Review: Barbarians at the gates of the public library

D'Angelo's book (2006) Barbarians at the gates of the public library: how postmodern consumer capitalism threatens democracy, civil education and the public good, elegantly describes and documents the degradation of "deliberative democracy" (92) under the assault of "deregulated monopoly capitalism" (93), a "postmodern information economy" (84) and "market populism" (63). It takes an historical and philosophical perspective documenting structural and conceptual changes from a deliberative democracy to an other. By taking this position the author has weighed the benefits of capitalism against the other and found the other wanting. The other, in my opinion, is neoliberalism.

His compare and contrast highlights the best of deliberative democracy against the worst of neoliberalism, which begs the question, is there nothing in neoliberalism worth keeping and nothing in deliberative democracy worth throwing away? The strength and the weakness of this book is that it is an argument for democracy. It does not weigh both systems with their concomitant strengths and weaknesses, allowing one to better understand the nuances of both. As a result it does not offer us a way forward but by the very structure of its argument, tells us we should return to deliberative democracy. In doing so he takes a moral stance. 

D'Angelo does not conflate public libraries with democracy but does perceive the existence of public libraries as a physical and intellectual public or common good (in the process of or almost thoroughly gutted by market populism) and necessary, under the original intentions of the deliberative democracy, for the common good, and for deliberative democracy to flourish.

It's relevance to higher education libraries? The strategies being used to gut public libraries of their common good that are noted in this book, parallel strategies I have read about in higher education. Deem, Hillyard and Reed's book (2007) on the changing management of UK universities, and Turk's book (2008) detailing threats to academic integrity, for example, note strategies that parallel those found within public libraries. They also parallel strategies experienced by this author within at least one academic library setting.

Further, the documentation of the rise of market populism, etc. is a societal/cultural change that does not impact the United States alone but is impacting many different nationalities. The philosophies, etc. on which deliberative democracy was founded are commonly found in university education in both the US and Canada. A compare and contrast would show many points of similarity between the two cultures.

An excellent book for its elegant argument.