other information resources by authorities in the USA which has followed the signing of an executive order by President Trump. They fear that this is already starting to impede the vital work of UK library and information professionals, researchers and educators at all levels. The USA has always been, says CILIP, “a major global source of research and other data”.
Library of Congress, Washington DC.
investigation by the Library of Congress in the 1990s into the postwar restitution work carried out by the United States. This report is accessible online.
Dr Prochaska did admit that her work was undertaken from the perspective of an archivist and historian rather than that of a librarian. That made me start to think about the role of libraries today in conserving and safeguarding information. Those of you who have read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco will under- stand the power wielded by those who had access to knowledge and understanding in the Middle-Ages. Most of that knowledge and understanding was held in the librar- ies of the great and the powerful, a sort of vicious circle that kept the vast majority dependent on the knowledge that others allowed them to have. Almost impossible
for us to comprehend in this age of instant access to world affairs, to innovation in sci- ence, medicine and technology and much better educational provision. However, we still have instances of deprivation in this area, such as for women in Afghanistan and for citizens living under an increasing number of regimes censoring books and material and impeding freedom of speech. If knowledge is to be safeguarded and made accessible to all, libraries across the entire sector have a vital role to play. It is not for nothing that it has been the cus- tom in the USA for an outgoing President to endow a library. And yet, while coun- tries in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa are desperate for the knowledge contained in books or provided by research, we are systematically undermining the status of libraries in our community lives, reduc- ing provision, and, in some of the United States, such as Tennessee and Texas, censoring that provision or denying the accuracy of research.
In 2022, Book Riot reported that Moms
for Liberty, a conservative group with 70,000 members across the USA, has a new initiative titled Moms for Libraries which aims to have books exploring sexual identity and racial polarisation removed from the shelves of local libraries. Recently, it was reported that President Donald Trump has dismissed the head of the National Archives, Colleen Shogan, following through on a vow to change the leadership of the agency, which was involved in the criminal case that had accused Trump of mishandling classified documents.
Statement CILIP has published a statement of concern on its website about the removal, hiding and modification of data, research and
46 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL Summer 2025
These actions risk a negative impact not just in the US, but also on citizens world- wide, including the UK. CILIP’s Special Interest Groups have already seen a reduction in access to resources vital in the areas of public health, research, education and science, that UK services rely on such as the National Institutes of Health. Examples of altered or removed data include that relating to protected charac- teristics such as race and gender. CILIP has responded by asking for examples of how actions following this mandate from the President are impacting their work so that it can formulate a strong and focussed response.
In more than one article, I have seen writers describe this period as alarmingly similar to the 1930s. As someone whose specialist subject in History at Somerville 50 years ago, was The Rise of the Third Reich and who wrote a paper on how Hitler Undermined The Rule of Law, this is scarily familiar.
I have heard libraries described as neutral spaces and for me this is a slightly misleading statement. Libraries are about access to knowledge and opinion, to enable people to make up their own minds about issues that concern them, having exam- ined all sides to the argument. This is why all writing, unless it advocates something illegal, should be represented therein. The question I would pose is: why would one argument be more persuasive than another, simply because we disagree with
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