Harvard, Jan 2016 & Bobcatsss Lyon Jan 2016

1. Raphaëlle
Bats
Janvier 2016
LIBRARIES AFTER
CHARLIE?
NEUTRALITY AND
ENGAGEMENT

2.  Introduction
 #bibenaction
 Neutrality & librairies: normal situation
 Neutrality & libraries: a special situation
 1/ Charlie, the libraries and and the debate
 2/ Charlie, the libraries and la République
 3/ Charlie, the libraries and the politicians
 The commitment of librarians
 Conclusion
PLAN

3.  Astonishment
 Emotion
 Powerlessness
 Post of David Lankes
 What should/have to do French libraries?
 What have done some libraries facing situation of political crises?
 What have really done French libraries? Did they do
something? And what does it means?
INTRODUCTION

4. #BIBENACTION

5.  Translation and diffusion of the David Lankes’ post, the 11th
of January,
 Launch, the same day, of a collection of « actions »,
 In using the hashtag « #bibenaction », allowing librarians to
mark their actions led in answer to the attacks in their
libraries or in other.
 + internet research, emails, oral discussion, and comments on
our blog, or on the blog « les bibliothèques après Charlie ».
#BIBENACTION

6.  Fighting the feeling of powerlessness: being inspired by
actions of colleagues, doing something (professional angle)
 Keeping tracks: for the memory and history of libraries and
librarians. mémoire et histoire des bibliothèques (archivist
angle)
 Trying to understand how these actions may enlignht the role
of libraries in our society (research angle)
 Their role in crisis times.
 Their role in a democracy in mutation.
OBJECTIVES OF #BIBENACTION

7. #BIBENACTION: RESULTS
 Almost 150 actions in our collection (non exhautive):
 poster Je suis Charlie (in the physical library or on internet)
 Message of condolence or supportExpositions
 Selection of documents
 Spaces of expression
 Debates and conferences
 But also
 Empty library: Pierres-Vives Montpellier
 Training staff: Rennes
 Citizenship projects : BML, Nancy
 Solidarity projects: Dunkerque
 Etc.
 From the 8th of January to the end of 2015, and the shosk wawe
has not finished its run.
 Every kind of libraries

8. ©Romane Volle. médiathèque de Saint-Médard-en-Jalles et du Carré-Les Colonnes

9. BM Saint-Aubin-du-Pavail (35)
BM Hérouville Saint Clair, Calvados.
BM Clermont-Ferrand
BU Droit - Besançon

10. Médiathèque Départementale – Pierres-Vives

11. #BIBENACTION: RESULTS
 1st moment: messages
 2nd moment: librarianship’s actions
 3rd temps : time for thinking, training, and positioning the
library

12. DISCUSSION

13.  How these actions can fit with the moral and professional command to
be neutral?
 What these actions are saying about our political role?
 To answer these two questions, we have to understand what is
neutrality and normal situation, and in special situation, like the
one after events of January 2015.
PROBLEMATIQUE

14.  In normal situation, the French librarian answer to a triple
injunction to neutrality:
 According to the mission of libraries : pluralism
 According to the values of the French Republic: secularism (laïcité)
 According to their status of civil servant: neutrality of public service.
NEUTRALITY: SITUATION NORMALE

15.  But January 2015 is not a normal situation.
 So how librarians dealed with these 3 aspects of their
nueutrality in this special situation :
 Questioning the vocation of the library to participate to citizen debate
 Questioning the citizen movement and the indivisibility of the French
Republic
 Questioning the political neutrality of the cultural insitution
NEUTRALITY: SPECIAL SITUATION

16.  Paradox: In claiming the freedom to expression, libraries has
to face their own censorship.
 Some actions about pluralism organized after Charlie.
Example: Lingolsheim.
 Accepting pluralism is accepting a political role, despite a
social role less conflictual.
CHARLIE, LIBRARIES, DEBATE

17. BIBLIOTHÈQUE RENNES
MÉTROPOLE / CHAMPS
LIBRES

18. CHARLIE, LIBRARIES, REPUBLIC
 Paradox: In claiming Je suis charlie, librarians defend the
laicity, but what about the « Je ne suis pas Charlie » ? What
about the indivisibilty of the Republic? , libraries has to face
their own censorship.
 Some actions about « vivre-ensemble » organized after
Charlie. Example : Dunkerque
 Accepting the solidarity has an objective, and not only the
social link. Having a proximity with the public.

19. DUNKERQUE

20. CHARLIE, LIBRARIES, PUBLIC SERVICE
 Paradox: continuity and representation of libraries as
institutions
 Some actions about new institutions organized after Charlie.
Example : Lyon
 Accepting the active role of librarians to transform the
democracy.

21. LYON

22.  The librarian is not the library
 Is our generation political?
 Propositions:
 Reconnect with a political culture of librarians
 Working on a critical view of libraries and librarianship
 Finding our heroes : héros // hérauts
FROM NEUTRALITY OF LIBRARIES
TO COMMITMENT OF LIBRARIANS

23.  Attacks of the 13th of November 2015 : a new shock
CONCLUSION