The Politically Engaged Public Library: Admitting and Embracing the Political Nature of Libraries and Their Goals

The authors of this article contend that politics is an integral part of public library leadership. Most of the work that public librarians do is designed to build citizenship knowledge and improve some aspect of social justice. Politics is a library imperative because a heavy percentage of institutional funding is tied to public funding, which is a major part of total library financial support. Political considerations, therefore, are a major concern in acquiring and retaining funding that will bring libraries and their constituents to a brighter future.