Page 25 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

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024 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.11, 2019

beginning to become affordable. This marks an important change in our attitude to information—an
acceptance that surrendering elite control over information brings benefits for societies as a whole.
That more information, in the hands of more people, was a positive for societies, for development.
What did this mean for the role of libraries?
I do not think it is by accident that this period is also the one where we start to see the opening of
whole systems of libraries which are truly open to the public. It’s of course also the period where
this institution was inaugurated, as the Metropolitan Library of Beijing, back in 1909. There is a
logical parallel with the movement towards universal education. If it was worth educating children,
it was worth giving the opportunity to continue to learn throughout life. This is not to say that the
concept of the public library dates only from this time. Arguably, these existed thousands of years
ago in Greece and in Rome. French colleagues will, I am sure, note that one of the initiatives of the
Revolution there was to take the books previously held in monasteries, and make them available
through public libraries.
But it is the period when public libraries become widespread. It also marked an important change
in the role of librarians themselves. Clearly there was still a need to protect the most vulnerable,
the most precious works. But now librarians—libraries—were gateways. A means of helping more
people overcome the barriers they faced to access information.
Because despite rising levels of education and literacy, and despite the falling cost of books,
we were still a long way from a situation where everyone had the money and skills to access
everything. Even as more people could create their own private libraries, in their own homes, this
was far from a possibility for all. Knowledge, information, for so many people, was still scarce,
rather than abundant.
But thanks to libraries, it did not need to be so. They offered a shortcut, a means of bypassing the
barriers created by a market that had little interest in selling to people without money, as well as a
place to develop literacy skills. And many came, with libraries becoming symbols of civic pride, of
progressiveness, of equality in societies.
This is a role that they have held for well over a century. Even as books have become cheaper,
even as literacy rates have increased, there are still those at risk of exclusion, of not seeing their
needs met by the market.
Because they are living on the poverty line.
Because they lack literacy skills, at least in the language of the community where they live.
Because they are young families with children who race through books faster than parents can
afford to buy new ones.
Because they need books in formats that the market does not supply.
Because they want to carry out research using books which are not commonly available.
Libraries are gateways to information, to knowledge for all of these people.
We are coming up to our next transition. But I would also like to argue that the way that
libraries—public libraries—give access to the Internet is a logical continuation of this gateway role.