Reorienting Library Technology With Slowness and Care

Developing a humane vision of technology is one of the greatest challenges facing libraries today. Ubiquitous computing, big data, and artificial intelligence have transformed the environment for academic libraries, yet library users and employees struggle with disinformation and precarity. Librarians increasingly recognize how assumptions about technology have been shaped by neoliberal ideology and corporate oligopolies, with negative consequences for civic discourse, patron privacy, and libraries as workplaces.

This session invites attendees to explore an alternative, relational approach to library technology grounded in Slow librarianship and the ethics of care. Through this session I share my research for a chapter from a forthcoming book on Slow librarianship to be published by Litwin Books later this year. After introducing Slow librarianship and care ethics, I will engage attendees in discussion of how these philosophical concepts can be applied to library work in the CSU system. This approach to technology challenges expectations about productivity, competitiveness and innovation, values hidden labor and seeks deep engagement with colleagues and library users from a mindset of solidarity.

Quick recap

Sanjeet, a Systems and Discovery librarian, welcomed attendees to a session on reorienting library technology with a focus on the slow library movement and introduced his upcoming book chapter in "Slow Librarianship." The discussion explored work pace, rhythms, and the impact of various tools and processes on workflow, while examining how Western capitalism's emphasis on continuous growth influences technology use in libraries. Sanjeet emphasized the importance of relational technology grounded in care and repair, introducing concepts like slow librarianship and the ethics of care, and encouraged participants to consider a more intentional approach to technology implementation in their work.

Next steps

• Explore the resources on slow librarianship and ethics of care provided on the session libguide.

• Review the summary of the Etherpad discussion from the session.

• Questions to consider:

  • How can you apply relational approaches to technology in your own work, based on concepts of slowness, care, and repair discussed in the session?

  • How can you implement new technologies in intentional and participatory ways?

  • How can you leverage technology to surface and acknowledge hidden work in libraries?

Summary

Introduction

Sanjeet welcomed attendees to the session "Reorienting Library Technology with Someness and Care," scheduled to start at 3 PM. He shared a link to a guide he created to accompany the session and gave participants a minute to join. Once the clock hit 3 PM, Sanjeet confirmed his slides were visible and began the presentation.

Slow Librarianship and Technology Reorientation

Sanjeet, a Systems and Discovery librarian at California State University, San Bernardino, welcomed attendees to a session on reorienting library technology with a focus on the slow library movement. He introduced his upcoming book chapter in "Slow Librarianship" and emphasized the importance of technology in libraries, highlighting constraints like budget, time, and staffing. Sanjeet outlined the session's format, which included interactive discussions using a shared Etherpad document, and mentioned he would provide a summary of the anonymized discussion on a LibGuide for asynchronous participation. He also shared links to the discussion questions and etherpad for attendees to participate.

Work Pace and Technology Impact

Sanjeet led a discussion about work pace and rhythms, noting that participants mentioned various factors influencing their work speed, including reference desk duties, collaborative projects, and AI-related tasks. The group explored how different tools, processes, and workflows impact work flow, with particular attention to the challenges of balancing continuous work with interrupted tasks. Sanjeet concluded by introducing research on the historical connection between technology and speed, setting the stage for further discussion of these concepts.

Capitalism, Growth, and Societal Strain

Sanjeet discussed Western capitalism's focus on continuous growth and the finite nature of resources, leading to technology being used to control and scale production for competitive advantage. He explained how sociologists like Hartmut Rosa have observed an "escalatory logic" in modern societies, where constant growth is necessary for survival, contributing to societal strains and issues like climate change. Sanjeet also highlighted research by scholars like Sarah Sharma and Karen Nicholson, who studied the unequal valuation of time across professions and the temporal labor of librarians, respectively, revealing how time management and responsiveness are increasingly expected norms that contribute to stress and burnout.

Slow Librarianship

Sanjeet discussed the need for a shift in technological approaches to work, emphasizing the importance of grounding technology in relationality and connectedness. He introduced the concept of slow librarianship, which originated from the slow food movement in Italy. Meredith Farkas has defined Slow librarianship in terms of anti-racism, solidarity, and resistance to neoliberalism. Sanjeet highlighted the value of intentional and reflective collaboration, as well as a people-centered approach to technology, which downplays trendy innovations and supports incremental growth of existing infrastructure. He also noted connections between slow librarianship and the ethics of care, which he plans to explore further in his research.

Ethics of Care in Librarianship

Sanjeet discussed the ethics of care, highlighting its origins in feminist philosophy and its relevance to librarianship, emphasizing the importance of care work and the choices made in allocating resources. He also introduced repair studies, a specialized field within ethics of care focusing on technology breakdowns and maintenance, noting that repair involves power dynamics and offers learning and creativity opportunities. Sanjeet concluded by summarizing the attributes of relational technology as characterized by slowness, care, and repair.

Relational Technology and Mindfulness in Work

Sanjeet discussed three key themes: interdependence, surfacing hidden work, and building partnerships. He emphasized the importance of avoiding individualistic approaches to time management, caring for human experiences, and supporting colleagues through creating supportive environments to teach technology skills in our libraries and in the profession (such as the Carpentries or Code4Lib conference). Sanjeet encouraged participants to consider a relational approach to technology in their work and suggested being intentional about technology implementation rather than being early adopters. He mentioned a growing literature on mindfulness in librarianship and academia and invited participants to continue learning from the resources provided.

Summary generated by Zoom AI and edited for accuracy.