Maine Policy Review’s Special Issue on Libraries

Maine Policy Review’s special issue on libraries (Vol. 33, No. 2) is now available on MPR’s Digital Commons site.

MPR published a special issue on libraries in 2013, which emphasized the history, uniqueness, accomplishments, and statewide collaborations of Maine libraries. The new special issue on libraries focuses on the many changes in the world of information and the role of libraries over the last 12 years.
 
The authors explore over two dozen issues on a wide range of topics, including social work creep in public libraries, protecting the freedom to read, libraries and climate change, digital literacy education, resolving the problem of digital content, and the loss of libraries. The Margaret Chase Smith essay by library thought leader Tracie D. Hall, “Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone: Does the Disinvestment of America’s Libraries Signal the End of Civil Society?” addresses the impacts of the loss of libraries.
 
We are proud that most of our authors are librarians from Maine and also excited to include some nationally known library authors who agreed to share their thoughts. We are grateful to the subject experts from around the country who also served as external peer reviewers.
 
And to our readers, we hope you come away with a new appreciation for the ways libraries and librarians strengthen our state.