Platform Power and Libraries

Building on research in critical library systems studies, Platform Power and Libraries aims to traverse the divide between library, communication, and cultural policy research in the realm of platform studies. Organized through the model of what Nielsen and Ganter (2022) call “the five most important aspects of platform power” this book will dissect the power dynamics inherently embedded to platforms that library practitioners and patrons must navigate. From information asymmetry to the power of making and breaking connections and beyond, this book hopes to bring light to the often overlooked and underexplored power that platforms can hold in libraries.

Christine F. Smith (she/her) is the Head of Acquisitions and Serials at Concordia University in Montréal,
Canada. Smith has diverse experience across the library and information sector and has sat on
committees, working groups and boards of directors of provincial, national, and international library
associations. She holds a B.S. in Communication and an M.L.I.S. Her current research focuses on impacts
and implications of systems and structures – both technological and socially-constructed.

Nielsen, R. K., and Ganter, S. A. (2022). The Power of Platforms: Shaping Media and Society. Oxford
University Press.