Journal of Library Administration

Information is the currency of Democracy

Thomas Jefferson, a founder of modern American democracy, has often had a quotation attributed to him: Information is the currency of Democracy. This attribution is central to any of the debates in our global society about privacy and what is true or not true in our news and social media. It is broadly an issue which libraries have been discussing for a number of years, about authentic sources of information and what constitutes authoritative information. Libraries and publishers have long had close bonds in terms of the release of content in books and journals achieved through robust peer review and strong editorial processes. The ability to be a ‘publisher’ has in recent times also been broadened sharply through the use of social media, blogs and self-created web sites.

But access to the vastly increased amount of content is alarmingly reduced in recent times due to the impact of firewalls. Libraries are under pressure.

There are so many aspects of this quotation to be explored. Cicero, the renowned Roman lawyer and orator, professed the view that if you had a garden and a library you had everything you would ever need. What is needed in this era where there is so much confusion about truth?