Rise and demise of neoliberalism: time to reassess the impact on public libraries

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the efficacy of neoliberal philosophy in light of itsrncollapse as a result of the recent banking crises, and the impact the wider philosophy has had on thernpractice of public librarianship.rnDesign/methodology/approach - Provides a reflective viewpoint on an important issue facing thernprofession.rnFindings - The paper finds that the use of a language that is now discredited in terms of its efficacyrnis counter-productive and that librarianship should re-consider its adoption of the language ofrnneoliberalism in its consideration of users and services.rnPractical implications - Should be of interest to those working in public library roles who wish tornquestion some of the philosophies with which they are presented within their organisations and inrntheir professional literature.rnOriginality/value - This is the first paper to discuss the potential of the disintegration of neoliberalrnphilosophy on the development of the public library profession in the UK.