Principles, Practices and Provocations

Alive and aloud with women’s own voices, this is the UK’s first comprehensive celebration of library-led feminism: capturing the underrated yet radical work taking place across our female-centric sector to catalyse gender justice through social, political, environmental and intergenerational change.

Women constitute 75% of library and information workers and yet their achievements and contributions to the LIS sector are often unspoken, overlooked and undervalued in every sense.

This agenda setting book - the first of its kind in the UK - combines case studies from libraries of all sectors to illuminate the feminism-infused principles and practices that shape the profession. With powerful, thought-provoking contributions from more than twenty feminist thought leaders and librarians, the book articulates the strong link between libraries and female empowerment, evidencing the case that investment in libraries is an investment in women. Chapters include:

• how libraries can catalyse women’s creativity
• menstrual literacy in bloody brilliant libraries
• intentionally inclusive practices in a feminist library partnership
• attachment theory, feminist practice and giving girls what they need to thrive
• eco-feminism and sustainable libraries.

At once a reappraisal of the centrality of women within libraries and a call to arms for their acknowledgement, this is an urgent, inspiring and essential book for all LIS professionals.