Information for Social Change (Mar 1996)
A Few Words About Akribie
Abstract
Akribie (which in German means the quality of exactness or accuracy), the Working Group of Critical Librarians, has been meeting since 1988. We work in libraries in West Germany, in all areas of specialisation. We have in common a desire to share experiences and an interest in the problems of our colleagues in other countries, especially since their problems are often not so different from our own. So far, our curiosity and informality have made by-laws and boards of directors unnecessary. Accordingly, Akribie is not a registered, non-profit organisation, but rather a forum for candid discussion and joint action, with the goal of finding new forms and possibilities for library work. For this purpose the working group is open to everyone. The media landscape, the inner structure of the library system, and consequently the picture of the profession is changing all the time. There are different approaches to finding a solution to the current situation in the library system. We think that libraries and their employees should reflect social changes and make these the basis of their work. We favour democratic internal structures, freedom of group action, and the greatest possible strengthening of individual responsibility. We support the participation of library users in all aspects of substantive decision - making in library work.
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