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Exigeons de meilleures bibliothèques
In Expect More, David Lankes, winner of the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature, walks you through what to expect out of your library.
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2012
22 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
About the author
R. David Lankes
18 books38 followersR. David Lankes is the director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science, and recipient of the American Library Association’s 2016 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.
His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship, won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature.
Lankes is a passionate advocate for librarians and their essential role in today’s society.
His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship, won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature.
Lankes is a passionate advocate for librarians and their essential role in today’s society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 17, 2024
Lu ça pour un cours et j'ai franchement DÉTESTÉ ce livre !!!! C'était tellement mal écrit et poche. Dans la dédicace au début il s'excuse à sa femme d'avoir négligé ses enfants pour l'écrire pis mon dieu ça en valait pas la peine... Y'aurait dû se concentrer sur sa famille à la place lol
February 26, 2025
Intéressant mais vraiment trop en surface et anecdotique.
February 26, 2014
I am in the target market for this book - I'm on a public library board. And I helped run a subcommittee developing our recent strategic plan. I found Lankes' book to cover many of the topics we considered in writing our plan. "Expect More" focuses on the library's role in and of community, and this aspect of the discussion I very much appreciated. It aims to be the aspirational description of what the library can be and in basic terms how it can get there, and the focus is not on collections. I have recommended this short book to others on my board to read prior to the next strategic plan discussions, and would like to recommend it to people considering how they can help the library and their community, either by being a more active "member" or by becoming a board member or friend.
April 21, 2013
Written by the man behind the terrific Atlas of New Librarianship, this book is written for the non-librarian, urging them to "expect more" from their libraries and librarians. This is precisely what makes it essential reading for librarians. It helps use to see our profession through the eyes of our community - the community we not only serve, but of which we are an integral and essential part.
"The different between good and great comes down to this: a library that seeks to serve your community is good, and a library that seeks to inspire your community to be better every day is great. You can love a good library, but you need a great library."
Concise and busting out all over the place with optimistic inspiration and vision. I highlighted the hell out the 111 pages. Should be read multiple times. Concepts to internalize and embrace for the long haul.
"The different between good and great comes down to this: a library that seeks to serve your community is good, and a library that seeks to inspire your community to be better every day is great. You can love a good library, but you need a great library."
Concise and busting out all over the place with optimistic inspiration and vision. I highlighted the hell out the 111 pages. Should be read multiple times. Concepts to internalize and embrace for the long haul.
March 22, 2014
Louisville, KY (my hometown) had a $20K competition to solicit recommendations for how to add 55,000 more college degree holders and I decided to apply with one of my pet theories about the future of libraries. I needed to do some reading to get a sense for the current state of librarianship and found this book. "Expect More" is written by the head of the program for "New Librarianship" at Syracuse U and is about how libraries can thrive in the age of Google and Wikipedia. His thesis is basically that libraries are capable of performing an extremely valuable civic and academic function by shedding the artifact-curating aspect of librarianship and instead focusing on knowledge and community. The book was just published and contains interviews with many of the modern pioneers in librarianship (with whom the author frequently collaborates). A thought-provoking read and it certainly provided some great material for my application!
Some of the best quotes:
Did you know that there are more public libraries than McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. and that Americans go to libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies?
If your community strives for greatness, the library should be great. If you are concerned about the future, or the economy, or the future of democratic discourse in this country, your library should be concerned as well
The core arguments for libraries throughout time and today cluster around a few key themes: Collective Buying Agent, Economic Stimulus, Center of Learning, Safety Net, Steward of Cultural Heritage, Cradle of Democracy, Symbol of Community Aspirations
Dallas Public Library has cleared a significant portion of its fifth floor, replacing bookshelves with desks and white boards. They invite local entrepreneurs to set up shop within the library, rent free. Rather than pitching their ideas in their own homes, these entrepreneurs now use conference rooms.
