In the Library with the Lead Pipe

We are live again!

Our site is down because of the PHP vulnerability. It will go back up once it has been secured.

Really blown away by this — it so accurately captures the grinding day-to-day of being caught in the cross hairs of manufactured austerity + the drug wars, and how easily this gets misdirected at our patrons.

"CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn reminded ... city workers tasked with dismantling encampments, that they have a right to refuse unsafe work. What has stuck with me about Hahn’s statement is the assertion that the right to refuse includes the right to refuse to endanger others."

"Library workers, more than most, are aware of the social conditions that shape public space and thus our work. Staying tethered to the compassion and care that got many of us into the field in the first place is an ongoing practice."

"Yes, library workers are ... increasingly caught in the crossfire of the war on drugs. However, rather than capitulate to dominant narratives that criminalize our communities, we have a responsibility to resist becoming willing agents of institutional violence against our patrons."

Our Patrons Aren’t the Problem: Discourses of Safety Amidst a Toxic Drug Supply Crisis by Kendra Cowley www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2026/our-pat...

The site is working again!

Hi all, our site is currently down again. We'll update you when it's back up. In the meantime, all our articles are archived on the Wayback Machine. Since this is often a question during these times, here's a direct link to the archived version of Vocational Awe web.archive.org/web/20261004...

interesting new read out

Important critical lacuna in the dialogue about SWs in libraries NAMELY (1) we don't have evidence it decreases social exclusion or increases inclusion (2) its not a solution which arises from patron demand/interest (3) it introduces new privacy concerns and risks reinforcing marginalizing policies

This article makes valuable points, but I will never forget the relief I saw on a circulation worker's face when she realized that a social worker in the space would mean she wasn't the primary person on call the next time someone ODed in the library bathroom.

"There is no significant data that patrons want or desire social workers in our space, especially those who are socially excluded. For patrons already entangled with social services [involuntarily] ... social workers in our spaces can instead pose a significant barrier to access."

"logics of control and punishment runs deep in our profession. This looks like overt policing by installing metal detectors, hiring uniformed security guards, ... library fines; code of conduct policies that explicitly target houseless community members [and ID policies that exclude] immigrants"

Thrilled to have this article out in the world with @libraryleadpipe.bsky.social , a journal I’ve read closely for over a decade. It’s a career highlight to be published in it.

Looking forward to reading more of this. Here's a direct link to the article. www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2026/no-soft...

The social workers who are routinely at my library are employed by the police department next door and host office hours with us. I try not to utilize them because they are, in this case, literally part of the carceral system.

I'm no longer working as a public librarian full-time, but reflecting on my nearly three decades of doing so, I really agree with the author's points & hope this piece finds a wide audience with library decisionmakers.

Last day to submit proposals during the August window! Our next open submission period will be January. Submission information here - please remember to check the nested guidelines, with our AI policy, information about our publication process, and our style guide!

We are back up! Normal links should work again. www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org

We are still down and our web host is redirecting traffic to their site while they work to fix things. If you or someone you know is trying to access the submission form, here is a direct link to it

We are still down and our web host is redirecting traffic to their site while they work to fix things. If you or someone you know is trying to access the submission form, here is a direct link to it

Here is a direct link to the most current submission form docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Our website is down again and we are waiting for our service provider to restore it. For anyone working to put together a proposal for the August submission window, here is the most recently archived version of our submission guidelines, which includes a link to the submission form

Reminding everyone that we are currently open to new submissions by reposting this 2013 classic Killing Sir Walter Scott: A Philosophical Exploration of Weeding by Laura Raphael www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2013/killing...

We are live again! You should be able to access the website as normal now. www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org

Our website is still down and we are waiting for our service provider to restore it. For anyone working to put together a proposal for the August submission window, here is the most recently archived version of our submission guidelines web.archive.org/web/20260724...

Our website is currently down. We are working to restore it. We will update this message when it's working again. In the meantime, if you need anything, you can access our articles through the Wayback Machine (be prepared for slow loading times). web.archive.org/web/20260000...

Reposting another article from this year, while we wait for the August submission window to open - Operationalizing Minimal Computing Values Through Shared Computing-Platform Development: A Case Study of DigitalArc and Opaque Publisher by Kalani Craig, Michelle Dalmau and Sean Purcell

A look back at what we've published this year, as we count down to our August open submission window: Seeking Approval, Confronting Objectivity: Neutrality in the Library of Congress Subject Headings Approval Process by Allison Bailund, Deborah Tomaras, Michelle Cronquist and @aboutness.bsky.social

As we get ready to open submissions in August, let's look back at what has come out earlier this year, starting with our January publication - Lived Patron Experiences of Dysconscious Ableism in Public Library Spaces by William N. Myhill

Reminder that our next open submission window is August: www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/submission-g...

Moving Beyond Willpower: A New Direction for Media Literacy Instruction by Mandi Goodsett www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2026/moving-...

Two publication updates: 1) We have codified our open-to-submission periods as January and August of each year. Our next open window will be August 2026. 2) We have increased our word cap to 7,000 words and encourage authors to aim for the range of 4,000-7,000 words (excluding references).

"Our aim is to help other library scholars facing similar challenges think through the implications of exercising their freedoms and make informed decisions… adds to the growing accounts of the lived experiences of library workers in navigating challenging political environments."

"...we recognize that while powerful, writing is not a substitute for other actions. However, our writing partnership has helped us push against feelings of fear and fatalism, and it has been a way to connect with others who also care about these issues."

"Throughout our research, the conclusion we came to is that the state of academic freedom for academic librarians is inconsistent across the field and institution-specific. … The status of academic freedom for PhD students is similarly inconsistent and unclear."

How do we write about this?: Reflections on scholarship about immigrants, data literacy, surveillance, and academic freedom in 2025 by Hayley Park and Negeen Aghassibake www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2026/reflect...

'In a way, the archive may act akin to the institution itself, dressing harm and isolation in the language of “care,” and participating in epistemic injustice against people with disabilities and their many “ways of knowing.”' #CripLib

on archival death