Library political conflict and changes in patron-library views and interactions
with Amelia Hill-Medrano — 2024-
Libraries across the United States continue to face political and ideologically based challenges, often in the form of book challenges based on restrictions on content on sexuality, race, or other charged topics, as well as in questions of public funding (The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association, 2024). These challenges have affected many crucial library stakeholders: they left many library administrations and staff with the loss of their own autonomy with regards to intellectual freedom, deprived library patrons and other community members access to necessary resources and programming, and even caused library closures. Libraries around the country have spent valuable organizational time, money, and labor in defending against these challenges. Meanwhile, library patrons and community members have been exposed to these challenges through both national and local news media, denial of access to library material, and changes to library operations. Notably, some patrons and community members also have participated in individual or organized activism relating to their libraries.
This pilot case study critically asks: how have library challenges, including media reconsideration challenges, attempted shelving relocations and restrictions of material access based on age, or other similar political or ideological challenges, affected library patrons’ and community members’ views of and interactions with their community libraries?
Battling brain drain: Perspectives of public library youth engagement in rural Southern and South Central Appalachia
with Newlin Ann Humphrey — 2024-
From ASA 2025 Conference proposal:
While populations in Appalachia have shown trends of increasing, there has generally been a decrease in youth populations (US Census Bureau, 2023). This demographic shift leaves the future of the region in question. Talented young individuals leave Appalachia after graduating high school to pursue university and other career and technical opportunities but fail to return home and reinvest their newfound knowledge and skills in the community causing areas of Appalachia to struggle as the average age continues to rise (McLaughlin et al., 2014). Factors such as limited career opportunities, poor infrastructure, economic challenges, and connections with social networks can impact the intention of young people to return to Appalachia or put down roots elsewhere (Vazzana & Rudi-Polloshka, 2019). Access to broadband and closing the gap of the digital divide remains critical to expanding education and career opportunities as well as facilitating the influx of new services to the area (Klesta & Blakenship, n.d.).
However, the researchers identified that while rural public libraries are often overlooked, they can play an outsized role in connecting their communities, encouraging civic engagement, and supporting their communities economically during times of technological change. Specifically in Appalachia they have expertly used technology for community engagement and combatting the region’s marginalization, including a focus on youth spaces and connections (Chase, 2021; Barbakoff, 2019; Mehra et al., 2020).
The purpose of this pilot study is to explore the perspectives of public library youth engagement in rural Southern and South Central Appalachia during a period of noted out-migration.
Beyond the binary in banned books: Examining drag and trans identities in censored children’s literature
Graduate Research Assistant to Jamie Campbell Naidoo — 2024-
From IRSCL 2025 International Congress proposal:
Stepping away from the artificial binary of male/female gender, numerous children’s books have captured the finer nuances of gender fluid identity of both children and adults. These children’s books offer equitable representations of identity that can serve as mirrors of readers’ own experiences or glimpses into the lives of “the other” that help to normalize lived experiences.
Unfortunately, these books, which include representations of drag and trans identities, are often the target of censors who claim these titles are inappropriate for children. In the eyes of the censor, it seems that the most abhorrent materials are those which situate identity in liminal or transitional spaces, outside of and apart from traditionally understood boundaries. The censoring of drag and trans representations is problematic on its own, but it should additionally be considered whether these book banning attempts create the side effect of a false equivalence between drag and trans identities.
Our research asks: how are representations of drag and trans identities being portrayed within censored children’s literature? Conversely, how are these different identities being approached within library book challenge discourse?
This study of global children’s titles, which have been the subject of library censorship challenges, includes critical content and semiotic analysis of the drag and trans representations within those materials, and discourse analysis of the challengers’ rhetoric of those representations. Researchers share common themes that have led to the challenges of these books, comparing contexts from around the world.
Community-engaged, applied research to advance digital equity in rural agricultural communities
LG-252351-OLS-22 IMLS National Leadership Grant – Libraries
Graduate Research Assistant — 2023-2024
Researcher — 2024-
Publications forthcoming
From IMLS proposal at https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/lg-252351-ols-22:
“East Carolina University’s Laupus Health Sciences Library will work with NC State University Agromedicine Extension, NC Area Health Education Centers, NC Farmworker Health Program, Student Action with Farmworkers, and the NC Agriculture Digital Alliance to research and address digital equity in rural agricultural communities, specifically for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Researchers will examine the prevalence of internet access and devices among farmworkers; the information literacy levels and needs or farmworkers and farmers; the current role of libraries in serving agricultural communities; and whether broadband plans typically include libraries and agricultural workers specifically. Deliverables will include webinars for librarians, newsletters and other digital documents, case studies of librarians with unique experiences or innovative ideas on providing resources and engaging with agricultural communities, and publications in library science journals. Migrant and seasonal farmworkers, community health workers, library staff, and agricultural communities will benefit from this project.”