2019 Charleston Library Conference

Assessing The Library: An Unquiet History. By Matthew Battles

Now that #charlestonlibraryconference# has declared that the“ time has come to talk of many things” , it would be helpful for all practitioners to cast a critical eye on that ”constellation of books and services”we so proudly call a library.
Beginning with its storied institutional past, its myriad socio--cultural roles, primarily the organization of the world’s knowledge systems , the provision of access to subject and special collections, adapting to the pressures of globalization and the evolving information needs and styles brought on by the world-wide web, the Library has weathered many a storm.
In the recent past, major technological innovations spawning the unbridled growth of social media, world conflict and inflation have led to an operational crisis that threatens not only financial and human resources, but scholarly communication in general.
This paper intends to lead a discussion of the current state and future of the library, using the panoramic , inclusive narratives in The Library: An Unquiet History, by Matthew Battles. The author’s vast sweep of the history of libraries over many time periods and geographic regions would serve as a comparative platform from which the crises of the current library is evaluated by diverse voices.