Poetry as Knowledge in Librarianship: Inquiry, Identity, and Praxis (Advances in Librarianship, 61)

Poetry as Knowledge in Librarianship draws on poetry to illustrate its role in library and information science professionals' intertwined personal and professional streams of life journeys.

The edited collection explores the power of poetry as a “voice” in transforming librarians’ lives and shaping their motivations, directions, choices, and actions at intertwined personal and professional nexus of intersection from all around the globe. Chapters provide an opportunity for librarians and information professionals worldwide to discuss the use of poetry and its transformational potential within and beyond the academy. The authors draw on the theoretical construct of “voice” as an instrument of self-consciousness, narrative development, storytelling, and discourse analysis.

Bharat Mehra is Professor and EBSCO Endowed Chair in Social Justice in the School of Library and Information Studies, College of Communication and Information Sciences, at the University of Alabama, USA.

Vanessa Irvin is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Master of Library Science Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions of the College of Education at East Carolina University, USA.