The Cultural Politics of Librarianship

The standard perception of librarians is that they are custodians, non-professionals and that the activities they engage are simple, easy and without diversity. Consequently, the correlation between librarians and development is usually perceived as being weak. This book highlights the scope of librarianship and the development value in the activities of librarians. Through the lens of the development theories of modernization and dependency, librarians activities are depicted as being infused with power relations and value positions. In this regard their work can be interpreted as setting out a socio-cultural terrain that enables the construction of colonial and anti-colonial identities and cultures. As such, the activities of librarians can no longer be regarded as neutral as they are implicated in the contest of ideas about what kind of post-colonial nation is desired: whose culture and whose power?

Autorentext

Dr. Sasekea Harris is a lecturer in library and information studies and a cataloguer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Jamaica. She holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom and two Masters Degrees (Library and Information Studies and Government: Public Sector Management) from UWI.