Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library: How Postmodern Consumer Capitalism Threatens Democracy, Civil Education and the Public Good

by Ed D'Angelo

Book Overview

Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library is a philosophical and historical analysis of how the rise of consumerism has led to the decline of the original mission of public libraries to sustain... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977861716
• ISBN13: 9780977861712
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Library Juice Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Concise, could not put down.

Concise & well written, Ed's book appealed to the inner library in me, of course, but also to my conscience as a concerned citizen of a once ostensibly democratic Republic now collapsing into Empire. Ed is warning us of an update of the "Bread & Circuses" meme from Ancient Rome for our own age, and how libraries have become increasingly complicit in the dumbing-down of America (side note: see Paul Fussell's darkly funny book _B.A.D._, which is a bit dated now but still very apt). I found Ed's book irresistible and I read it all in one setting. I was a little surprised he did not work in a little Neil Postman into his narrative, especially _Amusing Ourselves To Death_, which is painfully relevant to THIS narrative. This is far and away the sharpest, most philosophically insightful LIS book I've read since Earl Lee's _Libraries in the Age of Mediocrity_, which makes a nice companion piece. Ed packs a lot into a few short pages, but there is plenty of room for expansion, and I do hope Ed keeps working on these topics and some day puts out an expanded and updated 2nd edition. Libraries, especially the humanistic tradition of Anglo-American Public Services Librarianship (and I include not only Public but also School and Academic Libraries under that broader rubric), is what I term "the socialism-that-dare-not-speak-its-name". Speak it or not, that's in part why it remains under relentless ideological assault, with increasingly bad, ill-fitting ideas from the business world continuing to pollute mainstream LIS research and library education, filtering down to daily library practice. Books like Ed's are a breath of fresh air (not to mention a way for contrarian library students to have fun pissing off and agitating their "trendy" SLIS professors with deeper thinking than they're accustomed to). If you're in library school and are worried about libraries AND about the war, the current president, and the fate of the Republic, READ THIS BOOK, then get active. Join ALA, join SRRT, join the Canadian Library Association--even if you're a Yank, join the Anarchist Librarian's web or PLG. DO something. I don't think Ed's book suffers from not offering specific Rx's for "what is to be done"? Libraries are still available as community resources to provide access to "alternative" views and information commonly filtered out of the "information marketplace". They are a necessary bulwark of democratic civilization; I think Ed's trying to argue they're a necessary but not sufficient condition for the maintenance of that democratic civilization. Bravo to Ed for saying it so well and so concisely as this.

The library as retail outlet.

The premise of Ed D'Angelo's "Barbarians at the Gates of the Public Library" is that "the condition of public libraries may be taken as a litmus test for the state of democratic civilization." In an effort to remain relevant, libraries now pander to the public instead of inspiring and educating them. As the "cult of consumerism" has taken hold in America, libraries have become entertainment centers rather than bastions of learning. Give people what they want: movies, Internet access, video games, food and drink, trashy magazines, best sellers, and popular programming. The most important mission of the library, "which is to promote and sustain the knowledge and values necessary for a democratic civilization," no longer applies. The goal of today's library administrators is to boost membership and circulation statistics at all costs. As consumer capitalism has taken hold in our society, we are surrounded by incentives to buy, buy, buy. The library has become just another retail outlet. The author puts his arguments into historical context by examining how the educational, economic, and political climate has evolved over the years. In 1731, when Ben Franklin and members of his association established the Library Company, their aim was to promote the common good. At one time, public libraries were "people's universities," institutions of learning where individuals from all backgrounds had the opportunity to become better-educated and more thoughtful citizens. Today, the notion of the common good has been superseded by a global pop culture in which "visual images have replaced words as the primary means of human communication." Today's public library executives have instituted policies based on the premise that the most meaningful information is that which diverts and entertains library patrons. "Barbarians at the Gate of the Public Library" is a challenging book that demands a great deal of the reader. D'Angelo's technical economic terms and abstract philosophical concepts may puzzle those who are unfamiliar with the author's scholarly terminology. In addition, although he vigorously outlines the problems facing our democracy, D'Angelo offers few ideas for turning back the tide of barbarism. He might have included a chapter offering suggestions for concerned citizens who want to bring civilization and rational discourse back to the library and to society as a whole. Still, this slim volume has provocative and thought-provoking ideas; I recommend it for readers who would like to know more about how libraries became instruments of the marketplace instead of institutions promoting democracy through education.