Authors
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Rachel Williams
University of South Carolina
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Melissa Gross
Florida State University
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Don Latham
Florida State University
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Brittany Baum
Florida State University
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Leah Dudak
Syracuse University
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Darin Freeburg
University of South Carolina
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Sarah Johnson
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Shannon Crooks
Syracuse University
Keywords:
Public libraries/librarianship, LIS education, social services, critical librarianship
Abstract
Public libraries and their staff have recently faced a wide array of challenges. Some of these challenges include supporting services for incarcerated individuals, unhoused patrons, and others experiencing crises (American Library Association, 2023; Gross et al., 2024; Knox, 2023; Wahler and Johnson, 2024). These recent challenges give us, as scholars and educators, an opportunity to take a step back and trace the dynamic work of public library professionals. In response, public library workers take on a variety of tasks. These may involve connecting patrons to social service resources, partnering with community organizations, or creating programs to support specific community needs and interests. Some of this work undertaken by public library staff involves routine, everyday tasks. Other labor is in response to community crises. Understanding this work is central to our ability to consider how the realities of public library work impact LIS scholarship and education. This panel provides a space for open conversation among panelists and the ALISE community to address the following overarching questions:
- What does the work of public librarianship look like, in terms of roles and labor?
- How can a better understanding of these roles and the reality of public library work inform how we approach LIS scholarship and teaching?
Our panel will consider several aspects of public library work, with a view toward connecting theory, research, and practical workforce preparation.
Author Biographies
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Rachel Williams, University of South Carolina
Dr. Rachel D. Williams is an assistant professor in the School of Information, University of South Carolina, whose research examines public librarianship as a profession. Williams’ work gives attention to supporting patrons and communities in crisis, developing healthy boundaries and professional resilience, and exploring the connections between social work and librarianship. As moderator, Williams will facilitate discussion with the audience and take notes to share with participants.
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Melissa Gross, Florida State University
Dr. Melissa Gross is a professor in the School of Information at Florida State University and Past President of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). She received her Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1998, received the prestigious American Association of University Women Recognition Award for Emerging Scholars in 2001, and in 2019 received the ALISE Award for Professional Contribution to Library & Information Science Education. Dr. Gross teaches and researches in the areas of information-seeking behavior, information literacy, library program and service evaluation, and information resources for youth.
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Don Latham, Florida State University
Don Latham is a professor in the School of Information at Florida State University. He has published extensively on social services in public libraries, information literacy, and information behavior of children and young adults. He has received research funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the ALAN Foundation, OCLC/ALISE Research Grants, and the Florida State University Council on Research and Creativity.
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Brittany Baum, Florida State University
Brittany Baum is a PhD candidate in the School of Information at Florida State University and currently works as a research assistant on an IMLS-funded grant exploring social services in public libraries. Her research interests revolve around the role librarians play in promoting community well-being, particularly public librarians and adolescent mental health.
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Leah Dudak, Syracuse University
Leah Dudak is a Ph.D. candidate at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies. She studies trauma in the workplace experienced by public library staff, giving special attention to issues causing trauma, trauma-informed care, and library labor. Her current projects involve the library worker’s body at work, trauma and censorship, pathways to librarianship, and partnering with Urban Librarians Unite on their groundbreaking trauma study and upcoming peer support network.
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Darin Freeburg, University of South Carolina
Darin Freeburg is an associate professor at the University of South Carolina who studies workplace information practices. He will present findings from an IMLS-funded project currently underway that investigates issues of identity in the routine work of public librarianship. While routines can increase efficiency and help staff get work done, identity standards encoded into a routine’s blueprints can also introduce significant barriers. This means that, as staff take on additional tasks in the modern public library, they are also taking on additional standards for who they should be—coming from management, patrons, colleagues, community partners, etc.
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Sarah Johnson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sarah C. Johnson, MLIS, LMSW, is an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she teaches a graduate course on Library Social Work. She is a licensed social worker and her aim is to foster quality collaborations among social workers and public librarians, with the goal of enhancing services to library patrons and their wider community. Sarah also promotes thoughtful integration of social work concepts and skills into LIS education to better prepare students for public librarianship.
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Shannon Crooks, Syracuse University
Shannon Crooks, MSW, MLIS, is currently a PhD Student at Syracuse University in the School of Information Studies. She currently studies social work in libraries and how librarians humanize patron experiences when asking for help in the library. Libraries are considered to be safe spaces within the public realm of society, where people feel comfortable being vulnerable by sharing personal life experiences during the reference interviews with library staff. Through research, Shannon is trying to understand the underlying motivation for patrons to feel comfortable expressing vulnerability in public spaces.
References
American Library Association (2023). State of America’s Libraries Report. https://www.ala.org/news/sites/ala.org.news/files/content/state-of-americas-libraries-report-2023-web-version.pdf.
Gross, M., Latham, D., Baum, B., Crabtree, L., & Randolph, K. (2024). “I didn't know it would be like this”: Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 65(1), 40-54. https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2022-0067.
Johnson, S. C. (2023). Teaching library students about trauma informed approaches. Public Libraries, 62(3), 16–18.
Knox, E. J. M. (2023). Responding with Policy. Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy, 7(4), 3–4. https://doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v7i4.8043.
Wahler, E.A., & Johnson, S.C. (2024). Creating a person centered library: Best practices for supporting high-needs patrons. Bloomsbury.
