ABSTRACT

This study examines how public librarians manage boundaries when providing information services to people experiencing homelessness. Drawing on interviews with twenty-four library staff at three public library systems in the Midwest United States and boundary work theory, this paper argues that public librarians navigate tensions in professional and personal boundaries, and that some of these tensions can be attributed to perceptions of vulnerability in both themselves and in the patrons they support. The paper concludes by making arguments to reconsider training and partnerships that enable public library staff to re-conceptualize what their professional roles entail.

摘要

本研究探讨公共图书馆员在为无家可归者提供信息服务时如何管理边界。本文通过对美国中西部三个公共图书馆系统的 24 名图书馆工作人员的采访和边界工作理论，认为公共图书馆员在专业和个人边界上的紧张关系中驾驭，其中一些紧张关系可归​​因于对他们自己和他们支持的顾客的脆弱性。该论文最后提出了重新考虑培训和合作伙伴关系的论点，这些培训和合作伙伴关系使公共图书馆工作人员能够重新概念化他们的专业角色所需要的内容。