Richard Ovenden gave a talk at the Toronto Library entitled Libraries as Defenders of Open Society in February 2023 as part of its Freedom to Read Week.  His talk was called “Libraries as Defenders of Open Society.” That talk was recorded by CBC radio and formed part of an Ideas radio show hosted by Nahla Ayed who said the following in her opening statement: “Libraries are no longer just book lenders. They’re targets. In the literal and ideological crosshairs.”  During that talk, Richard Ovenden said, “That is an attack on knowledge and free expressions.” This makes it part of the attack on truth-seeking and democracy led by misguided American and Canadian left-wingers and  conservatives.

Sadly, in recent years libraries have become victims in the cultural wars of North America. Manitoba libraries have been also been attacked, but thankfully, so far have not fallen victim to the braying crowd’s assault as so far, brave Manitoba librarians and boards, have protected them and citizens have largely supported them in their battles against protesters from the right. But how long can they withstand those attacks?

As Richard Ovenden said,

“We’ve become too complacent. We’ve allowed these institutions to become battlegrounds for other political motivations. And we need to take to the barricades…Knowledge is under attack. Whether through malice or neglect society today faces profound threats through attacks on knowledge. Attacks that are happening all around us. Libraries and archives, institutions developed over thousands of years, to protect knowledge, and to help society benefit from it, are today a front line of defence against those attacks. That is why we in return must defend libraries and archives as they are at the heart of open democratic societies.”

Public support is absolutely crucial for the continued life of libraries under the present circumstances where many on the right are attacking them relentlessly. Library defenders must make sure their voices are heard when the braying attackers arrive at their library as otherwise the officials defending them may be overwhelmed. Allies must speak bravely, quickly, firmly, and loud enough to be heard by the public and officials in positions of authority over libraries. All must become cognizant that there are defenders of civilization ready to ward off enemy attacks.

Freedom to read is not only important in its own right, it is also essential to the other freedoms we enjoy. For example, they are essential to exercising the freedom to learn.

The current attacks on libraries and archives are coming from both the left and the right. The left attacks them on the basis of its woke ideology.  For example some on the left have asked for the censorship of great novels like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of it use of admittedly hurtful language.  The right attacks libraries on the basis of its anti-woke ideology. For example, they oppose works of KGBTQ literature.

I would submit that both attacks are pernicious. We must insist that we can read whatever we want.

His 2020 book described historical examples of book burnings and trashed archives, but Ovenden notes that events involving libraries in the last few years have “been a stark reminder of the threats to institutions that most people take for granted.”

Its time for friends of the libraries to speak up.