Information seeking and/or identity seeking: libraries as sources of cultural identity
| Published date | 08 January 2018 |
| Pages | 12-20 |
| Date | 08 January 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-03-2017-0034 |
| Author | Szabolcs Dancs |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Information seeking and/or
identity seeking: libraries as
sources of cultural identity
Szabolcs Dancs
Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, Budapest, Hungary
Abstract
Purpose –What are the responsibilities of libraries, if there is any, in the personal process of constructing
cultural identity? The purpose of this paper is to find answers to this question and pose several others such
as: Can the author define a standard for creating group identity, for instance, by involving or integrating tools
and experiences from the area of bibliotherapy? How can libraries support their patrons to work with their
tradition, on their tradition, i.e. to create their own cultural identity?
Design/methodology/approach –The author provides with p roposals to develop lib rary services to
meet new expectations t hat are raised by the increasing importance of b ridging communities of different
cultural background s.
Findings –By expanding the scope of bibliotherapy, the author might assist in solving social problems and
international tensions. The author should consider the possibility of running projects involvinghistorians, culture
experts and bibliotherapists to build a shared digital corpus and design specific tools for research and
constructing common narratives. To find common cultural references in a multicultural environment is a
challenge that requires openness in many fields. Public librariesa remainly at the frontline. There are some old
responsibilities that need to be refined under the changing circumstances;new tasks and principals might emerge.
Originality/value –Despite the role of libraries in creating cultural identity is emphasized by a couple of
relevant IFLA and UNESCO documents, there are no specific guides on methods to implement. A few ideas
have been outlined in this paper about how libraries could contribute to bringing cultures together and
challenge prejudices and stereotypes.
Keywords Refugees, Cultural differences, Bibliotherapy, Common historical narratives,
Cultural identity in libraries, Ethnobibliotherapy
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
I started to compile this paper on the day when 84 people were murdered, among them
children, in a terror attack in Nice, France. I was deeply touched by this event, and it made
me reflect on an issue that I have been interested in for many years: the relation between
human aggression and seeking identity. As a librarian, I also posed the question: what can
library services do for a better world? How could we contribute to avoid such tragedies?
Another reason that the topic might be of current relevance is The International Decade
for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), which was launched by UNESCO on
August 23, 2013. As stated by the Director-General, Irina Bokova: “The objective of the
Decade is to promote mutual understanding and respect for diversity, rights and equal
dignity between peoples, through intercultural dialogue and concrete initiatives”[1].
The role of information in constructing (cultural) identity
The French Linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, was of the opinion that “the binary opposition
is ‘the means by which the units of language have value or meaning; each unit is defined
against what it is not”(Fogarty, 2005). In a certain sense, individuals –the “units of human
kind”–seem to be like words: searching for their own “meanings,”i.e. their own identities.
Individuals tend to define themselves against other individuals, as do groups of people.
Binary oppositions could be set up based on the knowledge that we have acquired
through our lives, through socialization. Distinctions made by them might be superficial or
Library Management
Vol. 39 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 12-20
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-03-2017-0034
Received 13 March 2017
Revised 26 June 2017
Accepted 1 July 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
12
LM
39,1/2
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