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Dialogic Ethics
Edited by Ronald C. Arnett and François Cooren
[Dialogue Studies 30] 2018
► pp. 179–198

Dialogue and ethics in the library

Transformative encounters

This essay frames the library as a site for dialogic and ethical engagement. As libraries have adapted to cultural and technological shifts, our understanding of the meaning and purpose of libraries also has changed. The role of the library sparks public deliberation, controversy, and at times even legal action. This essay considers the library’s recent commitment to electronic holdings and its implications for the transformative nature of libraries as a site for dialogic ethics. The essay turns to Ronald C. Arnett’s (1981) understanding of phenomenological dialogue, Gary P. Radford’s (1992) framing of the library as a discursive formation, and Umberto Eco’s (2013) library as labyrinth metaphor. Through these works, this essay highlights transformative possibilities for dialogic ethics in the library.

Keywords: library, Umberto Eco, dialogic ethics, discursive formations
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The library’s evolving landscape
  • 3.Philosophy of communication perspective
  • 4.Umberto Eco: Library as dialogic sites for cultural engagement
  • 5.Implications for dialogic ethics
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 14 June 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ds.30.07man
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