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Revolting Librarians Redux: Radical Librarians Speak Out
"Revolting librarians aren't defined by what they are, they are defined by what they do. In fact, it's not even what they do, but how they do it"--Katia Roberto and Jessamyn West, in the Preface. This compilation of witty, insightful, and readable writings on the various aspects of alternative librarianship edited by two outspoken library professionals is a sequel to Revolting Librarians, which was published in 1972. The contributors, including Alison Bechdel, Sanford Berman, and Utne Reader librarian Chris Dodge, cover topics that range from library education and librarianship as a profession to the more political and spiritual aspects of librarianship. The contributions include critiques of library and information science programs, firsthand accounts of work experiences, and original fiction, poetry and art. Ten of the original librarians who wrote essays for Revolting Librarians back in 1972 reflect upon what they wrote thirty years ago and the turns that their lives and careers have taken since.
229 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 8, 2011
I don't think you can like, appreciate, respect, or even GET this book if you don't have some familiarity with zine style and culture, or the blog culture that grew out of it. Because this is essentially a zine. It's also already wildly out of date. After reading it, I have to say I have a lot of respect for its existence, because it illuminated for me a lot of aspects of librarianship, anarchism, radicalism, and their connections. That's not to say I agree with what many of the writers said. I think a lot of the contributors to this book operate under an immense amount of privilege that goes unacknowledged. I think many of the contributors to this book are so caught up in wanting to stick it to the man that they don't realize that sensitivity isn't the same as being politically correct (see "Library services to the insane," many declarations of "I hate kids because they're all assholes who don't know how to use the library properly" and their ilk). I think many of the contributors to this book could be described as somehow radical elitists who have a complete lack of respect for anyone who works, in some manner, for or under THE SYSTEM. And that goes back to the fact that they all go around flaunting their privilege and pretending like they don't have any.
That said, there are some really fabulous essays in here, and I'm glad I read this book because I think it's full of voices that are important to be heard, even if I don't agree with many of them. Also, reading this book made it very clear to me that I think anarchy is absurd and that there is a huge difference between progressive and radical, and I am firmly the former and not the latter.
That said, there are some really fabulous essays in here, and I'm glad I read this book because I think it's full of voices that are important to be heard, even if I don't agree with many of them. Also, reading this book made it very clear to me that I think anarchy is absurd and that there is a huge difference between progressive and radical, and I am firmly the former and not the latter.
May 3, 2012
This was pretty disappointing - maybe I have a different perception of "radical librarianship" than a lot of these contributors. Some of the essays were interesting, but those were in the minority. I might have found it more enlightening before going to library school, since practically every class I took had discussions on social responsibility (I'm wondering if this was unique to my program? Or the classes I took? Would be curious to hear from other librarians).
Many of the essays were just a bland/repetitive, but there were a few recurring problems that brought out my angry face:
1. What's with these "radical" librarians and their opposition to working with technology? I understand the worries about digitization and archives, but why is it such a bad thing that public libraries are providing more and more public access computers? The anti-technology stance in some of these essays mostly went unexplained, and it made me think of the authors as more reactionary than revolutionary.
2. Some of the public librarians were so dismissive and insulting to their users. Why the eff would you go into public librarianship if you didn't want to work with the public? These essays were probably meant to be funny, but I was shocked by the ableism, ageism, classism, and elitism in them.
3. I feel that the obsession with our "image problem" is totally misguided. I don't really give a fuck that white librarians are defying that bun-wearing stereotype with their tattoos and pink hair. I'm much more concerned about how disproportionately white we are, and how few of us speak English as a second language. (That being said, there was a good essay about the homophobia underlying discussions of the image problem).
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, as there were some essays I actually liked in the collection. I just had really high hopes going into it, and very few challenged me to think about the profession in a new way.
Many of the essays were just a bland/repetitive, but there were a few recurring problems that brought out my angry face:
1. What's with these "radical" librarians and their opposition to working with technology? I understand the worries about digitization and archives, but why is it such a bad thing that public libraries are providing more and more public access computers? The anti-technology stance in some of these essays mostly went unexplained, and it made me think of the authors as more reactionary than revolutionary.
2. Some of the public librarians were so dismissive and insulting to their users. Why the eff would you go into public librarianship if you didn't want to work with the public? These essays were probably meant to be funny, but I was shocked by the ableism, ageism, classism, and elitism in them.
3. I feel that the obsession with our "image problem" is totally misguided. I don't really give a fuck that white librarians are defying that bun-wearing stereotype with their tattoos and pink hair. I'm much more concerned about how disproportionately white we are, and how few of us speak English as a second language. (That being said, there was a good essay about the homophobia underlying discussions of the image problem).
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, as there were some essays I actually liked in the collection. I just had really high hopes going into it, and very few challenged me to think about the profession in a new way.
