A key argument for the existence of libraries is not just that they are useful for their communities, but also deliver on key rights. Central to this is the right of access to information, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, agreed in 1948. Spelt out in […]
Read full post…Tag Archive for 'human rights'
In many parts of the world, 1 April is a day for playing pranks on others – April Fool’s Day. In some countries, there’s a tradition even of newspapers or other media publishing hoax stories as jokes – to take two examples from the BBC, the story of the spaghetti […]
Read full post…We talk a lot about the importance of access to information in advocacy around libraries. This access is at the heart of what libraries themselves do of course, helping users to find the information that they need to take better decisions, and participate in the life of the community. Our […]
Read full post…Information matters for children. This is most obviously the case for education, as children learn about the world around them, progressively broadening their horizons, and discovering new opportunities. But it also matters for health and wellbeing, from helping find solutions in response to specific mental or physical issues, but also […]
Read full post…There are things that are seen as so essential for human development that, in many countries, they are not treated as normal markets. Electricity, water, transportation – all are fundamental to ensuring a basic standard of living. As such, governments intervene to ensure that, where private companies are involved, they […]
Read full post…Even as the world continues to fight the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is already talk – in particular at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum – of how we can ‘build back better’. This term – previously mainly used in the context of recovery from disasters – provides a reminder that […]
Read full post…Library Stat of the Week #2: From 2017 to 2018, the largest declines in political and civil freedoms were felt across high and upper-middle income countries
Libraries have a major role to play in delivering fundamental freedoms. The possibility to access information is not only a human right in itself, but also an enabler of others. Where people lack it, they will struggle to participate in democracy, to realise opportunities to improve their jobs and their […]
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