Type
Presentation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/v5pm-6d25
Session Description
Libraries are often said to be the heart of their institutions, yet librarians find themselves at the boundaries of so many identities in the academy. Are they faculty or staff? Are they educators or student support? Who do library directors report to, and does it make any sense? In the presentation, we will explore the impacts of this library identity crisis. While we won’t shy away from the negative consequences—such as our field often not being taken seriously as an academic discipline—we will spend time exploring the advantages of being a misfit department. Sometimes it’s faster to affect the change we want to see when we operate outside of conventional institutional structures. Takeaways will include a realistic assessment of this issue as well as a chance to explore some unexpected advantages, including the ability to create learning experiences outside of the conventional curriculum, build community on campus, and to recommend resources to instructional colleagues that are inclusive and transformative.
Type of Library
College Library; University Library
Keywords
faculty, staff, status, solidarity, labor issues, inclusion, access, morale, professional development
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Libraries: Outsiders at the Heart of the Institution
Comments
https://doi.org/10.7275/v5pm-6d25