A Shadow Librarian: Fighting Back Against Encroaching Capitalism

Explore a 43-minute conference talk from DEF CON that delves into the modern challenges facing public libraries and presents unconventional solutions to combat corporate control over digital content. Learn about the current landscape where libraries face both political pressures through book banning initiatives and economic constraints through exploitative digital licensing models. Discover real-world examples from a public librarian's experience using alternative methods to maintain public access to knowledge, despite increasing corporate restrictions on digital materials like eBooks, streaming content, and academic research. Gain insights into how individuals can become "shadow librarians" and contribute to preserving open access to information while fighting against artificial scarcity and inflated pricing models that limit public access to educational and cultural materials.