Circulating Ideas - Slow Librarianship

In the new episode of the show, I chat with Meredith Farkas, faculty librarian at Portland Community College in Oregon, about her path to librarianship, the concept of slow librarianship, avoiding techno-saviorism, and why she ended her long-running American Libraries column.

Transcript of this episode is available for better accessibility and searchability!

Slow librarianship is an antiracist, responsive, and values-driven practice that stands in opposition to neoliberal values. 

“For the past couple of years, I’ve been thinking about something I call slow librarianship. It was in response to the realizations I had about my workaholism and the ideas I explored around ambition, striving, productivity, self-optimization, and achievement culture on this blog two years ago. It felt like the answer to all this was to slow down, to notice and reflect, to focus more on being true to our values than innovating, to build relationships, to really listen (to our communities our colleagues, and ourselves), and to be in solidarity with others.”

Slideshow for Meredith’s presentation on slow librarianship.

Archive of Meredith’s “In Practice” column for American Libraries

This essay reflects on the effects of capitalism and corporatization on the work habits of librarians, and critiques the profession’s emphasis on innovation for its own sake. First, the essay compares Juicero Inc., a Silicon Valley startup that faced criticism for producing an expensive machine that squeezed premade packets of juice, to projects undertaken by librarians for the purposes of career advancement and prestige that may unnecessarily complicate the services provided to patrons. The essay then outlines the burgeoning Slow Movement within libraries and recommends that librarians leverage the movement’s principles to push back against corporatization in librarianship.

In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.

The slow movement (sometimes capitalised Slow movement or Slow Movement) advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace.

Vocational awe describes the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique. I argue that the concept of vocational awe directly correlates to problems within librarianship like burnout and low salary. This article aims to describe the phenomenon and its effects on library philosophies and practices so that they may be recognized and deconstructed.

Meredith mentions Adam Grant’s “Taken for Granted” podcast series as a source of inspiration.

Back in 2016, I chatted with Meredith for the first time! 

Early in the show’s run, guest host Kate Sheehan assembled a panel to discuss work-life balance, including Meredith Farkas, Jenica Rogers, and Karen Schneider.