TY - JOUR
T1 - The librarian-as-insider-ethnographer
AU - Lymn, Jessie
N1 - Imported on 12 Apr 2017 - DigiTool details were: Journal title (773t) = Journal of Library Innovation. ISSNs: 1947-525X;
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - This article considers preliminary findings from ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Australia and Canada in do-it-yourself (DIY) libraries and archives. These spaces are usually run on small or no budgets, often in squatted or donated spaces, with no paid staff. They are motivated by a DIY ethos, and often have a connection to so-called 'underground' communities. In this article the author responds to Chris Atton's model of librarian-as-ethnographer, which argues that information workers can draw on ethnographic methods to build cultural maps of grassroots and DIY communities. The author proposes that there are information professionals already in these communities, and their roles in both professional and DIY libraries enhances the librarian-as-ethnographer model by providing an insider perspective that may mediate tensions between the two collection spaces. The author draws on her fieldwork in zine libraries, infoshops, and social centers as example.
AB - This article considers preliminary findings from ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Australia and Canada in do-it-yourself (DIY) libraries and archives. These spaces are usually run on small or no budgets, often in squatted or donated spaces, with no paid staff. They are motivated by a DIY ethos, and often have a connection to so-called 'underground' communities. In this article the author responds to Chris Atton's model of librarian-as-ethnographer, which argues that information workers can draw on ethnographic methods to build cultural maps of grassroots and DIY communities. The author proposes that there are information professionals already in these communities, and their roles in both professional and DIY libraries enhances the librarian-as-ethnographer model by providing an insider perspective that may mediate tensions between the two collection spaces. The author draws on her fieldwork in zine libraries, infoshops, and social centers as example.
KW - Collection practices
KW - DIY communities
KW - Ethnography
KW - Zines
M3 - Article
VL - 4
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Journal of Library Innovation
JF - Journal of Library Innovation
SN - 1947-525X
IS - 1
ER -