Overview

After decades of cultural warfare, America is beginning to find its balance thanks to a major cultural shift toward strengthening communities and other endangered social structures. This volume explores the ideas of this community movement and shows how these ideas can transform public libraries by offering a renewed sense of purpose and new strategies for development. The idea of civic librarianship proposes that the public library be developed as a centre of the community that fosters community identity, dialogue, collaboration and evaluation. It seeks to provide library services to groups as well as individuals and proposes collaboration with other community organizations as a means of providing library services. Civic librarianship aims to affirm the governmental and political nature of the institution and cautions against the indiscriminate use of using marketing techniques to develop libraries. The book discusses the renewal of the social mission of the public library through social development strategies that have already been introduced into journalism, law enforcement and public schools.

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9780810839052

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Reviews

Ron McCabe is one of the few public library practitioners who is putting his thoughts about public librarianship into words for all to read. He has something to say -a lot to say-in this slim work from Scarecrow. McCabe draws a clear distinction between The Libertarian Public Library and Civic Librarianship. This is a good book. Every public librarian and library trustee should read it and think about it and discuss it. It is well worth the price. Public Library Quarterly ...a reaffirmation of the author's perspective on the traditional mission of the public library-which is to serve as a pivotal social institution, a community center, and an essential component of the civil society...praiseworthy and relevant... Library Journal, 6/15/2001 Ronald McCabe skillfully diagnoses the malaise that grips the public library in his highly useful Civic Librarianship...it will doubtless take its place in library history. Information & Culture This book is an outstanding treatment of the library as a pivotal social institution, a community center, and an essential component of the civil society. Anyone concerned with the future of either libraries or our society will be sure to not miss studying this valuable text. -- Amitai Etzioni, professor, George Washington University; founder of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics Libraries equip citizens for civic participation and enable civil society. This important and essential role is illuminated in Ron McCabe's exciting new book on civic librarianship which provides us an historic and theoretical framework for understanding the ways in which libraries enhance citizen involvement in renewing and strengthening our communities... -- Nancy Kranich, President of the American Library Association This book will challenge your thinking about public libraries. It places public librarianship in a broader societal context. It calls for the renewal of the public library's traditional social mission as the foundation for library development in the new century. Ron McCabe has given us a thoughtful philosophical treatise on public libraries in America. I commend his work to you. -- Sarah Ann Long, Past President, American Library Association Libraries equip citizens for civic participation and enable civil society. This important and essential role is illuminated in Ron McCabe's exciting new book on civic librarianship which provides us an historic and theoretical framework for understanding the ways in which libraries enhance citizen involvement in renewing and strengthening our communities. -- Nancy Kranich, President of the American Library Association

Libraries equip citizens for civic participation and enable civil society. This important and essential role is illuminated in Ron McCabe's exciting new book on civic librarianship which provides us an historic and theoretical framework for understanding the ways in which libraries enhance citizen involvement in renewing and strengthening our communities.--Nancy Kranich, President of the American Library Association

Author Information

"Ronald B. McCabe (M.L.S. University of Kentucky) is Library Director, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI. He has presented widely on community building in libraries and has served as a consultant to Sarah Long, ALA President, 1999-2000, on her theme ""Libraries Build Community."""

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