renewed purpose

Renewedlibraries.org is a space for me, a library director, researcher, facilitator, trainer, and consultant, to share about my application of critical librarianship, from theory to practice, in public libraries and beyond. I serve on the PLA’s Digital Literacy Committee, and as a co-lead for Library Services to the Justice Involved, and organize locally to improve access to library services for people impacted by the prison industrial complex. I got into this work through my research into “public libraries as bureaucracies,” a dynamic that creates undertheorized spaces that reinforce the status quo, following the “bureaucratic balance of power principle.” Critical librarianship rejects the notion of libraries as neutral spaces, while public libraries represent life-affirming organizations whereby communities can invest in their citizens.

The purpose of renewedlibraries.org is to help other library workers to reflect critically and organize effectively for the sake of building a better future, for public libraries and all of the people we serve. Please explore my website and my papers and presentations, and get in touch at jordan.makely@gmail.com.