Biblioteket tar saka #librarycase

The content of this blog is library related. Most of the 1200+ posts are written with an audience that reads Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages in mind. But when we wish to address an international audience, we translate our posts into English. You can find our  English-language posts at Texts in English.

For a listing  of earlier English-language postings, see below on this page.

On the name of this blog and its ideas

The blog’s name, Biblioteket tar saka, can be rendered in English as «The Library Takes up the Case» (LTC). The name is based on a concept that was originally developed by Norwegian Anders Ericson about webpages that are published by the libraries: these should further the democracy by offering more information where information to the public from news media and governments is insufficient or unbalanced.   Co-blogger Mikael Böök from Finland shares Anders´ attitude towards the library institution.

Anders gave a presentation of LTC and related topics at the ALA Conference in Chicago in June 2017: «Public Libraries Improving Public Participation and Democracy» (PDF). He takes an interest in the ongoing process of the new Norwegian «debate library», originating from the revision of the Norwegian Library Law of 2014 and its brand new expression of §1: «The public libraries should serve as an independent meeting place and arena for public dialogue and debate» . The most radical word here is «independent», which here widens the chief librarian’s authority from media selection to organizing debates. The Norwegian Minister of Culture has stated that «The chief librarians themselves choose and prioritize how they will achieve the goals of the new mission statement […] the library manager should be free to plan activities at a public library. The library management […] will assume a role like the one of an editor».

Mikael is in search of «library power» in a world that is still dominated by preparations for war and is currently also dominated by the rapid emergence of technologies that should rather be used for international cooperation and the abolition of war. References to his books and essays are found on his personal homepage.

We also share and comment on news, books, conferences etc. on «critical librarianship». Define this as wide as you like…

A listing of blogposts in English dated before March 2022

• Follow Ukrainian libraries on Facebook (March 21, 2022)
• No to cold war between librarians! (March 21, 2022)
• Russian and Ukrainian librarians and this blog (March 19, 2022)
• The sympathetic world spirit of librarians is still alive (March 13, 2022)
• What the Ukrainian and Russian library associations have said (March 4, 2022)
• What librarians are saying about the war in Ukraine (March 3, 2022)
• So, the war started… what does the librarian say? (Feb 25, 2022)
• Looking for Needles in a Haystack – Libraries and the Assange Case (Part 3) (Dec 21, 2021)
• Looking for Needles in a Haystack – Libraries and the Assange Case (part 2) (Dec 16, 2021)
• Did IFLA subconsciously ask us to look elsewhere? (Sep 1, 2021)
• Ben Ferencz’s Thoughts on What Can Be Done After September 11 (Aug 26, 2021)
• «Like Merton Said and Sci-Hubs do» (May 15, 2021)
• The Library and Sustainability: Passive Consensus and no Debate? (May 8, 2021)
• «Why do we live in a world where libraries are illegal?» An interview with Alexandra Elbakyan (Jan 24, 2021)
• IFLA and The Gates Foundation: Merry Bedfellows. But For How Long? (November 17, 2020)
• The Library as Publisher in the Whole Wide World (October 25, 2020)
• Will European public libraries be set back tens of years from 2021? (August 15, 2020)
• Public Libraries Improving Public Participation and Democracy (February 9, 2020)
• WikiLeaks, Or How the Sad Story of Librarians’ Uncritical Attitude Toward Governmental Information Continues (July 28, 2015)
• The Sad Story of Librarians’ Uncritical Attitude Toward Governmental Information (July 24, 2015)
• The Monroeville HOT TOPICS – Far From Just Another Link Collection (July 21, 2015)
• The Public Library – The Research Centre of the People (July 15, 2015)
• How a Public Library Can Improve Public Participation and Democracy (July 2, 2015)
• The Independent DEBATE LIBRARY is Born! (Nov 24, 2014)

Contact:

Anders Ericson lives in Moss, Norway. He can be contacted by email via frilanders (ät) gmail.com

Mikael lives in Lovisa, Finland. He can be contacted by email via mikaelbook (ät) gmail.com