The Value of a Communitarian Approach to Public Library Board Governance: Rejecting Current Neoliberal Practice/La valeur d’une approche communautariste de la gouvernance du conseil d’administration d’une bibliothèque publique : Le rejet de la pratique néolibérale actuelle

Abstract

Over the last several years, public library boards in Canada, like most public bodies, have adopted a neoliberal marketization approach to their policy and decision-making processes. This approach is at odds with traditional professional practices of librarianship. This paper focuses on two competing approaches to public library board governance: neoliberalism and communitarianism. In the assessing of the discourse between these two models, it is contended that neoliberalism has instilled operational procedures and an organizational culture that are contrary to a spirit of positive public engagement, a spirit that should be the cornerstone of public library boards. In contrast, communitarianism, by providing a set of guiding principles, makes public library boards more accessible within their communities, and can therefore lead to the rediscovery of the public library board’s positive spirit of public engagement. Through a search for praxis, recommendations on how public library board trustees can maintain their dual responsibility of professional ethics of librarianship while remaining an integral part of their local community are proffered.