Countering Weaponized Tradition: Libraries and Archives Using Collaboration and Tradition as a Catalyst for Progress

Guest edited by Erin Renee Wahl and Arlene Schmuland

A lot has been written on the benefits of understanding the history and traditions of organizations when you join the team, but not a lot has been written on the ways history and tradition can be used to affect an organization negatively, or what actual tangible progress comes from understanding this history and using it to instigate positive change. This special issue seeks to open a dialogue that might offer a broader, honest perspective of progress informed by organizational history and traditions in libraries and archives. This issue will explore how librarians or archivists have taken institutional history and tradition and pivoted the narrative towards progressive changes. A relevant topic even prior to 2020, the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic showed libraries and archives where their organizations were weakest and has left even the strongest organizations wondering how to leverage tradition for future diversification…and who else to bring into the process. In addition, library and archives employees who were already taxed by the tough realities of work are now asking more serious questions about their work environments and wondering how to leverage traditions and collaborations to create a more progressive work environment.

Some topics you might want to consider include:

• How do you create buy-in in your library/archives/department to change legacy practices?
• What pre-COVID traditions has your library/archives shifted as you return to normal? What led you to make this change?
• What assessment methods do you use to inform shifting traditional practices? Where is your change originating from?
• How do you encourage new librarians and staff members to utilize their expertise to implement change?
• Legacy and tradition are not necessarily bad. What legacy practices have you deliberately maintained and why? What led you to this decision?
• How do you create balance between legacy practices and progressive momentum?
• It’s not just about planning for shifts: almost every practice shift requires significant labor to achieve. Whether that’s temporary work or changing existing workloads: how have you managed the labor costs of practice changes?
• How do you work flexibility for change into strategic planning and core library documents?
• And any other topics you think might be relevant to this!

Don’t forget the collaborative focus…

In keeping with the overall focus of the journal Collaborative Librarianship, all proposals and articles must focus on collaborative approaches to changing weaponized traditions. These approaches will have utilized cooperation between multiple departments, organizations, libraries, archives, etc. rather than an approach handled by single entities. Collaborating entities can be from the same institution but it must be made clear how this cooperation entailed working outside of what departments, etc. have done in the past, and what is “typical” in our field. In addition, we hope to prioritize articles written by co-authors in different libraries, archives, departments, and other disciplines who did this work together.

Please make sure you familiarize yourself with what Collaborative Librarianship prefers to publish by perusing recently published issues and visiting these webpages:

• About This Journal
• Policies
• Author Guidelines

Authors should submit proposals or fully finished articles using the form and instructions to the guest editors via this link: https://forms.gle/QPC1GxbhKe1c5sfo8

Call for Submissions 

The “Special Libraries, Special Challenges” column of Public Services Quarterly is currently seeking submissions that explore all aspects of working in a special library. Each piece is approximately 2,000 words and focuses on practical ideas rather than theory. Case studies are welcome.  

Column Description 

“Special Libraries, Special Challenges” is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, authors will discuss public service issues and solutions that arise specifically in special libraries.

Potential Article Topics

• Impact of tourism on librarianship/collections that attract “fan” researchers
• Profile of libraries/archives at professional organizations
• Profile of libraries supporting the work in various branches of government   
• Rebuilding library services and facilities after a building disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, etc.)
• Innovative pilot projects 
• Developing programs for students and/or faculty
• Professional and continuing development for library staff
• AI and library services
• Emerging trends, such as empirical research, data analytics and alt-metrics 
• Teaching various literacies (information, media, technology, etc.) 
• Other ideas welcomed!  

Contact 

Special or subject-matter librarians interested in authoring a piece for this column are invited to contact the co-editors, Patti Gibbons (pgibbons@uchicago.edu) or Deborah Schander (deborah.schander@ct.gov).