Critical Voices in Library and Information Work: Voices and Inspiration from the Discipline

Critical Voices in Library and Information Work presents 25 profiles of notable, transformational library and information science (LIS) workers in the United States, Canada, and the UK, all of whom are involved in progressive library and information work projects or research endeavors. Discussing a piece of literature, art, or music that helped direct their path into socially conscious library work and that continues to inspire them, interviewees provide insights into their work and the current state of critical librarianship. They also reflect upon the current state of institutions, including academic, public, and school libraries, as well as special libraries. The authors of the book present these conversations in a narrative form that situates their subjects’ professional work within their broader historical and cultural milieu, while carefully supplementing the conversations with real-world information and context. The resulting collection gives insight into what grounds and inspires influential LIS professionals and highlights the diversity found in critical librarianship as one of its greatest strengths. Together, the professionals’ voices provide the reader with a better understanding of what drives their peers’ transformational LIS work. Critical Voices in Library and Information Work presents the voices of professionals who hail from traditional and non-traditional information environments and who have varying levels of experience. The book will appeal to practicing library workers and information professionals, as well as students and academics engaged in the study of LIS.