{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:37:41Z","timestamp":1754156261710,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,22]],"date-time":"2022-08-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1661126400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JD"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study aims to examine the imagining of libraries and the depiction of library services in contemporary science fiction novels. Analyses of libraries in contemporary science fiction may reveal expectations of libraries and the roles they play in future societies. These may, in turn, be used by the library profession to innovate and to discover opportunities to design and improve library services that meet the expectations of library users now and in the future.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>This research applied a content analysis approach to examine references to libraries in a purposeful sample of science fiction novels published between 2009 and 2019. The sample consists of 29 novels selected from the 2010\u20132020 winners of the Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, The Philip K Dick Award and the Arthur C Clarke Award.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>This research finds that libraries are a common feature within contemporary science fiction novels, primarily as part of the background setting of the narratives. Libraries are particularly common in peri-apocalyptic novels, often as \u201creinvented\u201d libraries. This research identifies considerable differences in the way libraries and information access and use are depicted and documented in science fiction worlds of plenty, compared to those of scarcity. Other key themes discussed include freedom of access to information, and the supposedly common negative stereotyping of libraries.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>Existing literature indicates anxiety about the future of libraries which the findings of this research do not support. The insights gained suggested instead, the emergence of an image of libraries as being embedded in the fabric of societies. This indicates the expectation of the place and role of libraries in contemporary societies. Libraries and their services must be adeptly placed and woven into the many facets of the societies they serve.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jd-05-2022-0097","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,19]],"date-time":"2022-08-19T09:44:35Z","timestamp":1660902275000},"page":"546-566","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Libraries in contemporary science fiction novels: uncertain futures or embedded in the fabric of society?"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"79","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0981-3361","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy","family":"Duxfield","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4293-4800","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chern Li","family":"Liew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1086\/603194","article-title":"Loveless frump as hip and sexy party Girl: a reevaluation of the old-maid\u00a0stereotype","volume":"70","year":"2000","journal-title":"The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy"},{"volume-title":"The City in the Middle of the Night","year":"2019","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref004"},{"volume-title":"Bitter Angels","year":"2009","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref005"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref006","unstructured":"Atwood, M. (2012), in Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination, Virago, London."},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref007","unstructured":"Arthur C Clarke Award (2021), \u201cScience fiction awards database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Arthur_C_Clarke_Award (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref008","unstructured":"Awards Directory (2021), \u201csfadb: Science Fiction Awards Database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Awards_Directory (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"volume-title":"The Windup Girl","year":"2013","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref009"},{"volume-title":"Dark Eden","year":"2014","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref010"},{"volume-title":"The Mercy Journals","year":"2016","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref011"},{"volume-title":"Dreams Before the Start of Time","year":"2017","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref012"},{"volume-title":"Leviathan Wakes","year":"2012","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref013"},{"volume-title":"The World of Science Fiction, 1926-1976: The History of a Subculture","year":"2021","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref014"},{"volume-title":"The Name of the Rose","year":"1983","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref015"},{"volume-title":"The Book of the Unnamed Midwife","year":"2016","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref016"},{"issue":"14","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref017","first-page":"137","article-title":"Images of libraries in science fiction","volume":"112","year":"1987","journal-title":"Library Journal"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref018","first-page":"26","article-title":"Dreams written out: libraries in science fiction","volume":"69","year":"1995","journal-title":"Wilson Library Bulletin"},{"edition":"2ed edn.","volume-title":"Inside Science Fiction","year":"2006","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref019"},{"volume-title":"The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu","year":"2018","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref020"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.1353\/lac.2010.0004","article-title":"The public library in utopia","volume":"45","year":"2010","journal-title":"Libraries and the Cultural Record"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref022","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"277","DOI":"10.1136\/medhum-2016-010902","article-title":"Doctors in space (ships): biomedical uncertainties and medical authority in imagined futures","volume":"42","year":"2016","journal-title":"Medical Humanities"},{"issue":"78","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref023","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1300\/J120v37n78_05","article-title":"The long, strange trip of Barbara Gordon","volume":"37","year":"2003","journal-title":"The Reference Librarian"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.7710\/1093-7374.1185","article-title":"Look! Up in the sky! It's A...Librarian? Librarians in comic books","volume":"14","year":"2008","journal-title":"OLA Quarterly"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref025","unstructured":"Hugo Awards (2021), \u201cScience fiction awards database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Hugo_Awards (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref026","unstructured":"Imagineering Interest Group (2021), \u201cLibrary information technology association (LITA)\u201d, available at: https:\/\/www.ala.org\/lita\/about\/igs\/imagineering\/lit-igim (accessed 4 September 2021)."},{"issue":"1","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref027","first-page":"43","article-title":"The law of the Federation: images of law, lawyers and the legal system in \u201cStar Trek: the Next Generation","volume":"24","year":"1992","journal-title":"The University of Toledo Law Review"},{"volume-title":"The Image and Role of the Librarian","year":"2003","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref028"},{"volume-title":"OED Online","year":"2021","author":"\u2018library\u2019","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref001"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref002","unstructured":"\u2018library\u2019 (2022), \u201cMerriam-webster\u201d, available at: https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/library (accessed 22 August 2021)."