ACRL/NY 2023 Annual Symposium
Embracing Slow Librarianship
December 1, 2023
Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY)
Call for Presentations, Lightning Talks, Panels, & Posters
In response to the growing fetishization of productivity in academia's increasingly corporatized climate, writer and librarian Julia Glassman suggests that library communities might benefit from an approach that incorporates principles from "slow" movements (slow food, slow technology, etc.). She describes slow librarianship as addressing the needs and interests of library communities through the "commitment to prioritizing reflection and meaningful practices over chains of impressive-sounding achievements," which, in turn, presents the possibility of opening up "alternative avenues for professional development and recognition." For this year's ACRL/NY Symposium, we are seeking proposals for presentations, lightning talks, panels, and posters that address the theoretical and practical applications of slow librarianship in academic libraries.
Potential topics include (but are not limited to):
Implications for theory and praxis: How does or how might the concept of slow librarianship benefit from specific theoretical approaches, and how might this in turn impact the practical application of slow librarianship as conceptualized through these theoretical lenses?
Implications for supporting DEI: How might slow librarianship inform our approaches to enhancing diversity in our libraries and advocating for underrepresented groups at all levels in the academic library, including staff, professionals, students, and administration?
Implications for work within and across specific library units: How might slow librarianship inform the procurement, curation, discovery, preservation, and/or promotion of library collections? How might slow librarianship inform the development, execution, and evaluation of reference and instruction initiatives? How might slow librarianship inform critical considerations regarding the adoption and use of new forms of technology and data in libraries and archives?
Implications for the library ecosystem and sustainable future: How might slow librarianship inform the development of physical, virtual, and hybrid library spaces that resist the reproduction of toxic productivity, the imperative to do-more-with-less, vocational awe, etc.? How might slow librarianship inform efforts to support solidarity, collaboration, and the idea of staff and patrons as whole people? How might slow librarianship inform our ability to examine and challenge traditional hierarchies, imbalances in labor relations, and barriers to professional development?
Implications for libraries and the climate crisis and sustainable futures: How can library workers foster a more secure future and social justice within their communities at a time of unprecedented climate risk?
Proposals should be 250-500 words in length, and submitted by June 15, 2023.
Please submit proposals using this form
Accepted proposals will be notified by July 15, 2023.
All presentations will take place in person on December 1, 2023 at the Vertical Campus at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), and will be live-streamed.
Questions regarding submitting or about the Symposium in general can be sent to acrlnysymposiumchair@gmail.com
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Jane Suda
Head of Reference & Information Services
Fordham University
She/Her/Hers
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