I kept a blog for a number of years, talking about library-related issues and ideas. Returning to school in 2013 consumed so much of my being that keeping up a blog was just too much. Now that I have come out of that journey (intact and only a little bruised), I am ready to write for fun again. My blog had to change because I have changed. Today I have become a resistant librarian (and a resistant teacher) who seeks to push against assumptions and question my own practice.
Blog Scope: This space will encompass my thoughts and feelings about the intersection of work and life, peppered with references, sometimes “academic” and sometimes “popular,” because my writing is really about the fusion of my scholarship, teaching, service work, and subjectivity as a human being. (Dr. Hannah McGregor shares an excellent podcast episode (3.15 Doing Feminism in the Classroom) exploring this kind of intersectionality in more depth – a great listen).
Because I love media and find great inspiration from popular culture and books, I will also review selected materials that pique my interest.
My Title: “Resistant” comes from my doctoral work in which I explore representations of librarians in popular culture who push back against common and problematic stereotypes. It also describes my internal frame of mind, which is often in a state of resistance – to various kinds of oppression, apathy, ignorance, and general unkindness. I believe that although we all have agency, we are also caught in ongoing forms of social relations that constrain us — “resistance” is part of the process of being a 21st century human.
About Me: I am a white middle-class woman. My roots are poor, working class folks who farmed, worked in coal mines, and basically did whatever it took to survive. I have had a career in libraries and higher education for more than 20 years and I consider myself someone who is generally very fortunate. I feel a deep responsibility to help others and, while I may not always get things right, I try to not bring harm onto others.
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Resistant Librarian 