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More positively, Palfrey makes a particularly strong case throughout the book for the necessarily democratic and personal aspects of libraries. It is the democratic impulse that public libraries enable and enact that makes them relevant in an age where private interests emphasize the growing gap between rich and poor: “Libraries also function as essential equalizing institutions in our society. For as long as a library exists in most communities, staffed with trained librarians, it remains true that individuals’ access to our shared culture is not dictated by however much money they have” (9). Even for academic and other libraries whose goals are not as explicitly democratic as public libraries, the shift to digital information and mobile technology still calls for knowledgeable human guides. In this way, Palfrey sees the role of the librarian increasingly being that of an educator, with library spaces reflecting this role as an educational institution.
Not surprisingly, given Palfrey’s background as a law professor and director of a law library, one of the most illuminating portions of the book is the final chapter which deals with challenges in copyright and privacy laws. Here he writes with precision about the need for very specific copyright reforms that could make librarians crucial players, should they take up the cause, in ensuring that information is not held captive by private interests: “Just as we, the public, need to make the case for libraries, we all need the library profession to help make the case for a sensible, public-friendly copyright and privacy regime for the digital era” (205).
The occasional imprecision of Palfrey’s analysis is likely to frustrate one potential audience for the book, while his decisive call for public support for libraries could well mobilize another. Librarians and library workers who are facing the challenges that Palfrey writes about will find helpful resources in the book. However, the “specific path forward, in ten steps” (226) laid out in the conclusion is general enough that library practitioners will have difficulty identifying new ways to implement those steps. That said, the target audience of the book is “all those who do not work in libraries and who should be taking a greater interest in the fate of these essential knowledge institutions on which we rely more than we seem to realize” (17). Palfrey argues persuasively for libraries as essential public goods, and the book could go a long way to educating and motivating the reading public to support libraries through increased public funding and philanthropy. This sort of response to the book would easily make up for any shortcomings.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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