The Humanitarian Idea

Most Idealistic Sentence(s): "The social evils which humanitarian agencies under private auspices set out to combat were also the special targets of public library enterprise. Both were equally armed to drive immoral literature off the market, to put saloons out of business by supplanting them with the pleasures of reading, and to save money normally devoted to the suppression of crime" (Ditzion, 102).

I would not go so far as to describe this sentence as "elitist," but it certainly sounds like an agenda. I do think that it is interesting that a librarian would want so dearly to change the life of a patron. It certainly validates the views of Michael Harris a little bit. The librarians described in this article don't seem to necessarily want you to read a good book...they sound like they want you off the street!

The idea of the librarian as humanitarian has not necessarily faded away entirely, either. In some ways, progressing toward a job in the library industry seems to be a bit akin to some kind of social work. Certainly, the librarian is still seen as a more caring figure relative to most other jobs.

"It is of no great consequence wheter all library promoters who used this idea were motivated by these humane and reformist aims. What is important is the convincing quality of this rationale when it was used to enlist the aid of community leaders" (Ditzion, 191).