4. “...radical simply means
‘grasping things at the root’.”
Davis, A. Y. (1984). Women, culture and
politics, London: The Women’s Press Ltd
Trees in fog | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/realityfanclub/10999534554/
Author: realityfanclub https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
5. Unicorn | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/hamur0w0/6984884135/
Author: yosuke muroya https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
6. Southend Pier | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/truu/9643639395/
Author: andrej https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter
7. Commitment to the defence, and the
advancement, of access to
information, ideas and works of
the imagination.
CILIP (2015) Ethical Principles. Retrieved from:
http://cilip.org.uk/about/ethics/ethical-principles
8. ▇▇▇▇ [1113] | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianjmatis/6723758731/
Author: Brian J. Matis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
9. 2010.05.31: The Sieve | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosabuam/4656397765/
Author: Werner Moser https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
10. Card Catalogue | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerkathe/4260372824/
Author: Tyler C. Hellard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from original with filter.
Respect for
confidentiality
and privacy in
dealing with
information
users.
CILIP (2015) Ethical Principles. Retrieved from:
http://cilip.org.uk/about/ethics/ethical-principles
11. How can we ensure respect
for confidentiality and
privacy in a modern
surveillance state?
Never Trust | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/12690246634/
Author: Jeremy Brooks https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter
12. “Small-scale networks
such as those in
cafes, libraries and
universities could
find themselves
targeted under the
legislation and forced
to hand over
customers’
confidential personal
data tracking their
web use.” gu.com/p/4fnyd/stw
13. “In a democratic society privacy of
communication is essential if citizens
are to think and act creatively and
constructively. Fear or suspicion that
one's speech is being monitored by a
stranger, even without the reality of
such activity, can have a seriously
inhibiting effect upon the willingness
to voice critical and constructive
ideas.”
Another Place | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/oak-grove/2645569211/
Author: Graham Chastney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. (1967). The Challenge of Crime in a
Free Society, (February), 1–342. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=42
14. “...a 20 percent decline in page views
on Wikipedia articles related to
terrorism, including those that
mentioned ‘al Qaeda,’ ‘car bomb’ or
‘Taliban.'”
Another Place | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/oak-grove/2645569211/
Author: Graham Chastney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
Penney, Jon, Chilling Effects: Online Surveillance and
Wikipedia Use (2016). Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 2016.
Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2769645
15. “If people are spooked or deterred from
learning about important policy matters
like terrorism and national security,
this is a real threat to proper
democratic debate.”
Another Place | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/oak-grove/2645569211/
Author: Graham Chastney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
Penney, Jon, Chilling Effects: Online Surveillance and
Wikipedia Use (2016). Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 2016.
Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2769645
16. “...initial analysis only scratches the
surface of this important area, but it
is clear that policymakers need to
develop a better understanding of
mistrust in the privacy and security of
the Internet and the resulting chilling
effects. In addition to being a problem
of great concern to many Americans,
privacy and security issues may reduce
economic activity and hamper the free
exchange of ideas online.”
Another Place | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/oak-grove/2645569211/
Author: Graham Chastney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2016). Lack of Trust in Internet Privacy and Security May Deter Economic and Other Online Activities.
Retrieved from https://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2016/lack-trust-internet-privacy-and-security-may-deter-economic-and-other-online-activities
17. Another Place | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/oak-grove/2646384834/
Author: Graham Chastney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified from the original – filter + tilt shift.
18. Great DOF - 30 yards | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/goude/2929022314/
Author: Daniel Goude https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
19. Neoliberalism sees competition as the
defining characteristic of human
relations. It redefines citizens as
consumers, whose democratic choices are
best exercised by buying and selling, a
process that rewards merit and punishes
inefficiency. It maintains that “the
market” delivers benefits that could never
be achieved by planning.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/
neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot
George Monbiot
21. Neoliberalism n. a political philosophy
that argues in favour of privatisation,
deregulation, and shrinking of the state
to the benefit of the private sector.
22. As among the different provinces of a great empire the
freedom of the inland trade appears, both from reason
and experience, not only the best palliative of a
dearth, but the most effectual preventative of a famine;
so would the freedom of the exportation and importation
trade be among the different states into which a great
continent was divided.
