Saturday, May 16 | 1:30 PM | Kino NCKF, Odeon screening room
What are libraries for? The modern functions and social significance of librarie
The event will be accompanied by the screening of ‘The Librarians’, dir. Kim A. Snyder (92 min.)
Discussion duration: approx. 45 min.
‘The Librarians’, directed by Kim A. Snyder, is a powerful portrait of contemporary America, evoking the dystopia of ‘Fahrenheit 451’. The film follows the story of librarians – ordinary citizens from small towns across the United States – who unexpectedly become some of the most important defenders of democracy today. Targeted, intimidated, and pressured, they risk their jobs and personal safety to defend freedom of speech, access to knowledge, and pluralism of thought. The film raises questions about the limits of freedom, the meaning of civic courage, and the responsibility of individuals toward their communities.
What role do libraries play in democratic societies today, and what functions do they fulfil in a world dominated by digital media? Following the film screening, we invite you to a discussion on the transformation of the library as an institution – from 19th-century repositories of knowledge to contemporary hubs of social and cultural life. We will start the discussion by asking how libraries are responding to social, political and technological changes, and for whom, and why, they might become inconvenient – or even dangerous – institutions. Researchers and specialists in culture and the social sciences will take part in the event.
Guests:
A representative of the ‘Tuwim’ Cultural Centre and a member of the PEN Club
Moderator:
Dr hab. Wojciech Woźniak is a University of Łódź Professor at the Department of Rural Sociology, Urban Sociology and Social Change, Faculty of Economics and Sociology.
Limit of places: 167
The discussion will be held in Polish.
