Practical Witchcraft

TL;DR: Practical witchcraft advocates for increased collaboration between academic and public libraries to foster community outreach and engagement. It argues that special collections must become more accessible and actively involve themselves in community work to foster mutual understanding and values.

Abstract: This article argues for the usefulness of collaborations between academic and public libraries for community outreach and engagement. After an overview of the problematic history of special collections institutions as inaccessible gatekeepers of culture, the article argues that in the twenty-first century, special collections must become members of public communities and actively involve themselves in community work in order to foster mutual understanding and values. A case study of a shared event, a witchcraft lecture that went viral on the internet, is described.