Smith, A. (1776). Wealth of Nations
http://oll.libertyfund.org/quotes/459
24. Highway 7 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uncle_paul/16909480748/
Author: Paul Krueger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Manchester School laissez faire
would leave cars free to travel
as they want and in any
direction, leading to traffic
jams and accidents.
Amable, B. (2011). Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-
liberalism. Socio-economic Review, 9(1) 3-30. DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwq015
25. 376LightTrails | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobcaddy/6940213213/
Author: Jacob Caddy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
Central planning would tell
every driver when to use
their car and where to drive.
Amable, B. (2011). Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-
liberalism. Socio-economic Review, 9(1) 3-30. DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwq015
26. Storrow Drive Light Trails | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/sackton/8491195574/
Author: Tim Sackton https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original
Neoliberalism establishes a
traffic regulation which leaves
drivers free to choose where to
go...
Amable, B. (2011). Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-
liberalism. Socio-economic Review, 9(1) 3-30. DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwq015
27. The state has to guarantee, for example, the
quality and integrity of money. It must also set
up those military, defence, police, and legal
structures and functions required to secure
private property rights and to guarantee, by force
if need be, the proper functioning of markets.
Harvey, D. (2007) A brief history of neoliberalism.
Oxford University Press.
28. Allende. | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/brenmorado/6135496784/
Author: Bren https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
29. Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_beginning_of_the_end/8720861149/
Author: Nicolás Robles https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter + tilt shift.
30. The cost of an average undergraduate
course is around £15,600, taking up
73% of the average salary in Chile
(at last estimation). And with the
introduction of student loans, the
average student finishes their course
with a debt of around £25,000.
http://www.counterfire.org/articles/analysis/18348-chilean-
student-movement-back-in-the-streets-for-free-education
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_beginning_of_the_end/8720861149/
Author: Nicolás Robles https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter + tilt shift.
31. School (Library) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmdrcord/7177122603/
Author: Michael Kötter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
32. A core principle of neoliberalism
is that citizens are to be defined
first and foremost as consumers.
Fox, J. (2016). “Neoliberalism” is it?
https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jeremy-fox/neoliberalism-is-it
34. Blue Movie | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/derpunk/435482817/
Author: Bruno Casonato https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
35. The language we use has
effects in moulding identities
and characterising social
relationships...Discourse
matters. Moreover it changes,
and it can...be changed.
Source: Massey, D (2015) Vocabularies of the economy.
Retrieved: https://www.lwbooks.co.uk/soundings/kilburn-manifesto
cha ching | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecornerstones/6386019085/
Author: David Stone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
- Doreen Massey
36. Shooting Stars | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/19779889@N00/15806162299/
Author: arbyreed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
37. It is a form of terrorism because it abstracts
economics from ethics and social costs, makes
a mockery of democracy, works to dismantle the
welfare state, thrives on militarization,
undermines any public sphere not governed by
market values, and transforms people into
commodities.
Henry Giroux
Source: truth-out.org/news/item/13030-a-conversation-with-henry-a-giroux
38. In so far as neoliberalism values market
exchange as ‘an ethic in itself, capable of
acting as a guide to all human action, and
substituting for all previously held
ethical beliefs’, it emphasises the
significance of contractual relations in
the marketplace.
Harvey, D. (2007) A brief history of neoliberalism.
Oxford University Press.
39. “...radical simply means
‘grasping things at the root’.”
Davis, A. Y. (1984). Women, culture and
politics, London: The Women’s Press Ltd
Trees in fog | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/realityfanclub/10999534554/
Author: realityfanclub https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
40. White flags | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/45051346@N00/3965901338/
Author: Tim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
41. “A liberal library association
would support intellectual
freedom, access to information,
and liberal democratic political
institutions, but wouldn’t go on
to make political statements
irrelevant to libraries...”
Annoyed Librarian (2006) Libraries as Liberal Institutions. Retrieved
from: http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/libraries-as-
liberal-institutions.html
42. Wanting a collection to represent a range
of views is a fine goal, but wanting the
profession to be neutral on issues that
impact our jobs, institutions, and the
people we serve is cowardice. It is also
unrealistic. People have perspectives, as
do publications, collections, databases,
search engines, and technologies. Not a
single item or person in a library is
neutral. There is no way the institution
or the profession can be neutral.
Jaeger, Paul T. and Sarin, Lindsay C. (2016) "All Librarianship is Political: Educate Accordingly,
"The Political Librarian: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 8.
