Necromancy or life support? Libraries, democracy and the concerned intellectual

Abstract

Examines the roles of libraries and their development. Their part in fostering and supporting intellectuals in contemporary societies is discussed with particular emphasis on free access to information and freedom of expression. From the nineteenth century, libraries became recognised as necessary to society. In recent years, libraries have increasingly been seen as an instrument for the development and maintenance of a democratic society which offers the individual access to a wide and varied range or knowledge, ideas and opinions. The ubiquity of the Internet and other media and their promise of universal access to information “regardless of frontiers” have reinforced the democracy paradigm. In fulfilling a function of sustaining the discourse of concerned intellectuals, libraries demonstrate their importance to humanity.

Citation

Byrne, A. (2003), "Necromancy or life support? Libraries, democracy and the concerned intellectual", Library Management, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 116-125. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120310464844