A Personal View of Public Librarianship (Essay‪)‬

This article puts forward a credo of librarianship, particularly public librarianship. The writer addresses the differences between academic and public librarianship and suggests that there is little actual difference, and that apparent differences are differences in how librarians react to the environment in which they operate. The effects of the professional reaction to the academic environment on the public librarian are examined. The future of the public library is examined, the practise of librarianship as an ancient and honourable profession is described, and a call is made for the defence of librarianship as a profession. The article was originally given as an address to the Queensland Branch on December 8, 1987. I stand before you on fraudulent grounds--The advertised title of this talk was 'A personal view of Public Librarianship.' That's not what I'm going to talk about. What I am going to talk about is my personal credo of librarianship in general and of public librarianship in particular, a subject about which I am inclined to be passionate and, if not dogmatic, then at least downright opinionated. George Eichinski initially approached me to talk about my plans for the future of the Brisbane City Council Library Service--something I really cannot do at this stage because my review of the Library Service has not yet been adopted (or adapted) by Council. However, while I can't actually tell you what I'm recommending, those of you who are reasonably good at decoding will, I'm sure, be able, by the end of my address, to predict with a fair degree of accuracy the sorts of recommendations that review includes. So, I offered instead to talk about librarianship--a subject dear to my heart and one which I feel, for the good of our souls and our sanity--we should occasionally take time to consider.