Available at: http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/pollib/vol2/iss1/8
43. Claiming that libraries ought
to be liberal institutions that
take ‘no substantive political
position’ is a political
position in and of itself. And
it is not a neutral one (if
such a thing is even possible).
nina de jesus (2014) Locating the Library in Institutional Oppression. In the library
with the lead pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2014/locating-the-
library-in-institutional-oppression/
44. Question Everything (Nullius in verba) Take nobody's word for it | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/202872717/
Author: Duncan Hull https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
45. Octoframe Scaffold | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/subblue/5762684677/
Author: Tom Beddard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52. Figure in the Fog | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtsofan/8180428397/
Author: John https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
54. Rubik's wall | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/mario_paulo_tome/8592734547/
Author: Mário Tomé https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified from the original with filter.
55. Hammer | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/44456430@N04/6814917044/
Author: 0Four https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified with filter + tilt shift
56. As soon as “immediate results” become the principal aim of
our activity, the clear-cut, irreconcilable point of
view...will be found more and more inconvenient. The direct
consequence of this will be the adoption by the
party...diplomatic conciliation. But this attitude cannot
be continued for a long time...the logical consequence of
such a program must necessarily be disillusionment.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/
1900/reform-revolution/ch05.htm
- Rosa Luxemburg
57. “Whiteness has permeated every aspect of
librarianship, extending even to the
initiatives we commit to increasing
diversity.”
- April Hathcock
Source: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2015/lis-diversity/
58. Children at play | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/clearrants/511516037/
Author: clearrants https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ < modified filter + tilt shift
59. Todos Santos - Frothy Curl | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathangibbs/4409365585/
Author: Nathan Gibbs https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
60. Euromaidan | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmdrcord/14096859104/
Author: Michael Kötter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified with filter
61. Thank you
Samosas are ready to eat | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/scalino/9716557717/
Author: Nicolas Mirguet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
62. DEFINITION OF A RADICAL Davis, A. Y. (1984). Women, culture and politics, London: The Women’s Press Ltd
CORE PRINCIPLE OF NEOLIBERALISM: Fox, J. (2016). “Neoliberalism” is it? Retrieved from:
opendemocracy.net/uk/jeremy-fox/neoliberalism-is-it
WHAT IS NEOLIBERALISM?: Martinez, E. & Garcia, A. (nd). What is Neoliberalism? A Brief Definition for Activists.
Retrieved from corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376
FREE MARKET LIBERALISM: Smith, A. (1776). The Wealth of Nations.
NEOLIBERALISM AS TERRORISM: Letizia, A. (2012). A Conversation with Henry A. Giroux. Retrieved from:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/13030-a-conversation-with-henry-a-Giroux
LIBRARIES AS APOLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: Annoyed Librarian (2006). Libraries as Liberal Institutions. Retrieved from
http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/libraries-as-liberal-institutions.html
ALL LIBRARIANSHIP IS POLITICAL: Jaeger, P. T. & Sarin, L. C. (2016) All Librarianship is Political: Educate
Accordingly. The Political Librarian. 2(1), Article 8. Retrieved from: openscholarship.wustl.edu/pollib/vol2/iss1/8
NEUTRALITY: nina de jesus (2014) Locating the Library in Institutional Oppression. In the library with the lead pipe.
inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2014/locating-the-library-in-institutional-oppression/
63. PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: CILIP (2015) Ethical Principles. Retrieved from: http://cilip.org.uk/about/ethics/ethical-
principles
LIBRARIES AND PERSONAL DATA: Travis, A. (2016). Snooper's charter: cafes and libraries face having to store Wi-Fi
users' data. Retrieved from: http://theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/13/snoopers-charter-theresa-may-cafes-wifi-
network-store-customers-data
FEAR OF SPEECH BEING MONITORED: President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.
(1967). The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society, (February), 1–342. Retrieved from
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=42
DECLINE OF WIKIPEDIA VIEWS: Penney, Jon, Chilling Effects: Online Surveillance and Wikipedia Use (2016). Berkeley
Technology Law Journal, 2016. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2769645
THE CHILLING EFFECTS: National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2016). Lack of Trust in
Internet Privacy and Security May Deter Economic and Other Online Activities. Retrieved from
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2016/lack-trust-internet-privacy-and-security-may-deter-economic-and-other-
online-activities
CITIZENS AS CONSUMERS: Mobiot, G. (2016) Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems.
Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot
64. VOCABULARIES: Massey, D (2015). Vocabularies of the economy. Retrieved:
https://www.lwbooks.co.uk/soundings/kilburn-manifesto
MORALITY OF NEOLIBERALISM: Amable, B. (2011). Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-liberalism. Socio-
economic Review, 9(1) 3-30. DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwq015
NEOLIBERALISM IN CRISIS: Peck, J., Theodore, N. and Brenner, N. (2010), Postneoliberalism and its Malcontents.
Antipode, 41: 94–116. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2009.00718.x
IMMEDIATE RESULTS: Luxemburg, R. (1900). Reform or revolution? Retrieved from:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reform-revolution/ch05.htm
WHITENESS IN LIBRARIANSHIP: Hathcock, A. (2015). White Librarianship in Blackface: Diversity Initiatives in LIS. In the
library with the leadpipe. Retrieved from: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2015/lis-diversity/
JOURNAL OF RADICAL LIBRARIANSHIP: Barron, S. (2015) A radical publishing collective: the Journal of Radical
Librarianship. In the library with the leadpipe. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2015/a-
radical-publishing-collective-the-journal-of-radical-librarianship/
CRITICAL THEORY: Smith, L. (2014). Radical Librarians Collective (Part Three): Critical Theory. Retrieved from:
https://laurensmith.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/radical-librarians-collective-part-three/
65. RLC GATHERINGS: Radical Library Camp: in the fight over information, librarians start to get organised. Open
Democracy UK. Retrieved from: https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/bradford-radlibcamp-
collective/radical-library-camp-in-fight-over-information-librarians-
COMMODIFICATION OF INFORMATION PROFESSION: Lawson, S., Sanders, K. & Smith, L., (2015). Commodification
of the Information Profession: A Critique of Higher Education Under Neoliberalism. Journal of Librarianship and
Scholarly Communication. 3(1), p.eP1182. DOI: http://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1182
RLC OVERVIEW: Arkle, S., Brynolf, B., Clement, E., Corble, A. & Redgate, J. (2016). Radical Librarians Collective: An
Overview. Post-Lib, 79.
CRITICAL INFORMATION LITERACY: Tewell, E. (2015) A Decade of Critical Information Literacy: A Review of the
Literature. Communications in Information Literacy. 9(1), pp. 24-43. Retrieved from
http://hdl.handle.net/10760/28163
DISASTER CAPITALISM: Klein, N. (2008). The Shock Doctrine. Penguin.
LATIN AMERICA: Guardiola-Rivera, O. (2011) What if Latin America ruled the world? Bloomsbury | Galeano, E.
(2009). Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. Serpent's Tail.
CHILE: Guardiola-Rivera, O. (2014). Story of a death foretold. Bloomsbury
66. SURVEILLANCE & LIBRARIANSHIP: Clark, I. (2016). The Digital Divide in the Post-Snowden Era. Journal of Radical
Librarianship, Vol. 2. Retrieved from: https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/12
CROWD SOURCED READING LISTS
-
CRITICAL THEORY: Critical Theory in Library and Information Studies reading list
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OJVC40-SPRKlw02ck2FBMySGHdtMAjan9m30IEa6GVg
INFOLIT: The IL Articles That Blew Us Away in 2015-16. Retrieved from:
https://rlc.sandcats.io/shared/ejgPhpxK_gnyDuJi1fNajEMQT_npy1rpywfHgeOXgjY
67. I feel your pain, I don't like talking on the phone either... | Flickr - Photo Sharing! : taken from - https://www.flickr.com/photos/divine_harvester/5275765981/
Author: milo tobin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ < modified brightness
Editor's Notes
Thanks to CILIP Scotland for inviting me here to talk about my interpretation of radical librarianship, what it is, why I/we think it’s necessary, what we do and what we’ve learnt from our experiences of coming together as a collective.
I guess the first thing we need to tackle head on is that scary word “radical”. What does it actually mean to be radical and, by extension, a radical librarian?
A good place to start is to tell you what it’s not. It’s not, for example, picking up bricks and hurling them at figures of authority – unless we mean metaphorical bricks. Radicalism doesn’t mean violence. You can be a violent radical, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that a radical is violent. So, let’s put to bed that there is a gang of rampaging librarians using violence to further the cause of librarianship. This is not that. So if that’s what it’s not, what is it?
