My book on Libraries and the Enlightenment has now been published! It was just announced today. You can order a copy from the Library Juice Press or from Amazon.

The Library Juice site has a blurb, but here’s a bit more on what to expect. Chapter 1 provides a summary and analysis of the scientific and political principles of the Enlightenment, especially those that relate to the library history discussed in the book. Chapter 2 shows how Enlightenment principles led to the foundation of the first research university, and the way in which the research university model revolutionized higher education and enabled the creation of modern academic libraries. Chapter 3 investigates how the same principles inspired the public library movement in the U.S. Chapter 4 discusses examples of what I call the “universal library,” including the Library at Alexandria, Gabriel Naudé’s 17th-century Advice on Establishing a Library, H.G. Wells’ “World Brain,” Vannevar Bush’s Memex, Google, and the Digital Public Library of America. Finally, it argues that a universal library universally accessible would be the culmination of the Enlightenment in the domain of information, and that such a universal library would be built upon the current network of American libraries. There’s a lot of history and a bit of politics. It’s a good introduction to and survey of the topic for librarians, library school students, or anyone interested in the history of libraries.

So I hope you’ll buy a copy for yourself or your library (or both!).