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Book Talk: Ideology and Libraries

Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:10 PM - 5:00 PM
 
In 1950 our alumnus Robert Gitler â31 went to Japan to found Japanâs first college-level school of librarianship. In the 1990s I recorded and edited his reminiscences, published as Robert Gitler and the Japan Library School (Scarecrow, 1999). However, curiosity about his improbable success led me continue to examine the Allied occupation of Japan more closely, and also Californiaâs own library history, the use of libraries in diplomacy, and this Schoolâs role. Also, more generally, how and why do library services differ within and between cultural contexts? And how valid is the supposed relationship between public libraries and democracy? And what is implied for the future of schools of information by present challenges and discontents? The outcome, completed with the help of former visiting scholar Masaya Takayama, is Ideology and Libraries: California, Diplomacy, and Occupied Japan 1945â1952 (Rowman & Littlefield, out later this month.) I will summarize what was found. Join the online seminar Starting in Fall 2020, participants must have a Zoom account and be logged in. Sign up for your free account here. If this is your first time using Zoom, please allow a few extra minutes to download and install the browser plugin or mobile app.