The New Librarianship Field Guide
How librarians can be radical positive change agents in their communities, dedicated to learning and making a difference.

This book offers a guide for librarians who see their profession as a chance to make a positive difference in their communities—librarians who recognize that it is no longer enough to stand behind a desk waiting to serve. R. David Lankes, author of The Atlas of New Librarianship, reminds librarians of their mission: to improve society by facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. In this book, he provides tools, arguments, resources, and ideas for fulfilling this mission. Librarians will be prepared to become radical positive change agents in their communities, and other readers will learn to understand libraries in a new way.

The librarians of Ferguson, Missouri, famously became positive change agents in August 2014 when they opened library doors when schools were closed because of civil unrest after the shooting of an unarmed teen by police. Working with other local organizations, they provided children and their parents a space for learning, lunch, and peace. But other libraries serve other communities—students, faculty, scholars, law firms—in other ways. All libraries are about community, writes Lankes; that is just librarianship.

In concise chapters, Lankes addresses the mission of libraries and explains what constitutes a library. He offers practical advice for librarian training; provides teaching notes for each chapter; and answers “Frequently Argued Questions” about the new librarianship.

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The New Librarianship Field Guide
How librarians can be radical positive change agents in their communities, dedicated to learning and making a difference.

This book offers a guide for librarians who see their profession as a chance to make a positive difference in their communities—librarians who recognize that it is no longer enough to stand behind a desk waiting to serve. R. David Lankes, author of The Atlas of New Librarianship, reminds librarians of their mission: to improve society by facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. In this book, he provides tools, arguments, resources, and ideas for fulfilling this mission. Librarians will be prepared to become radical positive change agents in their communities, and other readers will learn to understand libraries in a new way.

The librarians of Ferguson, Missouri, famously became positive change agents in August 2014 when they opened library doors when schools were closed because of civil unrest after the shooting of an unarmed teen by police. Working with other local organizations, they provided children and their parents a space for learning, lunch, and peace. But other libraries serve other communities—students, faculty, scholars, law firms—in other ways. All libraries are about community, writes Lankes; that is just librarianship.

In concise chapters, Lankes addresses the mission of libraries and explains what constitutes a library. He offers practical advice for librarian training; provides teaching notes for each chapter; and answers “Frequently Argued Questions” about the new librarianship.

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The New Librarianship Field Guide

The New Librarianship Field Guide

by R. David Lankes
The New Librarianship Field Guide
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The New Librarianship Field Guide

The New Librarianship Field Guide

by R. David Lankes

Overview

How librarians can be radical positive change agents in their communities, dedicated to learning and making a difference.

This book offers a guide for librarians who see their profession as a chance to make a positive difference in their communities—librarians who recognize that it is no longer enough to stand behind a desk waiting to serve. R. David Lankes, author of The Atlas of New Librarianship, reminds librarians of their mission: to improve society by facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. In this book, he provides tools, arguments, resources, and ideas for fulfilling this mission. Librarians will be prepared to become radical positive change agents in their communities, and other readers will learn to understand libraries in a new way.

The librarians of Ferguson, Missouri, famously became positive change agents in August 2014 when they opened library doors when schools were closed because of civil unrest after the shooting of an unarmed teen by police. Working with other local organizations, they provided children and their parents a space for learning, lunch, and peace. But other libraries serve other communities—students, faculty, scholars, law firms—in other ways. All libraries are about community, writes Lankes; that is just librarianship.

In concise chapters, Lankes addresses the mission of libraries and explains what constitutes a library. He offers practical advice for librarian training; provides teaching notes for each chapter; and answers “Frequently Argued Questions” about the new librarianship.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780262334617
Publisher: MIT Press
Publication date: 05/06/2016
Series: The MIT Press
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
File size: 1 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

R. David Lankes is Professor and Dean's Scholar for New Librarianship in Syracuse University's School of Information Studies and received the 2016 American Library Association Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

The Field Guide Online xi

1 Librarianship-Full Stop 1

Librarians 11

2 They Named the Building after Us 13

3 The Mission of Librarians 17

4 Knowledge Creation 23

5 Facilitation 43

6 Participatory Systems 53

7 Improve Society 65

8 Librarians 73

9 Pragmatic Utopians 91

Libraries 93

10 What Is a Library? 95

11 Saving Money and the World 103

12 A Platform for Knowledge Development 115

13 Fitting Knowledge in a Box 125

14 Academic Libraries 131

15 School Libraries 137

16 Public Libraries 145

17 Engines of Advancement 153

18 Coda 157

Excursus: From Mission to Missionary 161

Facilitating New Librarianship Learning 163

Observations from the Field 177

FAQs (Frequently Argued Questions) 189

Notes 201

Discussion Points 209

Additional Reading 215

Index 221

What People are Saying About This

John Palfrey

David Lankes continues to be a crucial voice in support of libraries as they evolve during tumultuous times. The New Librarianship Field Guide is an invaluable resource for all who care about libraries—and for anyone who wants to help build a bright future for knowledge and democracies in a digital era.

Endorsement

Libraries + librarians = community: Lankes makes the case and shows his work. He offers a well-structured argument for where libraries in this century need to be going, and how librarians can get them there, answering the question 'Where in the hell is librarianship going anyhow?' with charm and grace. Lankes's invigorating and challenging ideas will help new and existing librarians find their purpose and achieve positive change.

—Jessamyn West, community technology librarian, Open Library and librarian.net

From the Publisher

David Lankes continues to be a crucial voice in support of libraries as they evolve during tumultuous times. The New Librarianship Field Guide is an invaluable resource for all who care about libraries—and for anyone who wants to help build a bright future for knowledge and democracies in a digital era.

—John Palfrey, Head of School, Phillips Academy, and author of BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More than Ever in the Age of Google

Libraries + librarians = community: Lankes makes the case and shows his work. He offers a well-structured argument for where libraries in this century need to be going, and how librarians can get them there, answering the question 'Where in the hell is librarianship going anyhow?' with charm and grace. Lankes's invigorating and challenging ideas will help new and existing librarians find their purpose and achieve positive change.

—Jessamyn West, community technology librarian, Open Library and librarian.net

Jessamyn West

Libraries + librarians = community: Lankes makes the case and shows his work. He offers a well-structured argument for where libraries in this century need to be going, and how librarians can get them there, answering the question 'Where in the hell is librarianship going anyhow?' with charm and grace. Lankes's invigorating and challenging ideas will help new and existing librarians find their purpose and achieve positive change.

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