Librarians as Gatekeepers

By Barbara Fister. Earlier today a friend commented on Twitter that he hates it when librarians are called gatekeepers. But it occurred to me that's exactly what we are. Our job is to keep gates open. The rise of public libraries across the United States was at least in part about giving everyone a chance to read great literature and educate themselves as they wished. (It was also, in part, an attempt to bring immigrants into line with American cultural norms and give them opportunities to "improve themselves" that didn't involve strikes or political organizing. Nothing is ever simple.) Today we prop open gates by negotiating licenses to allow interlibrary lending and supporting open access publishing initiatives and helping students learn the confidence and skill to participate in the making of knowledge. Read more...