BANGKOK — Thailand’s library professionals are opposing a government plan to gradually eliminate civil service librarian positions, warning that the move could undermine the country’s knowledge infrastructure and damage Thailand’s international image.

On August 12, Prof. Dr. Namthip Wipawin, a lecturer at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and president of the Thai Library Association, criticized the policy after the Cabinet approved a proposal to reform public-sector workforce management.

The proposal, put forward by the committee responsible for setting government workforce targets and policies, calls for freezing civil service positions, slowing recruitment and gradually eliminating 11 categories of jobs as employees retire. Librarian positions are among those targeted for phase-out.

Wipawin said she supports government reform in principle but disagrees with eliminating specialized professional positions that play an important role in national development.

She argued that librarians are specialists responsible for managing the country's knowledge and information resources. Their work has changed dramatically in the digital era, requiring them to manage both physical collections and digital information.

“Librarians are not simply IT workers,” she said, emphasizing that the profession requires specialized training in library and information science. She compared eliminating librarian positions to removing doctors or nurses from hospitals.

Wipawin also criticized the government for introducing the measure without first consulting universities, professional organizations or other relevant institutions. She said the number of librarians in the civil service is relatively small and does not represent a significant burden on the government budget.

Thailand currently has more than 30,000 libraries, including around 800–900 public libraries and more than 150 university libraries. Each institution requires at least one trained librarian, she said.

The issue could also have international implications. The National Library of Thailand and the Thai Library Association are preparing to bid to host the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2029 in Bangkok. Wipawin warned that eliminating librarian positions could negatively affect Thailand's international reputation.

The association plans to submit a formal letter to Thailand's Office of the Civil Service Commission and the Prime Minister's Office, urging the government to reconsider the policy.

Concerns over libraries being left without staff

Makut Orarudee, owner of Butterfly Publishing and a veteran figure in Thailand's publishing industry, also criticized the measure in a social media post on August 12.

He said the policy covers both library officers and professional librarians, with an exception for the Fine Arts Department, which oversees the National Library and National Archives.

This could leave government libraries elsewhere in the country without both managers and frontline staff, potentially turning them into abandoned facilities that could eventually be closed, he warned.

Orarudee also questioned whether the policy would extend to educational institutions such as schools and universities. He warned that if there are no career opportunities for trained librarians, library and information science programs at universities could eventually disappear as well.

The controversy has prompted calls for the government to reconsider the proposal and recognize librarianship as a specialized profession essential to maintaining Thailand's public knowledge and information infrastructure.