In politics, there is a term known as the “big tent.” It is used to represent a diversity of groups that are united under one political party. Though these groups often differ in their stances on certain issues, they have enough in common to be drawn together under the same soaring roof. What they lack in ideological compatibility they make up for in the strength of their combined numbers and the opportunity to act on the broader themes of the coalition.
With this definition in mind, I would like to propose that we all engage in what I call “big tent librarianship.” The guiding dogma to this concept is that all librarians are intrinsically connected in their personal motivations for entering the profession, whether it is a desire to provide a service to a community or population, to act on the belief that information should be easily and readily accessible to those who seek it, or to ensure that literacy is an integral aspect of modern society. These are the elementary constants that bind the profession together.
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