Abstract
The author reviews the emergence of a third culture, and one more powerful than either element in the science/humanities dichotomy postulated by CP Snow. This is the culture of the free market, epitomised in the phrase ‘Government must not intervene unless the market fails’. The paper reviews the dimensions of this culture and some of its impact on the provision of public library services in the US. It concludes that the model is deeply flawed, and that librarians should be wary of adopting its rhetoric and practices.This paper was orginally given during a plenary session of the First National Conference of ALIA, held in Perth WA during October 1990. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of the author and of the Conference Organisers.
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