Progressive Library Organizations

<p> This work presents the history and impact of the seven most important progressive library organizations worldwide--in Austria Germany South Africa Sweden United Kingdom and two in the United States. Each organization is considered within its national context and in fact the English word organization does not quite fit the nature of all of the groups. The South African organization LIWO was transitional in that it helped bring South African librarianship from apartheid to majority rule and then disbanded. The other organizations or their successors are still working in one form or another. Some of the organizations have had or continue to have vibrant local chapters though many of the original activists have recently retired or died. The author has interviewed many of them at a time when they were assessing their life work and handing off to new generations.</p>