I’ve been thinking of who decides what stories and books we get to keep since reading a new book a few weeks ago. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts is a nonfiction story about a librarian, Hidara, who is trying to save modern and ancient manuscripts from crumbling or being lost.
In the case of the Librarians of Timbuktu, not having access to information can be a form of censorship. Many places visited by Haidara are in truly remote places that required him to travel by foot, boat, and/or camel through the desert, sometimes for days. Some of the families he visited lived in tents or small houses far away from what we would consider civilization. He pays families for books they kept buried and hidden in sand, caves, or trunks, and plans to place them in a library. Some of the books are badly damaged and require preservation. I haven’t finished reading the book, and the Taliban is now part of the story, which will lead to more censorship.
I have mixed feelings about what Hiadara is trying to do. He is trying to preserve and create access to a wider audience. But, in doing so, he is literally taking the stories away from the families who may never see these books again. These books have been in some families for decades and centuries.
In contrast, there are libraries in Chinguetti, in eastern Africa, that will not be preserved. Some of the libraries have manuscripts that are old and crumbling, and some librarians of private collections refuse to move the texts. If left there, they will disintegrate in the Sahara Desert, along with the structures that house them.
Either way, each example is having “access to the stories of the world, collected, catolgues, and placed on a shelf waiting to be discovered” (Stephens, 2019. ) In these cases, they are waiting to be discovered across desert landscapes.
I don’t have an answer as to which way is correct: to save or to leave them in their space/family. However, it comes down to telling stories and who is the keeper of stories and knowledge. Do we share it or keep it with us? While there is no right answer, I think most of us would agree to share and to connect.
Sources
Hammer, J. (2016). The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts. Simon and Schuster.
Mauritania’s ancient libraries could be lost to the expanding desert. (n.d.). Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/mauritania-libraries-desert/
Morehart, P. (2023, March 25). Ancient libraries disappearing in the Sahara. I Love Libraries. https://ilovelibraries.org/article/ancient-libraries-disappearing-in-the-sahara/
Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Balance. ALA Editions.
Hi Bernadette,
I agree that not having access to information is a form of censorship and that libraries should always strive to preserve stories, books, and manuscripts to ensure that future generations have equal access to those sources. It is understandable that many libraries cannot do that because of the lack of funding and knowledge on preservation processes. At my previous library job, there was an archivist that was hired to preserve items of historical significance to our community. One of the most intresting things she shared was the fact that preservation materials are expensive because they have to be made of specific materials. Additionally, the room had to be at a specific temperature and have controlled humidity to prevent further degredation. The knowledge she obtained about archiving and archival processes came from years of going to universities oversease because she stated that schools here did not give students a lot of hands on experience.
If we could share the knowledge we know about archival processes, there is a chance that it will encourage people to be more invested in the preservation of materials.
You are correct that there are some financial and logistical roadblocks that can impede archival work. It is interesting that she had to go overseas to learn more information.
Hi! The book you mentioned has been on my list for some time but I haven’t gotten to it yet. It reminded me of another take on story-sharing among a rural and dispersed population: https://settlementlibrary.blogspot.com/2009/12/pack-horse-library-project.html
@bescamilla I appreciate the questions you are asking regarding Hidara’s taking stories away from families and what is the nature of sharing stories in general. I’m reminded of the song catchers that used to go around in the south and collect songs on recording devices from the Appalachian people. I can’t figure out a way for someone like Hidara to collect stories that way, but it’s so interesting to think about.
Hi Bernadette,
I really appreciate this take on sharing and keeping stories. It’s so hard to know when culture should be shared with institutions and when it should be kept amongst the people it belongs to. This is certainly something important to consider, and I, admittedly, have not thought much about it until now. Thank you for making me think more critically about these ideas. It’s so important to keep history preserved and to share it so we can learn from the past, but how do we do this in a way that respects the people these artifacts come from? What an interesting thing to think about.