Submission Type
Paper Abstract Submission
Symposium Selection
Post-neutrality librarianship
Keywords
Librarianship, librarians, participation, community-building, relational competence
Abstract
Building bridges: the role of the relational librarian
The link between interpersonal trust, participation, social capital and democracy is evident through scholarly work in different research areas (see for example Sullivan & Transue 1999). These concepts are also relevant to discuss in relation to “improved communities”, not least in connection to the recent “social turn” of public libraries, which encompasses an understanding of the library as “a locus and an enabler of social processes in the interpersonal sense” (Nolin & Söderholm 2015). Both public library practice and research has sought to discover how libraries contribute to community-building activities, which in turn can foster social and democratic sustainability (see for example Audunson et al 2019). But what does this entail for library professionals? David Lankes’ refers to librarians as potential “change agents” (2016). Mary Ghikas of the American Library Association encouraged librarians to turn outward (2019), in order to support belonging and cocreation in local communities. Thus, the role of the librarian needs to be related to building trust and relations – within the library, in the neighborhood and in the community: building bridges.
To build knowledge about what librarians contribute to building relations, I propose an exploration of their contribution to community building, highlighting their “relational competence”.
Questions for discussion:
- How do librarians work with building trust and fostering connection in diverse communities?
- In what way is “relational competence” part of librarians’ professional role?
This “relational competence” includes skills, abilities, attitudes and knowledge connected to establishing, developing and maintaining relations between people. To what extent are these concepts considered to be part of librarianship? I also want to include a discussion of “relational competence” in terms of LIS education. In his article “Never neutral never alone” (2020), David Lankes argues that there is a need to reconsider the elements in the LIS education programs. The image of the neutral information professional does not comply with the newer ideal of the librarian as an activist, a knowledge professional seeking to improve communities.
The result will be a conceptualization of the relational librarian, and a discussion of how fostering connection can be a goal-oriented approach for librarians to engage in community building.
References
Audunson, R., Aabø, S., Blomgren, R., Evjen, S., Jochumsen, H., Larsen, H., ... & Koizumi, M. (2019). Public libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere: A comprehensive review of research. Journal of Documentation.
Ghikas, M. (2019). Listening to your community: How to create a structure of belonging. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/11/01/listening-to-your-community/
Lankes, R. D. (2016). The new librarianship field guide. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Lankes, R. D. (2020). Never Neutral, Never Alone. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 61(3), 383-388.
Söderholm, J., & Nolin, J. (2015). Collections redux: the public library as a place of community borrowing. The Library Quarterly, 85(3), 244-260.
Sullivan, J. L., & Transue, J. E. (1999). The psychological underpinnings of democracy: A selective review of research on political tolerance, interpersonal trust, and social capital. Annual review of psychology, 50(1), 625-650.
Included in
Building bridges: The role of the Relational Librarian
Building bridges: the role of the relational librarian
The link between interpersonal trust, participation, social capital and democracy is evident through scholarly work in different research areas (see for example Sullivan & Transue 1999). These concepts are also relevant to discuss in relation to “improved communities”, not least in connection to the recent “social turn” of public libraries, which encompasses an understanding of the library as “a locus and an enabler of social processes in the interpersonal sense” (Nolin & Söderholm 2015). Both public library practice and research has sought to discover how libraries contribute to community-building activities, which in turn can foster social and democratic sustainability (see for example Audunson et al 2019). But what does this entail for library professionals? David Lankes’ refers to librarians as potential “change agents” (2016). Mary Ghikas of the American Library Association encouraged librarians to turn outward (2019), in order to support belonging and cocreation in local communities. Thus, the role of the librarian needs to be related to building trust and relations – within the library, in the neighborhood and in the community: building bridges.
To build knowledge about what librarians contribute to building relations, I propose an exploration of their contribution to community building, highlighting their “relational competence”.
Questions for discussion:
- How do librarians work with building trust and fostering connection in diverse communities?
- In what way is “relational competence” part of librarians’ professional role?
This “relational competence” includes skills, abilities, attitudes and knowledge connected to establishing, developing and maintaining relations between people. To what extent are these concepts considered to be part of librarianship? I also want to include a discussion of “relational competence” in terms of LIS education. In his article “Never neutral never alone” (2020), David Lankes argues that there is a need to reconsider the elements in the LIS education programs. The image of the neutral information professional does not comply with the newer ideal of the librarian as an activist, a knowledge professional seeking to improve communities.
The result will be a conceptualization of the relational librarian, and a discussion of how fostering connection can be a goal-oriented approach for librarians to engage in community building.
References
Audunson, R., Aabø, S., Blomgren, R., Evjen, S., Jochumsen, H., Larsen, H., ... & Koizumi, M. (2019). Public libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere: A comprehensive review of research. Journal of Documentation.
Ghikas, M. (2019). Listening to your community: How to create a structure of belonging. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/11/01/listening-to-your-community/
Lankes, R. D. (2016). The new librarianship field guide. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Lankes, R. D. (2020). Never Neutral, Never Alone. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 61(3), 383-388.
Söderholm, J., & Nolin, J. (2015). Collections redux: the public library as a place of community borrowing. The Library Quarterly, 85(3), 244-260.
Sullivan, J. L., & Transue, J. E. (1999). The psychological underpinnings of democracy: A selective review of research on political tolerance, interpersonal trust, and social capital. Annual review of psychology, 50(1), 625-650.