Angela Davis outlined very clearly how she defined the word radical – it simply means grasping things at the root. For me this can be viewed in two ways. First, that radical librarians seek to tackle the causes of the many issues we face at their root. In many cases, the root cause is capitalism. Radical librarians understand that many of the issues we face are structural and are as a direct consequence of the economic system we endure. But it also relates to getting back to the roots of the profession. What are we about? What is our purpose? What are our ethical principles? For many, our purpose is to provide equitable access to information for all. Does a capitalist system help or hinder us in this goal? Do we, as a profession, currently reflect this key principle in all of our words and deeds?
These are important questions, particularly as, with regard to public libraries, we are increasingly seeing volunteers take over the role of the librarian or trained staff member. The question of our professional ethics is, ultimately, what separates us from volunteers. They are what define us. If we have no ethical underpinning in our work, what difference does it make if it is provided by us or by a volunteer?
Ethics have to be fundamental to our work. Without them what do we have to guide us? It is what makes us what we are. However, they are also, ultimately, a hindrance to the capitalist system. An adherence to an ethical framework is, by extension, a threat to the neoliberal orthodoxy.
But what are our ethical principles? CILIP’s Ethical principles for library and information professionals outlines a number of key principles and venues. For example, CILIP makes clear that members should maintain a commitment to defence and advance access to information.
But are we really true to this principle? Are we really committed to ideas when some ideas are out of bounds? When ideas that threaten the status quo are marginalised or silenced.
A recent piece of work conducted by Daniel Payne and others associated with the Radical Librarians Collective found that 98% of public libraries filter certain categories of content. The list of categories included “Abortion”, “LGBT”, ”alternative lifestyles”, “questionable”, “tasteless”, “payday loans”, “discrimination”, “self-help” and “sex education”. Often these policies are put in place by IT departments, regardless of the will of the library/librarians. But should we not be challenging this? Or should we just accept that there are limitations on the extent to which we can adhere to our ethical principles? In which case, if there are limitations to them, why have ethical principles in the first place?
CILIP’s ethical principles also outline a commitment to respect the confidentiality and privacy of information users.
Given the proposed expansion of surveillance powers by the state through mechanisms such as the investigatory powers bill, can we be sure that we are offering the protection to our users that our ethics demands? Are we doing enough to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the information-seeking behaviours of our users? Or are we, through our actions (or inaction) undermining the intellectual privacy of our users?
Earlier this year The Guardian reported on some of the consequences we face should the Investigatory Powers Bill complete its way through the legislative process. If we are to hand over data regarding the websites individuals visit, can we truly argue that we have respect for confidentiality and privacy in dealing with information users?
Not only are there concerns about privacy but, returning to the right for individuals to freely access information, such surveillance has a “chilling effect” on the information seeking habits of citizens. This effect on intellectual activity is nothing new or controversial. In 1967, for example, a Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement concluded that surveillance can have a serious negative impact.
More recently, a study by Jon Penney (Oxford) underlines the extent to which mass digital surveillance has affected the information seeking behaviours of individuals.
More recently, a study by Jon Penney (Oxford) underlines the extent to which mass digital surveillance has affected the information seeking behaviours of individuals.
Also this year, the US Department of Commerce identified the same chilling effect in their analysis of census data with respect to 41,000 internet using households.
The consequences of this are stark. If intellectual freedom is impeded, then democracy itself is undermined. Given our commitment to intellectual freedom and privacy, what should our approach be? Should we just accept the prevailing winds and make do? Or should we seek to challenge a threat to our ethical principles? There’s clearly a tension here. A radical would argue, perhaps, that the principle is an absolute one and if the state seeks to undermine it, then we shouldn’t flinch from pushing back. Others would argue that it is not a battle we can win, so we should just accept it and do the best with the hand we are dealt.
If we hold true to our ethical principles, then the society in which we exist, makes us radical. Because it is radical to fully ensure the privacy of our users. It is radical to defend and advance access to information in an environment where everything has a cost.
Are these the kinds of values we wish to reinforce, the reduction of citizens to consumers? Does that not contradict our obligation to advance access to information? How can we advance it when we are using language that reinforces a barrier to use?
What is neoliberalism? Before we go any further, let’s unpack what neoliberalism actually is...