A 2008 study showed that three-quarters of public libraries are the only provider of free access to the Internet in their community.[33] In Vermont, the state government is building a gigabit fiber optic network that will connect rural libraries across the state, making each library an access point for village businesses and homes
To be clear, you can have libraries without democracy and democracy without libraries—one need only look through history. However, I would argue that in order to have a true liberal democracy, libraries are a requirement
The core mission of libraries, public and otherwise, is creating a nation of informed and active citizens
“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.” – Andrew Carnegie
When did we start thinking of libraries as book havens? Libraries have always housed collections of materials, but even this concept of repository is a relatively modern one. It was formed when libraries were seeking to create comprehensive collections at the same time as a dramatic drop in prices of paper and printing. It was only in the twentieth century that mass-produced books starting filling up libraries as well as living rooms and schools
The mission of a library is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in the community
Bad libraries only build collections. Good libraries build services (and a collection is only one of many). Great libraries build communities
Rather, it is the place of the library to be a platform for the community members to turn their love and passion into something for the good of the community and/or themselves
The sage on the stage has been replaced by the guide on the side. Our libraries must go through this transition as well
This may lead you to ask, as many communities have, whether we still need the physical library at all. The answer is up to the community. As the librarians need less and less space to do their work, the community needs more and more space to interact and create. Physical library buildings are being transformed into a third space. The third space is an idea put forth by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. The first space is where you live, your home. The second space is where you work, your office; and the third space is where you go to be part of a community. The third space can be a barbershop or bar. Throughout Europe it is often the piazza, the town square. The problem with the third space is that it is disappearing. Even in Europe, piazzas are either being redeveloped or over-regulated. In the U.S., many third spaces are actually commercial spaces. So yes, Starbucks is a third space, as is the shopping mall. But these are regulated spaces for commerce that can distort the types of interactions and conversations that can take place.
When you limit your expectations of a library to a supplier for your consumption, the library is in direct competition with Amazon, Google, and the local paper. But if you expect more—if you expect your library to be an advocate for you in the complex knowledge infrastructure—if you expect your library to be a center of learning and innovation—if you expect your library to help you create knowledge and not simply get you easy access to the work of others—if you expect your librarians to be personally concerned with your success—if you expect the library to be a third place that glues together a community—if you expect your library to inspire you, to challenge you, to provoke you, but always to respect you beyond your means to pay—then you expect a great library. You deserve a great library. Go out and get it!
Some of the best quotes:
Did you know that there are more public libraries than McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. and that Americans go to libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies?
If your community strives for greatness, the library should be great. If you are concerned about the future, or the economy, or the future of democratic discourse in this country, your library should be concerned as well
The core arguments for libraries throughout time and today cluster around a few key themes: Collective Buying Agent, Economic Stimulus, Center of Learning, Safety Net, Steward of Cultural Heritage, Cradle of Democracy, Symbol of Community Aspirations
Dallas Public Library has cleared a significant portion of its fifth floor, replacing bookshelves with desks and white boards. They invite local entrepreneurs to set up shop within the library, rent free. Rather than pitching their ideas in their own homes, these entrepreneurs now use conference rooms.
A 2008 study showed that three-quarters of public libraries are the only provider of free access to the Internet in their community.[33] In Vermont, the state government is building a gigabit fiber optic network that will connect rural libraries across the state, making each library an access point for village businesses and homes
To be clear, you can have libraries without democracy and democracy without libraries—one need only look through history. However, I would argue that in order to have a true liberal democracy, libraries are a requirement
The core mission of libraries, public and otherwise, is creating a nation of informed and active citizens
“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.” – Andrew Carnegie
When did we start thinking of libraries as book havens? Libraries have always housed collections of materials, but even this concept of repository is a relatively modern one. It was formed when libraries were seeking to create comprehensive collections at the same time as a dramatic drop in prices of paper and printing. It was only in the twentieth century that mass-produced books starting filling up libraries as well as living rooms and schools
The mission of a library is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in the community
Bad libraries only build collections. Good libraries build services (and a collection is only one of many). Great libraries build communities
Rather, it is the place of the library to be a platform for the community members to turn their love and passion into something for the good of the community and/or themselves
The sage on the stage has been replaced by the guide on the side. Our libraries must go through this transition as well
This may lead you to ask, as many communities have, whether we still need the physical library at all. The answer is up to the community. As the librarians need less and less space to do their work, the community needs more and more space to interact and create. Physical library buildings are being transformed into a third space. The third space is an idea put forth by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. The first space is where you live, your home. The second space is where you work, your office; and the third space is where you go to be part of a community. The third space can be a barbershop or bar. Throughout Europe it is often the piazza, the town square. The problem with the third space is that it is disappearing. Even in Europe, piazzas are either being redeveloped or over-regulated. In the U.S., many third spaces are actually commercial spaces. So yes, Starbucks is a third space, as is the shopping mall. But these are regulated spaces for commerce that can distort the types of interactions and conversations that can take place.
When you limit your expectations of a library to a supplier for your consumption, the library is in direct competition with Amazon, Google, and the local paper. But if you expect more—if you expect your library to be an advocate for you in the complex knowledge infrastructure—if you expect your library to be a center of learning and innovation—if you expect your library to help you create knowledge and not simply get you easy access to the work of others—if you expect your librarians to be personally concerned with your success—if you expect the library to be a third place that glues together a community—if you expect your library to inspire you, to challenge you, to provoke you, but always to respect you beyond your means to pay—then you expect a great library. You deserve a great library. Go out and get it!
