What Remains of Ashes?

Derrida wrote, “He burns his text and erases the traces of his steps.” Why does Derrida say this? Why is this so important to him? Must we forget to move within the present and move forward? I diverge from Derrida on this point. Instead, I turn to MacIntyre who writes, “Man is in his actions and practice, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal. He is not essentially, but becomes through his history, a teller of stories that aspire to truth. But the key question for men is not about their own authorship; I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?’” (MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984. p. 216).

One thing I've learned in this class, through our readings and group assignments is that library administration must take the aforementioned seriously. Libraries are not passive repositories. Librarians and the libraries they inhabit must tell stories; indeed, they DO tell stories... And these stories must not be left to the past or forgotten. Subsequently, librarians (And libraries) must remain active story-tellers. We must remember and voice our tradition. Librarians can do this by "rallying the troops." Administrative teams must be on board to relay the message of stories and the libraries place in relation to multiple stories (Books, etc.) and in relation to the broader story of the library's historical place in our world and concepts.