Neoliberalism is the dominant economic ideology of our time and is the driving force behind economic thought in the Western world since the late-70s, following the collapse of the post-war settlement which advocated a mixed economy with a state role in the provision of utilities.
But what about liberalism? Surely that’s a good thing? It’s important to be clear that there is a difference between what Americans would determine as a liberal (often equated with being left-wing) and what we would define as liberalism. Liberalism as a doctrine emerged from the philosophy of Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations – a key text in the development of a free market economy. Smith argued for the abolition of government intervention in economic matters. No restrictions on manufacturing, no barriers to commerce, no tariffs, he said; free trade was the best way for a nation's economy to develop. Such ideas were "liberal" in the sense of no controls. This application of individualism encouraged "free" enterprise," "free" competition -- which came to mean, free for the capitalists to make huge profits as they wished.
The neoliberal alternative to the mixed economy primarily emerged in Chile, following the military coup against the democratically elected Salvador Allende. Chile subsequently became a testing ground for the kinds of economic policies we would now label as “neoliberal”, primarily adhering to the ideas of Milton Friedman, who would also go on to influence the economic policies of both Reagan and Thatcher.
Essentially, neoliberalism is a doctrine that advocates for the removal of all state regulation, primarily because it impedes the free market economy. It therefore advocates for the weakening of trade unions, the cutting of social services (particularly education and health care), the privatisation of public services and, ultimately, seeks to establish relationships that are based on economic exchange.
For neoliberals, individuals are not to be considered as citizens, with rights and entitlements, rather they are consumers, who engage in an exchange that is purely economic. A neoliberal society is, ultimately, geared towards economic activity, particularly driving profits for private enterprise.
Does this really define our relationship with the people who use our services? (Something about how there is an ideological effort to shift from citizens who pay tax, towards customers purchasing services...the privatisation of the commons, the move towards a small state, low tax economic model – quote here would be good!)
We see this in the language that is prevalent in the profession. We often see folk who use libraries described as “customers”. Is it really appropriate to refer to our users as customers?
As Doreen Massey puts it, language has an effect in moulding identities and characterising relationships. Language is a power weapon that can result in the normalisation of certain behaviours and relationships. Resisting such normalisation is in itself a radical act, casting oneself in opposition to the direction of travel of the prevailing economic orthodoxy.
In a society where information is a commodity that has a financial value, the facilitation of access to information to all is a radical idea. It poses a threat to an economic system that demands that everything should be seen in economic terms.
It is a terrorism of the Commons, but it is also a threat to our ethical principles. It is a system that not only undermines our public sphere, but assaults the very foundation of our library work. Market values should not govern our work. The belief that information should be freely accessible to all should be our only guiding principle. Radical librarianship recognises this threat and seeks to resist it, rather than embrace reform to stave off the threats of the economic system in which we exist.
Angela Davis outlined very clearly how she defined the word radical – it simply means grasping things at the root. For me this can be viewed in two ways. First, that radical librarians seek to tackle the causes of the many issues we face at their root. In many cases, the root cause is capitalism. Radical librarians understand that many of the issues we face are structural and are as a direct consequence of the economic system we endure. But it also relates to getting back to the roots of the profession. What are we about? What is our purpose? What are our ethical principles? For many, our purpose is to provide equitable access to information for all. Does a capitalist system help or hinder us in this goal? Do we, as a profession, currently reflect this key principle in all of our words and deeds?
There are two options: to resist or to remain neutral to the prevailing socio-economic winds. Neutrality is often put forward as a great virtue but it is one that we cannot accept.
Some might argue it is impossible to be neutral. We have perspectives, as do the resources we facilitate access to, and it is impossible to remove these entirely, either from ourselves or from the institution as a whole. Equally, given our role in helping our communities, can we truly be neutral on issues that impact upon them? Surely we cannot accept the imposition of services that have a negative impact on our communities? (Take, for example, the imposition of online job seeking for those on Jobseekers’ Allowance.)
We cannot be neutral when the drift is towards a society that undermines our values and our existence. If we remain neutral, we essentially ride the wave towards a consumerist society where financial privilege takes precedence. Where do we stand then when we seek to facilitate free and indiscriminate access to information? We cannot remain political neutral in an environment that will effectively neutralise us. Neutrality is a political position...and it is one that ultimately undermines the values we seek to defend.
