Libraries and the Futures of the Humanities

Discover how academic and research libraries, particularly in the United States, can support the humanities disciplines such as philosophy, history, literature, and rhetoric.In recent years, higher education in general, and the humanities in particular, have faced declining enrollment numbers, program cancellations, and conceptual criticisms from both left and right. Amid these challenges, Libraries and the Futures of the Humanities brings together 18 chapters by more than 30 contributors from a range of institutions, illustrating the continuing vitality of the humanities in connection with academic libraries, and exhibiting innovative approaches across a number of areas:- Framing the Question: in an era of AI cognitive offloading and political reaction, how can libraries conceptualize practices that preserve and extend core aspects of the humanities? - Across the Disciplines: examples of programs and collaborations that support cross-disciplinary teaching and scholarship.- Beyond the University: initiatives that connect humanistic learning, research, and creativity to communities outside the university.- Civic Learning: approaches that invite learners to consider the history and legacies of democracy and participate in social change.- Digital and Maker Humanities: projects that make use of technology to open new directions and possibilities in the humanities. The humanities have often been linked to abstract values or disembodied “great conversations"; however, Libraries and the Futures of the Humanities considers the humanities as socially and materially embodied, recognizing that libraries and other institutions have shaped the humanities over time. In this context, it asks how libraries can support the humanistic mission of connecting and empowering individuals and groups as they seek to understand the past in order to envision and enact new and better futures.