My European studies professor's comment on my introduction to a paper on public library service for immigrants in Denmark, Sweden, and Spain:
"But why should we care about library services for immigrants? What can libraries do for them?"
Me:
"What can't they do?"
It seems I need to be more explicit about the assumptions of my profession.
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3 comments:
She actually said that? Wow.
In her defense, I don't think she was arguing the point so much as wanting me to explicitly state something I take for granted.
I currently work in library services and the county I work for tends to look at what services they must provide to immigrants, namely illegal immigrants, and which ones they don't. The question came about as to whether or not they should provide library services to illegal immigrants. My automatic response is, and the response of those who work in this department, is of course we should. Libraries provide resources that help immigrants become integrated into the society that they live in, helps them learn the local language (English in our case), and can provide them with help and resources on how to work towards citizenship.
Of course, I am preaching to the choir but it does surprise me that a professor would ask that question.
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