So, having identified the problem...the consequence of a powerful neoliberal ideology that’s infecting not only the discourse in our profession, but across and throughout the delivery of all public services...the question comes: how do we effectively challenge this dominant ideology. How do we reassert our values and defend our ethical principles?
Part of the way to challenging this is through building structures of mutual support and solidarity – pulling together like-minded folk as part of an effort to ensure that people don’t feel alone and alienated as a result of their disquiet with the prevailing economic model. It’s also about building infrastructure, about building challenges to the dominant ideology. Where there are gaps in critical discourse, it is important to fill it and ensure that there is at least some space for critical engagement with professional issues. This part of the motivation of those involved in the Radical Librarians Collective – to ensure, as much as possible, that there is a space for critical discussions, not just for solidarity, but also to try to influence the overall narrative. Where there is discussion there is an opportunity for change. To critique discourse and to provide a platform for alternative ideas that can spread and flourish.
There are a number of methods by which the Radical Librarians Collective seeks to challenge the dominant discourse.
First of all we organise national gatherings at various points around the country. These national gatherings are really where it all became a thing. The first such gathering in 2013 emerged as a result of some discussion on Twitter for the need for something that was...different to what already existed. Something critical. Something that challenged the dominant discourse in both the profession and in terms of the institution. Held in Bradford, it brought together people from across the country who shared the same concerns and anxieties about where professional discourse was taking us. There were no sponsors, instead attendees could make a voluntary donation. This has been followed by events in London and Huddersfield, with a future gathering due to take place in Brighton later this year.
The days themselves consist of a variety of critical discussions, pitched at the start of the day and then built into a programme of discussion...further pitches throughout the day are encouraged in case ideas emerge as a result of discussions. Attendees encouraged to propose radical topics of conversation that can be explored and, wherever possible, actions are identified that the Collective can work on to tackle the issues raised.
The days are typically closed with a plenary session whereby, once more, summaries of the days are collected to be shared, and actions identified.
Amongst the developments that have emerged as a result of discussions held at gatherings include the LIS Open Access declaration, hosted at Informed (theinformed.org.uk). The declaration encourages all LIS practitioners to commit to ensuring all work they produce is made available as Open Access wherever possible. You can sign up yourself by going to theinformed.org.uk/open-access.
The Journal of Radical Librarianship has also been established as a result of discussions held at Radical Librarians gatherings, featuring an editorial board drawn from the collective. Articles are published as either CC-0 or CC-BY and focus on discourses around critical library and information theory and practice. Subject areas covered include information literacy, politics and social justice, equality and diversity and management and professionalism.
Members of the collective in London and the south east have also held a number of crypto parties, where individuals learn how to encrypt their communications with others.
Finally, the collective hosts an online Twitter chat once a month (on the second Tuesday of the month). The chat normally focuses on an Open Access article to frame the discussion which operates under the safer spaces policy.
But constructing something alternative is not without its problems...it’s “problematic”. When you build infrastructure that previously didn’t exist, you’ll make mistakes, what you build won’t be perfect. This needs to be accepted. The nature of any DIY is it won’t be perfect. But it will at least be a thing.
We also have to face up to the lack of diversity. Predominantly, those associated with RLC are white, middle class folks. Much like the profession in general, it is predominantly white, this despite the collective seeking to be inclusive and welcoming to all. Of course, in many respects, this will become more difficult as librarianship becomes ever more a profession of privilege, due in no small part to the rising costs of higher education and the precarity of the work.
One of the other difficulties faced is an adherence to a horizonatalist structure. By this I mean it is flat, there is no hierarchy, no leaders, no leadership committee...everything is tackled by consensus and working together. To an extent. Again, things are never perfect. There will be times when people take on leadership positions, and there will be times when consensus is never achieved. These are difficulties that need to be worked through. By and large they are, but the larger a collective becomes, the more difficult it is to maintain a horizonatalist approach.
There are no answers to these problems...they just exist. They are all standard issues faced with constructing something anew. The important thing is to be true to the ideals, to challenge the discourse in ways that are true to our ethics and core principles. There are many aspects of the system in which we exist that are problematic. We can either tackle them head on, seek to challenge the threats to our ethics and values, or we can ride the wave of neoliberalism and see where it takes us.
For me, I can’t swim, so I cannot ride that wave. I’ll be over there, building the barricades with my comrades. Come and join us. We have vegetarian samosas and everything.