November 9, 2017
Written not necessarily for librarians, but for community members and leaders who want to see the greatest benefit from the library for the community, beyond providing books to providing a platform for learning and innovation.
January 7, 2017
I forgave the typos at the beginning, but there was a point where the typos hindered my understanding.
His tone is often condescending.
At times, it seemed like he was trying to take a moderate or a-political stance even while talking about things that are political. It's not helpful to skirt the political to make the book more acceptable.
One of the last examples he gives is ridiculous. It was about not giving in to peer pressure in librarianship, and his advice for someone never to start offering a chat or IM service. His reasoning was that it was a small, women's college in the northeast, and the students only had to walk 20 ft to get to the library. You would not catch me walking 20 ft in the northeastern cold to get a librarian to help me find the full text of an article, and I wouldn't want to wait for an email response either. Not to mention, he talks repeatedly about knowing your community but assumes that the entire community for this library is students. I doubt that the professors also live on campus.
There were other things throughout the book that I disagreed with, and the way that he presents his assertions so definitively is beyond obnoxious.
His tone is often condescending.
At times, it seemed like he was trying to take a moderate or a-political stance even while talking about things that are political. It's not helpful to skirt the political to make the book more acceptable.
One of the last examples he gives is ridiculous. It was about not giving in to peer pressure in librarianship, and his advice for someone never to start offering a chat or IM service. His reasoning was that it was a small, women's college in the northeast, and the students only had to walk 20 ft to get to the library. You would not catch me walking 20 ft in the northeastern cold to get a librarian to help me find the full text of an article, and I wouldn't want to wait for an email response either. Not to mention, he talks repeatedly about knowing your community but assumes that the entire community for this library is students. I doubt that the professors also live on campus.
There were other things throughout the book that I disagreed with, and the way that he presents his assertions so definitively is beyond obnoxious.
August 5, 2015
I read this for work, suggested by a colleague. Here are the things I want to remember, in case anyone asks:
Libraries/librarians improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. Libraries are active learning/community spaces, they provide access, training, a safe environment, and build on your motivation to learn. Libraries are proactive, collaborative, and transformational. Knowledge does not equal database. Knowledge is dynamic and constructed. The sage on the stage has been replaced with the guide on the side. Practice, try, explore: the learning conversation. A library has members. Information literacy. Libraries are an access platform, not a one-way street. Libraries are a kitchen with information, resources and talents, not a grocery store. Librarians relearn content as they teach it. Knowledge infrastructure is people, technology, sources and permissions. Grand Challenge. Third space. Transformative Social Engagement: a required skill for librarians. Technology + asset management + cultural skills.
Libraries/librarians improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. Libraries are active learning/community spaces, they provide access, training, a safe environment, and build on your motivation to learn. Libraries are proactive, collaborative, and transformational. Knowledge does not equal database. Knowledge is dynamic and constructed. The sage on the stage has been replaced with the guide on the side. Practice, try, explore: the learning conversation. A library has members. Information literacy. Libraries are an access platform, not a one-way street. Libraries are a kitchen with information, resources and talents, not a grocery store. Librarians relearn content as they teach it. Knowledge infrastructure is people, technology, sources and permissions. Grand Challenge. Third space. Transformative Social Engagement: a required skill for librarians. Technology + asset management + cultural skills.
September 10, 2017
I felt like this book was pretty vague. I definitely would have appreciated lots of specific examples of what libraries have done or what the author was referring to.
Also, I appreciate the message he's trying to impart, but...I am both a library patron and an employee. I have to say as a patron, I really just want a library that can get me the materials I'm looking for. I don't want or need the library to give me the moon. And as an employee, I think it could be great if we could do more and get creative, but...Jesus. I feel like he's like, "If you don't turn water into wine you are failing your community."
When he did give actual examples I greatly appreciated it. I really liked the idea of library loaning people mobile hot spots, for example. That's the kind of thing I think could benefit my community and I never would have realized we could do something like that if he didn't mention it.
Note: btws, this book is full of typos, and the author says "expect more" so many times it becomes obnoxious.
Also, I appreciate the message he's trying to impart, but...I am both a library patron and an employee. I have to say as a patron, I really just want a library that can get me the materials I'm looking for. I don't want or need the library to give me the moon. And as an employee, I think it could be great if we could do more and get creative, but...Jesus. I feel like he's like, "If you don't turn water into wine you are failing your community."
