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In the two decades following the end of the Second World War, the public library was promoted on a global scale by organizations such as UNESCO and the various librarians who worked with it. This article explores the global public library discourse that was shaped and promoted by UNESCO, placing this discourse within its historical context of the Cold War, decolonization, modernization, and internationalism. It also briefly examines some aspects of the work that UNESCO undertook to promote the public library in developing nations. While much of this work was well intentioned, global public library development was very much both a product and captive of its context. The work of UNESCO and the librarians who worked with the organization is a significant and fascinating chapter in library history that illuminates not only the evolution of library thought, but also illuminates the global work and thinking of international associations in the crucial decades of decolonization and the Cold War.

Languages play a crucial role in war, conflict and peacemaking: in intelligence gathering and evaluation, pre-deployment preparations, operations on the ground, regime-change, and supporting refugees and displaced persons. In the politics of war, languages have a dual impact: a public policy dimension, setting frameworks and expectations; and the lived experience of those 'on the ground', working with and meeting speakers of other languages.This series intends to bring together books which deal with the role of languages in situations of conflict, including war, civil war, occupation, peace-keeping, peace-enforcement and humanitarian action in war zones. It will offer an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, translation studies, intercultural communication, history, politics, international relations and cultural studies. Books in the series will explore specific conflict situations across a range of times and places, and specific language-related roles and activities, examining three contexts: languages and the military, meeting the other in war and peacemaking, and interpreting/translating in war.

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