January 21, 2013
Inspiring collection of "alternative" viewpoints. Like the annoyed librarian but with a social conscious. It felt good to finish it on MLK Day. It took me a long time to finish only because it consisted of many small pieces so I just dipped into it from time to time. Essential reading for those wanting to go to library school. Some of the links are old, but discovering which ones are still alive is part of the joy.
Did I say it was inspiring? It is also depressing in that a lot of negative trends called out within these pages have continued unabated. Particularly,the de facto corporate censorship of library collections by the elimination of local collections, small presses, and minority viewpoints. This is doubly true since the advent of DRM'ed digital content from third party vendors that libraries have embraced. This is an dystopian nightmare the likes of which even the cynics in this book could not have predicted. Or perhaps they did. From the introduction: "Be cyber-skeptic, while art-directed. Reward analog, anomaly, and high concept, high touch, low-cost anything."
Still, this volume has renewed my commitment to libraries, community, free software, an open internet, the elimination of poverty, and workers' rights. It also reminded me of Rory Litwin's indelible contribution to our profession. Rory is still going strong at Library Juice (http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/).
Did I say it was inspiring? It is also depressing in that a lot of negative trends called out within these pages have continued unabated. Particularly,the de facto corporate censorship of library collections by the elimination of local collections, small presses, and minority viewpoints. This is doubly true since the advent of DRM'ed digital content from third party vendors that libraries have embraced. This is an dystopian nightmare the likes of which even the cynics in this book could not have predicted. Or perhaps they did. From the introduction: "Be cyber-skeptic, while art-directed. Reward analog, anomaly, and high concept, high touch, low-cost anything."
Still, this volume has renewed my commitment to libraries, community, free software, an open internet, the elimination of poverty, and workers' rights. It also reminded me of Rory Litwin's indelible contribution to our profession. Rory is still going strong at Library Juice (http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/).
March 4, 2008
I was hoping for inspiration, but it was largely dull.
April 21, 2008
I'm unclear of why essays upon essays of complaining how stupid library users are is radical.
April 10, 2009
I had hopes the essays would be more dynamic.
February 8, 2011
Surprisingly poorly organized.
August 12, 2019
What a great, great book. Filled with relevant information and criticism, Revolting Librarians Redux is a must-read for any future, current, or past librarian. Inside are collections of essays and comics--even an article on which zodiac sign tends to prefer which kind of library!--depicting what practices need to go out of date, and which practices need to be instituted and fast.
Perhaps one of my favorite essays is the one critiquing my dear old Sanford Berman. I love his work, and I think he's contributed so much to librarianship. However, as the author notes, Sanford Berman's own suggestions have now, at this point in time, come to be slightly out of date themselves--which isn't to say that they weren't radical or revolting in their own right at first. It is just, as Berman even says, time and politics that move forward.
What I also appreciated was the unabashed honesty of this collection. So many library science texts tout that being a librarian is perhaps one of the most amazing and enriching positions there are! Which, I am in agreeance with. But those texts also deny the notion that like any other job, librarianshp is, well, a job. It comes with annoyances and frustrating patrons and times that make us want to pull out hair out. And this book acknowledges that. It's not fun answering medical questions when you're technically not allowed to (We're MLIS's! Not MD's!), it's not fun cleaning up the bathroom if you're working in a public library, and it's certainly not fun getting yelled at or being flirted with or having to constantly defend your position.
This is a completely necessary read, in my opinion. It opens up about the less glamorous aspects of being a librarian, and what to really expect when you go into that field. And heck, even if you're not a librarian, it's still a really fun read!
Review cross-listed here!
Perhaps one of my favorite essays is the one critiquing my dear old Sanford Berman. I love his work, and I think he's contributed so much to librarianship. However, as the author notes, Sanford Berman's own suggestions have now, at this point in time, come to be slightly out of date themselves--which isn't to say that they weren't radical or revolting in their own right at first. It is just, as Berman even says, time and politics that move forward.
What I also appreciated was the unabashed honesty of this collection. So many library science texts tout that being a librarian is perhaps one of the most amazing and enriching positions there are! Which, I am in agreeance with. But those texts also deny the notion that like any other job, librarianshp is, well, a job. It comes with annoyances and frustrating patrons and times that make us want to pull out hair out. And this book acknowledges that. It's not fun answering medical questions when you're technically not allowed to (We're MLIS's! Not MD's!), it's not fun cleaning up the bathroom if you're working in a public library, and it's certainly not fun getting yelled at or being flirted with or having to constantly defend your position.
This is a completely necessary read, in my opinion. It opens up about the less glamorous aspects of being a librarian, and what to really expect when you go into that field. And heck, even if you're not a librarian, it's still a really fun read!
Review cross-listed here!
