The Contradiction Between Librarian's Social Responsibility and The Principle of Impartiality

In this article, the principle of impartiality, a general approach in librarianship profession, is discussed in a critical perspective. It is argued that in today's Turkey and specifically in public libraries, the idea of neutrality may create barriers against the libraries' responsibility for the enlightment, progress and freedom of the society, and thus librarians should not stand for "impartiality" but the opposite. It is stated that this "non impartiality" approach is not possible for Turkey yet; however, with the change in social relations, the evolution of Turkey towards a modern, democratic and populist nature would set the stage for this approach.