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Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
I feel the point is not so much whether the statement has legal binding status, but rather that it even exists in the first place. The idea that librarians and like-minded people have formally stated their values and ideals in an official document is what makes it so cool.  |
Agreed. I meant that the way Ms. Arikawa connected her fictious world with the reality is quite sophisticated. I had already known the Statement when I first read the novel, so I could not stop smiling.
Japanese librarians regret the fact that once they assisted the military government by limiting information to the public. That's why JLA oathed its values in the written text, taking the model from
ALA Bill of Rights. However, in these days, the value often conflicts with other public interests such as privacy, hate speech or dangerous cults. Toshokan Sensou is a good stimulus for the discussion on what libraries shoud be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
Which volume did you read? I would hope that the political background in Toshokan Sensou is elaborated in the later volumes. More recently, I've been speculating on the true identity of Kasahara's Prince Charming, and I suspect she'd be disillusioned if she ever meets him in person.
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I've read the four main volumes. (
Toshokan Sensou /
Nairan /
Kiki /
Kakumei)
Volume 4 focuses on the political background of the librarians' side, but Arikawa does not touch the opposite side so much. As for the prince charming I won't tell anything to keep your fun.