Article

Seven Mantras of Information Wisdom and Political Acumen for American Libraries in the Aftermath of the 2024 Presidential Election

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Abstract

In the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, actions of political advocacy in predominant networks of American libraries need to go beyond traditional roles and responsibil-ities that we witnessed historically and in contemporary society. Such an approach requires deeper  ethical,  moral,  philosophical,  political,  and  action-oriented  awakenings  (i.e.,  “spiritual”) that are simultaneously inner (i.e., wisdom) and outwardly externalized (i.e., acumen). We cannot keep replicating the same patterns of the human condition repeatedly and expect different results. This opinion piece explores a typology of information wisdom and political acumen (i.e., mantras) for American libraries (and others) as they decipher the implications of the 2024 presidential election. Readers can consider the following mantras as propositions or  assumptions  in  informing  their  library  decision-making,  policies,  practices,  and  behaviors toward their diverse publics: American democracy (and American politics) is a business (mantra  1);  American  constitution  is  outdated  and  broken  (mantra  2);  President  Trump’s  “power  politics”  is  an  inherited  and  learnt  legacy  (mantra  3);  people  do  have  the  power  of  resistance  to  navigate  through  the  political  games  (mantra  4);  President  Trump  represents  different  things  to  his  different  supporters  (mantra  5);  information  wisdom  (our  humanity)  MUST  “trump”  divisiveness  (mantra  6);  follow  a  strategic  road  map  to  self-awareness  and action (mantra 7). This urgent call for engagement should inspire librarians to develop impact-driven political actions of resistance to inform themselves and educate their external public constituencies as we continue to experience more political chaos than what has been seen before, within and beyond the United States, thanks to the 2024 presidential election.

 

Keywords: 2024 Presidential Election, American libraries, information wisdom, mantras, political acumen

How to Cite:

Mehra, B., (2025) “Seven Mantras of Information Wisdom and Political Acumen for American Libraries in the Aftermath of the 2024 Presidential Election”, The Political Librarian 8(Special Edition). doi: https://doi.org/10.7936/pollib.9005