bartley, P. 2002. Emmeline Pankhurst. London: Routledge.

  • Cauter, T., and J. Downham. 1954. The Communication of Ideas: A Study of Contemporary Influences on Urban Life. London: Chatto and Windus.

  • Clark, P. 2000. British Clubs and Societies 1580–1800: The Origins of an Associational World. Oxford: University Press.

  • Ditzion, S. 1947. Arsenals of a Democratic Culture. Chicago: ALA.

  • EIFL. 2014. “Empowering Women and Girls: Promoting Women’s Independence in Nepal.” Accessed April 12, 2016. http://www.eifl.net/eifl-in-action/empowering-women-and-girls-innovation-award.

  • Foerstel, H. 1991. Surveillance in the Stacks: The FBI’s Library Awareness Programme. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

  • Gorman, M. 2000. Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the Twenty First Century. Chicago: ALA.

  • Habermas, J. 1989. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. Translated by T. Burger. Cambridge: Polity Press.

  • Hannesdottir, S. 1993. “Books and Reading in Iceland in a Historical Perspective.” Libraries and Culture 28 (1):13–21.

  • Hauptman, R. 1976. “Professionalism or Culpability? An Experiment in Ethics.” Wilson Library Bulletin 80 (1):48–50.

  • Juznic, P., J. Urbanija, E. Grabrijna, S. Miklavc, D. Oslaj, and S. Svokjsak. 2001. “Excuse Me How Do I Commit Suicide? Access to Ethically Disputed Items of Information in Public Libraries.” Library Management 22:75–9.

  • Kranich, N. (ed.). 2001. Libraries and Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty. Chicago: ALA.

  • Norway. 2005. “There Shall Be Freedom of Expression: Proposed New Article 100 of the Norwegian Constitution.” Norwegian Official Report, NOU 1999: 27. Oslo: Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

  • Ranganathan, S. R. 1931. The Five Laws of Library Science. London: Edward Goldston.

  • Richards, P., W. Wiegand, and M. Dalbello (eds.). 2015. A History of Modern Librarianship: Constructing the Heritage of Western Culture. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

  • Rose, J. 2001. The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes. New Haven: Yale University Press.

  • Sen, A. 1982. “How Is India Doing?” New York Review of Books 21 (Dec 16):41–5.

  • United Nations. 1948. Universal Declaration on Human Rights. New York:United Nations. Accessed April 12, 2016. http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/.

  • Wheen, F. 1999. Karl Marx. London: Fourth Estate.

  • Whitehill, W. 1956. Boston Public Library: A Centennial History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  • Wollstonecraft, M. 1993 [1792]. A Vindication of the Rights of Women. London: Penguin.

  • Woodcock, G. 1971. The Anarchist Prince: A Biographical Study. New York: Schocken Books.

About the article

Received: 2016-04-25

Accepted: 2016-05-11

Published Online: 2016-08-02

Published in Print: 2016-09-01

Citation Information: Libri, ISSN (Online) 1865-8423, ISSN (Print) 0024-2667, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2016-0040. Export Citation

Copyright Clearance Center

Comments (0)

Please log in or register to comment.
Log in