},{"article-title":"Talk with your dead loved ones -- through a chatbot","year":"2021","author":"CNET, 17 December","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref066"},{"volume-title":"Always Coming Home","year":"1985","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref029"},{"volume-title":"Ancillary Justice","year":"2014","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref030"},{"issue":"7\/8","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref031","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1045\/july2016-liew","article-title":"Participatory culture in memory institutions: of diversity, ethics and trust?","volume":"22","year":"2016","journal-title":"D-Lib Magazine"},{"volume-title":"The Three-Body Problem","year":"2017","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref032"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref033","unstructured":"Locus Awards (2021), \u201cScience fiction awards database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Locus_Awards (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"issue":"9","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref034","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"773","DOI":"10.1108\/00242530710831211","article-title":"Librarians, professionalism and image: stereotype and reality","volume":"56","year":"2007","journal-title":"Library Review"},{"volume-title":"Station Eleven","year":"2019","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref035"},{"volume-title":"A Memory Called Empire","year":"2019","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref036"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref067","article-title":"Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change","volume-title":"Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change","author":"R. and Zhou, B.","year":"2021"},{"volume-title":"Embassytown","year":"2011","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref037"},{"volume-title":"Equations of Life","year":"2011","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref038"},{"volume-title":"Nexus","year":"2015","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref039"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref040","unstructured":"Nebula Awards (2021), \u201cScience fiction awards database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Nebula_Awards (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"issue":"3","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref041","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.1353\/pla.2021.0027","article-title":"The relationship between academic library design and library anxiety in students","volume":"21","year":"2021","journal-title":"Portal: Libraries and the Academy"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref042","first-page":"24","article-title":"Librarian stereotypes in young adult literature","volume":"4","year":"2005","journal-title":"Young Adult Library Services"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref043","unstructured":"Philip K Dick Award (2021), \u201cScience fiction awards database\u201d, available at: http:\/\/www.sfadb.com\/Philip_K_Dick_Award (accessed 3 September 2021)."},{"volume-title":"A Song for a New Day","year":"2020","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref044"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref045","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1086\/603283","article-title":"Libraries, librarians, and the discourse of fear","volume":"71","year":"2001","journal-title":"The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy"},{"volume-title":"2312","year":"2013","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref046"},{"volume-title":"The Testament of Jessie Lamb","year":"2011","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref047"},{"volume-title":"Redshirts","year":"2013","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref048"},{"volume-title":"The Collapsing Empire","year":"2017","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref049"},{"volume-title":"Theory of Bastards","year":"2018","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref050"},{"volume-title":"The Old Drift","year":"2020","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref051"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref052","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.1108\/01604951311322002","article-title":"Behind the glasses and beneath the bun: portrayals of librarians in popular cinema and a guide for developing a collection","volume":"32","year":"2013","journal-title":"Collection Building"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref053","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1080\/24750158.2018.1534281","article-title":"Library anxiety: stories, theories and possible solutions","volume":"67","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association"},{"volume-title":"Lost Everything","year":"2012","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref054"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref055","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.1353\/lac.2005.0079","article-title":"Recasting the debate: the sign of the library in popular culture","volume":"40","year":"2005","journal-title":"Libraries and Culture"},{"volume-title":"Children of Time","year":"2017","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref056"},{"volume-title":"Rosewater","year":"2018","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref057"},{"volume-title":"Syria's Secret Library: Reading and Redemption in a Town under Siege","year":"2019","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref058"},{"volume-title":"Annihilation","year":"2015","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref059"},{"issue":"7\/8","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref060","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"355","DOI":"10.1108\/NLW-03-2014-0029","article-title":"Identifying the prevailing images in library and information science profession: is the landscape changing?","volume":"115","year":"2014","journal-title":"New Library World"},{"volume-title":"Bannerless","year":"2017","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref061"},{"key":"key2023040305111373200_ref062","unstructured":"Verma, P. (2022), \u201cMeet the 1,300 librarians racing to back up Ukraine's digital archives\u201d, Washington Post, 8 April, available at: https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2022\/04\/08\/ukraine-digital-history\/ (accessed 1 May 2022)."},{"volume-title":"Blackout","year":"2010","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref063"},{"volume-title":"The Last Policeman","year":"2013","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref064"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2023040305111373200_ref065","first-page":"191","article-title":"Visions of the future: the library in science fiction","volume":"7","year":"1994","journal-title":"Journal of Youth Services in Libraries"}],"container-title":["Journal of Documentation"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/JD-05-2022-0097\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/JD-05-2022-0097\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T22:34:06Z","timestamp":1753396446000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/jd\/article\/79\/3\/546-566\/194750"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,22]]},"references-count":67,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,22]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/JD-05-2022-0097"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/jd-05-2022-0097","relation":{},"ISSN":["0022-0418"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0022-0418"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,22]]}}}