Threats to the public library as a democratic institution in audiovisual fiction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3145/thinkepi.2026.e20a14Keywords:
Public library, Audiovisual fiction, Library collection, Librarian, Intellectual freedom, CensorshipAbstract
This article examines cinematographic and television portrayals of the public library to show how fiction has reflected – and at times anticipated – contemporary threats to the institution, access to knowledge, and intellectual freedom. It analyses selected works produced from the mid-20th century to the present that dramatise censorship, destruction, manipulation, and institutional decline. Drawing on these popular imaginaries, the discussion concludes that both, the development and preservation of the documentary collection and the work of the librarian, constitute a core function of the public library, whose importance is increasing in the face of rising disinformation, hoaxes, and manipulation generated by artificial intelligence.
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