Radical information literacy: reclaiming the political heart of the IL movement (Chandos Information Professional Series)

creating a better future for public libraries’. There are, of course, critical differences between the funding models of American and Australian libraries. In the United States, local government provides at least threequarters of public library funding (p. 45). A lack of national goals and standards in the United States leads to a disparity in the funding of and services provided by libraries. The funding model leaves them heavily beholden to the whims of local politics. Yet, there is enough cultural similarity between the countries for the book to remain useful to Australian readers. Both nations have witnessed increasing austerity measures, the move of government services and employment opportunities online, and increasing pressure on library staff to support learners in navigating the digital world. Both nations feel an increasing pressure to use economic terminology when trying to demonstrate value, to articulate our value more clearly (by demonstration rather than just by assertion) and to support our arguments with data. Weather crises, such as Hurricane Katrina, have given libraries opportunities to facilitate emergency responses for their communities, but they have failed to harness those opportunities to argue for greater support in policy-making and funding. Maintaining an apolitical or neutral stance does not serve libraries’ interests and, more importantly, it does not serve those of their communities. Jaeger reminds readers that whilst 91% of the public believed libraries were important to their communities, ‘only 22% were familiar with most or all of their services’. Plenty of food for thought in this book.