When he did give actual examples I greatly appreciated it. I really liked the idea of library loaning people mobile hot spots, for example. That's the kind of thing I think could benefit my community and I never would have realized we could do something like that if he didn't mention it.
Note: btws, this book is full of typos, and the author says "expect more" so many times it becomes obnoxious.
November 7, 2014
This concise and thought provoking book looks at the reasons we have libraries, and how a great library can serve and stimulate the community, and be a primary builder of community. He has good ideas, and engages the reader to ponder the role of libraries in our culture. I'm on the county library task force to vision the future of our libraries, and this book is a real conversation starter for that work.
June 4, 2015
I don't agree with all of his ideas and suggestions, but it had encouraging moments.
By biggest question - how to do you move to a library focused on "knowledge creation" when your community expects different?
By biggest question - how to do you move to a library focused on "knowledge creation" when your community expects different?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2014
After all, I do love a challenge.
November 8, 2016
Really thought-provoking. If you've ever wanted to think about libraries as how they should be now, and some ideas for how to get there, pick up this book.
October 22, 2019
Epic book!!!
January 7, 2026
In lieu of academic journals, Lankes employs anecdotes, pontificates, and repeatedly issues a halfhearted rallying cry of "expect more." The final chapter, "Action Plan: Expect more," purports to be "marching orders." Lankes's marching orders include pearls of wisdom such as "educate yourself," "visit," "map the conversation," and finally "Go out and get [a great library]." The end result is a text with no exigency. Perhaps this is because, ten years after publication, the position Lankes is describing is the popular one; most librarians (and many library patrons) do not have a book-warehouse conception of the library. The author's self-insertion and informal tone further detract from the already weak argument. The constant use of "I," "you," and "we" do little for a text that, on the sentence level, often comes off as trite and amateurish. The tense errors (79), repeated words (74), wrong words (62), and other grammatical mishaps don't help either.
While clearly not meant to be a rigorous academic publication, the state of the citations in "Expect More" is still substandard. The book failed to engage with (or really even mention) information studies scholarship. Lankes mostly just gestures vaguely at what people in the past have said about libraries. In the entire book only one instance of scholarship from a library or information science journal is cited (15).
Furthermore, several sections of the text contained information that is either unsourced, incorrect, or horribly dated. A discussion of the historical library of Alexandria included zero references. It ends by claiming, "one historian credits the living libraries of the Muslim world with the creation of universities and the Renaissance." ... WHO? Even the Wikipedia articles that Lankes cites have better citation standards. Lankes states that in 1863 Roger Bacon developed a philosophy (that knowledge consists of three categories: mind, memory, and imagination) that Thomas Jefferson later adopted (94). By 1863 Jefferson had been dead for nearly forty years; Roger Bacon had been dead for more than five hundred -- and it was actually Francis Bacon who developed the philosophy. Given the shaky state of research in the text, Lankes use of the pejorative "Dark Ages" -- a term which historians have not used this millennium -- is not surprising; it is merely symptomatic of the text's larger research issue.
From a content perspective, the text is mostly fine. Early on the author states that libraries have a responsibility to inform and educate democratic citizens so that they might better serve their democracy. This is essentially uncontroversial. He uses quotes from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to strengthen his argument. He then boldly claims that this position is "not about being political and ideological." This seems obviously false. Even a very narrow definition of "political" should include "of or related to politics and governance" -- which, of course, libraries (and the belief that they should be used to advance democracy) are. It seems particularly foolish to begin a book with an example of how a library was treated Arab Spring and then go on to deny the political nature of libraries.
While clearly not meant to be a rigorous academic publication, the state of the citations in "Expect More" is still substandard. The book failed to engage with (or really even mention) information studies scholarship. Lankes mostly just gestures vaguely at what people in the past have said about libraries. In the entire book only one instance of scholarship from a library or information science journal is cited (15).
Furthermore, several sections of the text contained information that is either unsourced, incorrect, or horribly dated. A discussion of the historical library of Alexandria included zero references. It ends by claiming, "one historian credits the living libraries of the Muslim world with the creation of universities and the Renaissance." ... WHO? Even the Wikipedia articles that Lankes cites have better citation standards. Lankes states that in 1863 Roger Bacon developed a philosophy (that knowledge consists of three categories: mind, memory, and imagination) that Thomas Jefferson later adopted (94). By 1863 Jefferson had been dead for nearly forty years; Roger Bacon had been dead for more than five hundred -- and it was actually Francis Bacon who developed the philosophy. Given the shaky state of research in the text, Lankes use of the pejorative "Dark Ages" -- a term which historians have not used this millennium -- is not surprising; it is merely symptomatic of the text's larger research issue.
