The Commons- Caitlin

Public libraries are essential for democracy because it is a public source for absolutely everyone to use. It provides the public with a wealth of knowledge for whatever they may need. Bollier states, “librarians have always embodied some of the most fundamental virtues of Western civilization”. Those virtues are what we built our democracy on, so I definitely agree with his statement. We are free to roam around libraries and use all of the resources provided to us including using that information for fun, research, and new creative ideas. Bollier states, “The commons is a generic term that refers to a wide array of creations of nature and society that we inherit freely, share and hold in trust for future generations”. In my opinion, libraries gave meaning to the commons and hold such creations inside of them.

The internet allows users to look through information that is found within the libraries. I need to note that there are some resources and works that are only found in the library and in contrast there are some that are only found on the internet. There are keepers on sites of the web, which could be considered, in their own right, librarians. The function of the internet is very similar to libraries. Today we are able to store whole books and buy whole books on the web. We are able to look up archives and movies which are found in the library. We even have libraries on the internet, such as Rod Library. Both the library and the internet are available and accessible for everyone.

Vaidhyanathan describes “anarchy in the library” as information being too easy and accessible to find. He gets to the idea that the degree in which information is available has become so large, that even dangerous information is out there for everyone to see. I don’t agree with all of his thoughts, but I would not want my children stumbling upon murders and porn sites. He truly believes that anarchists are taking over the libraries and some of our “rights” are getting out of hand because of the amount of information being shared. He hopes to control the outflow of information and put it “back into its toothpaste tube”. He is frightened of too much control because of those who will fight back and create conditions that are even less controllable. He also hopes that people will come together and discuss the issue of how information is controlled today, maybe that will help with how information is being dispersed.