Over the course of Chapter 1 of The Portable MLIS titled "Stepping Back and Looking Forward: Reflections on the Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship", I wrote down several thoughts that occurred to me; three of which I highlighted below:
1) Several missions of libraries were presented over their history. But what is the mission of the librarian?
Further in the chapter I came across the shared beliefs of librarians. Specifically, Rubin claims the "belief in intellectual freedom", "the public good", "education", and "value of the past: preservation", are beliefs essential to the success of a librarian's mission. (2008, 10-12) Lucky thing, I must be in the right discipline - I hold them near and dear as well.
2) Can libraries spur development of undeveloped countries?
Perhaps this is hypothetical. Is it possible to plant a library and watch a society grow? Or do libraries grow with society? I came across the Rubin's notion that "There is a forest (the society as a whole), as well as the trees (each individual library user). The beauty of libraries is that in serving the latter, the former is also served" (2008, 12). This is an interesting concept - one I'd like to explore further in our studies.
3) Finally I wrote; my fascination with libraries is their preservation of the past in the interest of furthering future knowledge.
Little did I know the chapter would close with a similar notion. "The librarian knows that the failure to maintain the past sets the present adrift, without context...ideas of the past must be part of the repertoire of knowledge to which everyone must have access" (2008, 13).
Tally-ho! Things are just starting to get exciting!
Spring,
Kate
References
Haycock, K., & Sheldon, B. E. (2008). The portable MLIS : Insights from the experts. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
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