John Pateman has worked in public libraries for 40 years in a number of different roles, ranging from library assistant to chief librarian. He was chief librarian of three library systems in the UK: Hackney, a diverse inner London borough; Merton, a multicultural London suburb; and Lincolnshire, a large rural county. John is currently Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer at Thunder Bay Public Library in Ontario, Canada. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, and he received the National Culture Award from the Cuban government for his work in support of Cuban libraries.

Joe Pateman is a PhD candidate studying politics at the University of Nottingham, UK, with a specific interest in the disciplines of Marxist political theory and International Political Economy. Joe has written several essays from the Marxist perspective, on topics such as globalisation, inequality, poverty, international relations, political strategy, racism, hegemony and public libraries in the Soviet Union. His interest is in how libraries can provide democratic public space in an increasingly commercialised world. He is a member of the editorial board of Information for Social Change.