Introduction

The above quotes give voice to deep-seated meanings of the term ‘library’. At core, there is the function of the library as a storehouse of knowledge. Knowledge, its generation and development, is what distinguishes people from the world around them. We alone of all creatures strive to understand the world and to codify and preserve our understanding. A library is the place in which knowledge is stored that has been articulated and recorded in some way. The role of a knowledge storehouse is an important one. The library is the place in which we are most likely to encounter new knowledge, and thus the library need not be seen as a lifeless warehouse but rather as a vibrant place of wonder and enlightenment, somewhere one could stay forever because of the continuing stimulus it provides.

One of the quotes above is from Jorge Luis Borges, who was in charge of the National Library of Argentina. As well as a librarian, he was also a writer of short fiction. His most famous story is ‘The Library of Babel’ in which Babel is described as an infinite library: each section has six connecting points to six identical sections in all four compass directions as well as up and down, and so on, never ending. Each section contains ‘books’, which contain random characters. Because every possible combination of characters is covered in these books, then every book ever written, and books not yet written, will be hidden among the many, many books containing nothing but doggerel. Life is searching the books of this library for those few that have meaning. This story captures both the promise of libraries, to contain explanations, and also their flaw, the problem of how to find what you want.

Thinking Point

Try to recall times in films, television shows or other media productions in which librarians and/or libraries have appeared. Is there a predominant ‘media image’ for librarians and libraries?