January 15, 2019
It’s been less than 20 years since publication, but this book’s general view of libraries does not at all reflect my experience as a librarian. The only thing that rings true is the idea that you shouldn’t have to go to school for years and get into debt in order to be a professional librarian. Aside from that, though, this book feels quite outdated.
May 23, 2019
Here’s still a lot of good in this book, mostly by way of validation. However, it’s also badly dated. I’d love to see an update that addressed some of the emergent problems of the digital revolution - digital divide, increasing tech budget crunches, the lack of use of digital stats in awarding library budgets, to start with.
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June 21, 2019020.8 R4547 2003
June 22, 2009
i wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me. after all, i'm not a librarian or a library student & don't really do anything that is especially related to librarianship. i don't doubt that if i were a library student, my take on this book would be different, because the thing that alienated me was the large amount of insider language, & what i can only assume are celever librarian in-jokes.
apparently, a book on radical librarianship was published in the early 70s. this book was revolting librarians, the original. they were coming from the civil rights struggles & subcultural upheavals of the 60s & approaching librarianship through that lens, agitating institutions to collect radical literature & re-organize caaloguing terms to better serve a diversity of library users. librarianship has undergone another upheaval in the last twenty years or so, with the advent of the internet & downswing in library usage, in terms of people actually coming in to read books & do research, etc. & yet, everyone i know is a librarian or in library school (well, not really, but it seems close sometimes). a lot of radicals are still attracted to librarianship as a career. so i read this book to get a sense of why, & how their politics impact their jobs, & how their jobs impact their politics, etc.
i think i had a hard time getting into this book because i read it start to finish, & the very first long essay, written by one of the editors of the original volume, was just so woo-woo hippie-dippy WTF ridonkulous that i was forced to view the rest of the book with great suspicion, despite being acquainted with several contributers & one of the editors! yeah, it was really that bad. & a few of the other essays were obnoxious too in a similar kind of way. i also couldn't get into the size of the pages matched with the icky late 90s font & the chapter illustrations (which smacked of university newspaper editorial cartoon), & a copy editor would have gone stray either. nothing like reading some librarian's essay about the important work they do fostering literacy in a community when they substitute "let's" or "lets". maybe this is nitpicky, but i find that kind of thing really distracting.
however, there was some stuff in here that was really interesting, funny, insightful, &/or touching. i finally got into it on a plane ride & blazed through the last three-quarters i'd been puttig off. it really picks up toward the end, with the exception of the really long faux-research piece correlating library jobs with astrological sign.
apparently, a book on radical librarianship was published in the early 70s. this book was revolting librarians, the original. they were coming from the civil rights struggles & subcultural upheavals of the 60s & approaching librarianship through that lens, agitating institutions to collect radical literature & re-organize caaloguing terms to better serve a diversity of library users. librarianship has undergone another upheaval in the last twenty years or so, with the advent of the internet & downswing in library usage, in terms of people actually coming in to read books & do research, etc. & yet, everyone i know is a librarian or in library school (well, not really, but it seems close sometimes). a lot of radicals are still attracted to librarianship as a career. so i read this book to get a sense of why, & how their politics impact their jobs, & how their jobs impact their politics, etc.
i think i had a hard time getting into this book because i read it start to finish, & the very first long essay, written by one of the editors of the original volume, was just so woo-woo hippie-dippy WTF ridonkulous that i was forced to view the rest of the book with great suspicion, despite being acquainted with several contributers & one of the editors! yeah, it was really that bad. & a few of the other essays were obnoxious too in a similar kind of way. i also couldn't get into the size of the pages matched with the icky late 90s font & the chapter illustrations (which smacked of university newspaper editorial cartoon), & a copy editor would have gone stray either. nothing like reading some librarian's essay about the important work they do fostering literacy in a community when they substitute "let's" or "lets". maybe this is nitpicky, but i find that kind of thing really distracting.
however, there was some stuff in here that was really interesting, funny, insightful, &/or touching. i finally got into it on a plane ride & blazed through the last three-quarters i'd been puttig off. it really picks up toward the end, with the exception of the really long faux-research piece correlating library jobs with astrological sign.
April 4, 2011
Great idea for a book, and 30 years is definitely long enough for a sequel.
But, I found that too much of this book was devoted to directly referencing the first one, which I haven't read.
There's a great essay on language referring to mentally health in the first Revolting Librarians, but the same language frequently comes up in this book. In fact, a few pages later there's a comic called Library Service to the Insane - it's as bad as it sounds.
I did love this poem, Song of the Reference Librarian by Erica Olsen. Here's part of it:
By the light of the public access terminal
The librarian makes his stand.
Boldly wielding a Cutter chart
He raises up his hand:
"Courteous Patrons, Eager Staff, Library Friends,
Stop your information seeking for a moment and attend,
As I tell you the story
(Call number 027.6251)
Of library professionals, and how I became one."
