Library Juice Concentrate

Library Juice Concentrate is a compilation of the best of Library Juice, an e-zine published by Rory Litwin between 1998 and 2005 that dealt with foundational questions of librarianship during a period of rapid change. Library Juice served as the record for the “library left” during this period, including its veterans and newcomers, while at the same time offering original reflections on traditional questions. The book includes essays and other artifacts that investigate professional neutrality, intellectual freedom, alternative literature, the social effects of technological change, the cultural identity of the librarian, “anarchist librarianship,” the Cuba debate, Google’s scanning project, subject heading reform, and other issues. The aim of the essays in Library Juice Concentrate is to provoke original thought and to encourage newcomers in the field to participate in professional discourse with confidence and with attention to the intellectual and political struggles of the past.

Here’s what Dr. Toni Samek of the library school at the University of Alberta says about this book:

Library Juice Concentrate is a genuine stimulant and a punchy counter to the techno-managerial library literature of the day. In this slim but supple volume, Rory Litwin recaptures humanistic thought pieces, meditations, interviews, deliberations, critiques, quotes, recommended readings, manifestos, deep analysis, and uncomfortable questions from select salt of the earth contributors to the 1998-2005 run of his groundbreaking alternative library webzine Library Juice. This powerful early 21st offline offering is a must read for any authentic study of library philosophy. The book’s index, covering Asociacíon Cubana de Biliotecaras to Muckracking to Zionism, is itself a remarkable guide to late 20th century critical library thought. Library Juice first documented some of the best writings in the field. Library Juice Concentrate now gives us the unique opportunity (not to mention responsibility) to continue to gain power from those challenging expressions. This labor of librarianship is destined to evoke thought, tears, laughter, and a desire for social action. Let’s all hope for more!

Read the review in the SRRT Newsletter.