--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every day, librarians enforce copyright…" description: "\"“Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we may disagree with and that, in some ways, run contrary to the values of our profession. Every..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg" --- # Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we… ![“Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we may disagree with and that, in some ways, run contrary to the values of our profession. Every day, librarians must decide between a desire to preserve the privacy of our community members and offering services our communities demand. Every…” quote by R. David Lankes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg) > ““Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we may disagree with and that, in some ways, run contrary to the values of our profession. Every day, librarians must decide between a desire to preserve the privacy of our community members and offering services our communities demand. Every day, librarians must make a choice between doing what’s easy, doing what’s right, and determining what’s right in the first place. No textbook or mission statement or policy document can relieve us of the necessity to make those decisions, nor remove the complexity of those decisions. That’s why we are librarians and why librarians are professionals, not clerks. That’s why we are stewards within the communities we serve, not servants to them. That’s why we must shape the missions and the work of our organizations and communities, and not simply accept them.”” [R. David Lankes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-david-lankes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Librarians constantly balance copyright enforcement, privacy, and community service, requiring ethical judgment beyond policy. **In simple terms:** Librarians must choose right over easy, shaping missions. Key Takeaway Embrace ethical decision‑making and mission shaping. Themes ethics privacy community service professionalism Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - library policy drafting - privacy advocacy - community program planning - conflict resolution Key Concepts stewardship policy interpretation mission design Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize privacy versus access? - What defines “right” in ambiguous situations? A Different Perspective Policies cannot replace personal judgment; decisions are complex and context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) [Day Librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-librarians-4346099/) [Decisions Librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions-librarians-4400214/) [Doing What'S Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-what-s-right/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Librarians Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians-decide-4400213/) [Librarians Enforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians-enforce-4400212/) [Librarians Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians-make-4400215/) [Librarianship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarianship/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Mission statement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mission-statement/) [Policies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policies/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I love librarians. They always make me feel like the world’s gonna be AOK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danah-boyd/i-love-librarians-they-always-make-me-feel-like-the-world-s-gonna-be/) [danah boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danah-boyd/) > [I just said, 'Well, the real people performing miracles every day are librarians,' and we all laughed ourselves off our chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearl/i-just-said-well-the-real-people-performing-miracles-every-day-are/) [Nancy Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearl/) > [“To librarians, booksellers, and collectors there is nothing limited in the subject of books about books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leona-rostenberg/to-librarians-booksellers-and-collectors-there-is-nothing-limited-in/) [Leona Rostenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leona-rostenberg/) > [“I found that I could not contemplate an adult life in which books were not dominant. I wanted to live and work with them...I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-currie-librarian-of-the-ashmolean-library-oxford/i-found-that-i-could-not-contemplate-an-adult-life-in-which-books/) [Clifford Currie Librarian of the Ashmolean Library Oxford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-currie-librarian-of-the-ashmolean-library-oxford/) > [librarianship is one of the few callings in the world for which is it still possible to feel unqualified admiration and respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/librarianship-is-one-of-the-few-callings-in-the-world-for-which-is-it/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [“In order to be really good as a librarian, everything counts towards your work, every play you go see, every concert you hear, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-smith/in-order-to-be-really-good-as-a-librarian-everything-counts-towards/) [Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-smith/) > [“If librarianship is the connecting of people to ideas – and I believe that is the truest definition of what we do – it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graceanne-a-decandido/if-librarianship-is-the-connecting-of-people-to-ideas-and-i-believe/) [Graceanne A. Decandido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graceanne-a-decandido/) > [“His elegant librarianship ... made me appreciate how order is created: Not through grand schemes - to which I was often drawn - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-steinberg/his-elegant-librarianship-made-me-appreciate-how-order-is-created-not/) [Avi Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-steinberg/) > [“I like to imagine that library school was started because of some sort of silly bar bet where a guy got really plastered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-douglas/i-like-to-imagine-that-library-school-was-started-because-of-some/) [Scott Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-douglas/) > [“She, of all people, knew the sacred trust that word -- "librarian" -- implied. Because a librarian was supposed to to be a spiritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-fantaskey/she-of-all-people-knew-the-sacred-trust-that-word-librarian-implied/) [Beth Fantaskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-fantaskey/) > [Librarianship is a form of heroism. It’s just not as flashy as swords and dragons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/librarianship-is-a-form-of-heroism-it-s-just-not-as-flashy-as-swords/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Everybody should have a librarian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-fantaskey/everybody-should-have-a-librarian/) [Beth Fantaskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-fantaskey/) > [“I think you’re more an archivist than a librarian,” he said. He told me that archivists and librarians were opposite personas. True librarians are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-steinberg/i-think-you-re-more-an-archivist-than-a-librarian-he-said-he-told-me/) [Avi Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-steinberg/) > [“The truth is out there, but the truth also seems to be very subjective. With access to so many types of information, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/the-truth-is-out-there-but-the-truth-also-seems-to-be-very-subjective/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) ## More by R. David Lankes > [“True learning happens when books and friends, writing and understanding intermingle in a rich soup of participation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/true-learning-happens-when-books-and-friends-writing-and/) [R. David Lankes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-david-lankes/) > [“To be a librarian is not to be neutral, or passive, or waiting for a question. It is to be a radical positive change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/to-be-a-librarian-is-not-to-be-neutral-or-passive-or-waiting-for-a/) [R. David Lankes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-david-lankes/) [Explore all 3 R. David Lankes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-david-lankes/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we may disagree with and that, in some ways, run contrary to the values of our profession. Every day, librarians must decide between a desire to preserve the privacy of our community members and offering services our communities demand. Every day, librarians must make a choice between doing what’s easy, doing what’s right, and determining what’s right in the first place. No textbook or mission statement or policy document can relieve us of the necessity to make those decisions, nor remove the complexity of those decisions. That’s why we are librarians and why librarians are professionals, not clerks. That’s why we are stewards within the communities we serve, not servants to them. That’s why we must shape the missions and the work of our organizations and communities, and not simply accept them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. David Lankes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-policies-that-we-may-disagree/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-policies-that-we-may-disagree/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/r-david-lankes-76871_books_every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-p_521590.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies that we may disagree with and that, in some ways, run…” — R. David Lankes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "R. David Lankes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-david-lankes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every day, librarians enforce copyright policies...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-policies-that-we-may-disagree/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-david-lankes/every-day-librarians-enforce-copyright-policies-that-we-may-disagree/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```