Easy listening for the hard of hearing

Abstract

While it appears that the concerns of 'progressive librarians' or those fighting for 'social change' are based around the related concepts of provision of an alternative voice on our shelves and databases, and the provision of any sort of voice in areas that are recognised as emerging (democratic) struggles, I want to discuss wider aspects of the library as part of the praxis of a struggle and a vision. In our predecessors' words: 'to dare to dream.' In a previous work I have sketched out notes for what could be called the 'content' of a library and I think it important to re-emphasise the thrust of those arguments before examining the 'form' of the library and its part in a possible praxis. Our world is shaped by capitalism and its relentless pursuit of profit. The nature of capitalism implies an exploited working class. However, you don't have to be poverty-stricken or desperate for work to see the effects of capitalism. Whilst we can see the obvious effects of this on the degradation of our physical environment, it is also evident in our mental environment. Alienation and individualization become accepted modes of living as social existence becomes carved into smaller and smaller chunks - control, surveillance, management and profit are what is extracted. The 'information society' is thus a capitalist concept.

Keywords

• progressive librarians
• social change
• alternative voice
• democratic struggle
• library
• praxis
• capitalism
• exploitation
• working class
• effects of capitalism
• physical environment
• mental environment
• alienation
• individualization
• individualism
• social existence
• surveillance
• information society