Our Enduring Values Revisited

In the almost fifteen years since Our Enduring Values was published, there has been a sea change in the way much of the world thinks about and uses libraries. Young librarians and seasoned LIS professionals alike are experiencing increasing pressure to adjust to new economic, societal, and technological demands amidst the often-dire rhetoric currently surrounding the future of our institutions. In this stirring manifesto, public intellectual, librarian, and philosopher Gorman addresses head on the “existential panic” among library professionals caused by the radical shift in how libraries are viewed. He reconnects readers with the core values that continue to inspire generations of library professionals and scholars—while making the case that these values are doubly crucial to hold on to in the brave new shifting world of librarianship. Destined to become another classic of library literature, this book explores such contemporary issues as:

The growing emphasis of the library as a cultural institution, placing libraries within their cultural context as gathering places for learning, access to information, and community
The impact of technological innovations on core values such as access and stewardship
Library places and spaces of the future
How the mass digitization of books, archives, and other materials affects the purpose and function of libraries
Intellectual freedom and privacy in the era of the PATRIOT Act, Wikileaks, and Edward Snowden
The role of libraries as both champions and facilitators of social justice


Inspirational yet clear-sighted, Gorman emphatically reaffirms the importance of libraries and librarians while proposing a path for future survival and growth.