“If you try to close them I will stab you in the eye with a fork”: interpretative repertoires in public library value statements

In July 2018, an online post advocating the replacement of libraries with Amazon outlets produced an outpouring of responses that articulated and debated the value of the public library. These value statements represent multiple, intertwined, and sometimes contradictory perspectives expressed in interpretative repertoires. These repertoires cluster around statements of value to the individual and value to society at large and include an association between libraries and the physical print book.