From a content perspective, the text is mostly fine. Early on the author states that libraries have a responsibility to inform and educate democratic citizens so that they might better serve their democracy. This is essentially uncontroversial. He uses quotes from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to strengthen his argument. He then boldly claims that this position is "not about being political and ideological." This seems obviously false. Even a very narrow definition of "political" should include "of or related to politics and governance" -- which, of course, libraries (and the belief that they should be used to advance democracy) are. It seems particularly foolish to begin a book with an example of how a library was treated Arab Spring and then go on to deny the political nature of libraries.
September 15, 2019
Lankes is a true guru in the library and information science field, an inspiration to practicing and aspiring librarians. His vision for the future of libraries goes far beyond the mere rooms full of books and computers many of us envision when we think of libraries. Rather, libraries connect communities and help preserve the values of opportunity, life-long education and democracy. Lankes gives some examples of this in his book. Check out his Youtube videos, too.
July 30, 2022
Un pensiero esaltante, appassionante, che risveglia. L'idea di ripensare la biblioteca ed esigere di più da essa, costruendola con la comunità invece che per essa abbandonando vecchie dinamiche autoreferenziali. La biblioteca come laboratorio urbano facilitatore della crescita della conoscenza e personale.
February 2, 2024
There were a lot of great ideas presented in this book that I want to bear in mind as I pursue a career as a librarian, but is it too ironic to say that I expected more? The book's organization in the later chapters felt a little scattered to me and several spelling/grammatical errors could have been easily corrected.
August 9, 2018
Much of the content will be familiar if you've hung around library scholarship in the last 4 years, heard Lankes speak, or both. His emphasis on connecting with community and focusing on a bigger picture than traditional library books-and-articles collections isn't wrong, though.
June 20, 2020
This book was enjoyable and easy to understand. It reads very much like his talks, videos, and speeches. Not a long book, but it should help inspire those passionate about their communities and community outreach and serving them through their libraries.
June 20, 2017
Chatty, breezy. Good intro to today's libraries.
January 10, 2019
I found this to be a great little manifesto. I did not agree with everything in it, but recommend it none-the-less.
January 13, 2020
Every library board member should read this.
October 14, 2020
It is good guidance for the librarians to begin and continue their advocacy for librarianship field and make their libraries great.
September 27, 2024
The most inspiring book I've read in my MLIS grad program! A good, quick read for librarians and those who love or want to love their libraries.
May 7, 2025
Great content, but I couldn’t get past all the errors that editing missed, especially given that the book is in its second edition.
July 17, 2012
Yet another magnificent title from Mr Lankes. He discusses some of the same issues that are raised in the Atlas, but he's coming from a different viewpoint with this book. It's an excellent read if you want to know how libraries need to change, develop and evolve into the future. His vision is both fascinating and compelling - my own gripe is that I would be happier if it was at least twice as long! To be fair though, it's intended as a quick read.
This should be read by anyone with an interest in libraries, librarians and librarianship, who has an open mind and is prepared to consider challenging and exciting concepts.
This should be read by anyone with an interest in libraries, librarians and librarianship, who has an open mind and is prepared to consider challenging and exciting concepts.
May 8, 2015
Conceptual, short overview of key aspects. Condensed version of Atlas of New Librarianship. Food for thought.
"there are more public libraries than McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. and that Americans go to libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies"
Focus on discussions between libraries and their communities. Mission should reflect; programs, acquisitions, etc. can all follow suit.
Free on Stephen's Lighthouse: various formats
"there are more public libraries than McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. and that Americans go to libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies"
Focus on discussions between libraries and their communities. Mission should reflect; programs, acquisitions, etc. can all follow suit.
Free on Stephen's Lighthouse: various formats
September 13, 2018
3.5 stars. I would say that this is more of a manifesto the an informative book. But its a good manifesto that made me re-think quite a few things about how I see Libraries and what they are supposed to be doing. I had a very conservative view, and I am not used to that. There are a few glaring problems in the book, mainly to do with economics and time, but that is not the point with a book like this. A manifesto is an academic battlecry for some kind of change. And this is about how we should change Our librarys.
July 20, 2012
Lankes provides a cogent view of the best libraries of today and how they will move into the future. He focuses both on the librarians and their role in their communities (and less on their role as keepers of books or their surrogates) and on libraries as places for learning (and less on their function as book museums). It's a brief, inspirational and breezy read and a great introduction to his larger work The Atlas of New Librarianship (MIT, 2011)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews