“We need to join things up as much as we can across different parts of the library world and that advocating piece to gov- ernment – not just for funding to enable us to do that skills development, but also the role that we as library professionals play in upskilling other parts of society.”
A vision for libraries
The alliance also proposes working with the government to deliver a clear vision for libraries, helping to set out a future role that sees libraries as a pillars of society. Asked what that could look like, Richard says: “[That] libraries are essential for a healthy, open, democratic society. Libraries are part of the infrastructure of our democ- racy and part of what makes a healthy, educated society possible. A society that’s able to enrich the lives of its citizens to equal the opportunities for its citizens and for its citizens to be able to engage with the institutions of democracy.”
The role of libraries in a fair and demo- cratic society is obvious and much needed, for many people. But Richard reminds us that there are threats that need to be addressed. His 2020 book, Burning the Books highlights some of those dangers, pointing to deliberate attempts to under- mine libraries as well as an equally damag- ing assault through lack of funding and cuts to services, and the growing influence of big tech.
“Look at what happened in Afghanistan in 2021, what’s happening in Ukraine right now, if you look at what’s hap- pened in Gaza there have been deliberate destruction of libraries and archives,” says Richard. “And then we have the increas- ing dominance of the big tech companies in the domains of knowledge, which they control – particularly social media platforms, but other platforms too. They are linked with political power […], just look at the money that they’ve given to support the Trump presidential inaugu- ration. So that nexus between influencing government regulation and the power of those platforms to channel information to citizens, to electorates is palpable.” Perhaps most obvious, at least in the UK, is the hollowing out of public library services due to budget cuts. This threat is beginning to shift to other sectors and Richard fears this could have a long-term, irreversible impact.
“There has been a steady decline in funding to public libraries and I link that in my book to the neglect and eventual loss of the Great Library of Alexandria in ancient times. I fear that in many West- ern countries we’re seeing the same thing happening. And if we don’t do something to arrest that decline, we will lose some- thing that can’t be re-founded,” he warns. But trends do not have to move to an inevitable end, and the Libraries Alliance is one way that services can fight back. Richard says: “It’s partly it’s about profile
18 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL February-March 2026
raising. It’s about showing the amazing work that we do. The kind of decline is not uniform across even public libraries in Britain.
“We see some parts of Britain where there is great investment in public libraries, where they become incredibly successful, not just in operating as libraries, but more importantly, in what they do for their communities, the impact they have on young people’s lives, on old people’s lives, on mental health, on loneliness, on digital engagement, on a whole variety of social issues. So, it’s about helping society to see that there is an alternative other than the
slow decline of our public library system. Let’s highlight those great success stories, of which there are many.
“And it’s also about being more politically
active. Engaging more with policymakers and decision makers, with civil servants and to shout with an increasingly loud voice, with a more compelling, more data driven voice than we have in the past.” You can hear more from Richard on CILIP’s The Info Pro Podcast. Just search “The Info Pro Podcast on your favourite platform to visit
www.cilip.org.uk/podcast. Find out more about the Libraries Alli- ance at
https://librariesalliance.org.uk. IP
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