A hush fell over the stacks,
Children crowded near,
Even the cranky genealogist
Leaned forward to hear.
...
"But one thing dims my ardor,
An error tugs my soul,
A single misconception
That I must address in whole."
He raised his eyes to their faces,
Taking in their solemn looks.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you must understand,
I DO NOT JUST STAMP BOOKS!"
But, I found that too much of this book was devoted to directly referencing the first one, which I haven't read.
There's a great essay on language referring to mentally health in the first Revolting Librarians, but the same language frequently comes up in this book. In fact, a few pages later there's a comic called Library Service to the Insane - it's as bad as it sounds.
I did love this poem, Song of the Reference Librarian by Erica Olsen. Here's part of it:
By the light of the public access terminal
The librarian makes his stand.
Boldly wielding a Cutter chart
He raises up his hand:
"Courteous Patrons, Eager Staff, Library Friends,
Stop your information seeking for a moment and attend,
As I tell you the story
(Call number 027.6251)
Of library professionals, and how I became one."
A hush fell over the stacks,
Children crowded near,
Even the cranky genealogist
Leaned forward to hear.
...
"But one thing dims my ardor,
An error tugs my soul,
A single misconception
That I must address in whole."
He raised his eyes to their faces,
Taking in their solemn looks.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you must understand,
I DO NOT JUST STAMP BOOKS!"
July 29, 2009
This book was nerdily interesting, written mostly for people within the field of library science. There were a few essays I really liked--one on library services for Latino day-laborers and one critiquing ableist language in the original edition of Revolting Librarians-- but it was an uneven collection. Some of the essays seemed repetitive, particularly the ones bemoaning the stereotype of the marmish librarian. And, there was one called "Library Service to the Insane" that (ironically) served as future fodder for an anti-ableism critique in the next collection. I'd say it's a must-read (along with the original 1972 collection, and it would have helped if I'd read that first) for library school folks.
September 8, 2008
As with most essay books, I didn't like everything here, and I skipped some of what didn't feel relevant to me or my professional goals. With that said, I felt like most of this book was really quality stuff and in many ways it made me think more about my goals as a librarian and what to expect when I make it out to a real job. I was struck by how many of the librarians in the book feel a civic responsibility tied to their job. I'm thinking a lot more about outreach and about creative ways to serve patrons. Some of the essays were cynical, but funny in their cynicism...mostly the essays just made me excited to get out there and start working!
May 15, 2015
Much more analytical and comfortable with ambiguity & ambivalence than the original Revolting Librarians. (And of course, ambiguity and ambivalence are my wheelhouse, so...) Some extremely good essays on privacy and the PATRIOT Act, and a few on broader histories of progressive librarianship, are definitely worth reading. Joint review with Revolting Librarians here: http://hacklibraryschool.com/2015/05/...
November 11, 2011
This was a totally random read for me - not a librarian, not all that up on librarianish issues. So the overall impression was of walking into the wrong professional conference by mistake. But still, there was some entertaining stuff in here. It's fairly uneven, and seems more like a "Who's Who" than a thesis-driven collection, but I did enjoy quite a few of the essays and anecdotes.
May 24, 2007
I've intended to read more of this long overdue update to Revolting Librarians, but my boss keeps hiding it in her office. A definite must-have for all librarians of left-leaning, radical bent.
Want to read
July 30, 2007I just bought this recently, but haven't gotten around to cracking it open yet. First impressions: the name can't be beat, and it's got a nice cover, and Jessamyn is one of my personal heroes, so it should be a good librarian geek-out time.
September 3, 2007
A nice collection of essays, personal stories, journals, comics. I enjoyed the history of Sandy Berman and the day by day accounts of the life a librarian. I should dig up the original Revolting Librarians from back in '72 some time.(June 12, 2004)
September 22, 2012
I read this right before entering library school and a again a few weeks later for my first class.
It has some good essays in it and some that aren't.
Something I wrote for class prompted by it: http://marklindner.info/blog/2006/01/...
It has some good essays in it and some that aren't.
Something I wrote for class prompted by it: http://marklindner.info/blog/2006/01/...
December 9, 2007
See my blog note on it:
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
May 16, 2009
A lot
February 12, 2010
This was a collection of opinions and cartoons and articles on being a librarian who is not like all the other librarians.
March 18, 2012
Much better and more relevant than the original. The essay on zodiac signs and librarian jobs was a unique and fun read. A lot of websites and blogs that were mentioned are no longer current.
May 25, 2012
Another book for so-called "librarian professionals" that is completely unworthy of print. 0/5 stars
October 4, 2014
This was not as exciting to me as the original Revolting Librarians. That's too bad.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews