Document Type
Contribution to Book
Publication Date
2026
ORCID
0000-0003-4442-1053
Book Title
Slow Librarianship: Reflections and Practices
Publisher
Litwin Books
City
Sacramento
Editor(s)
Ashley Rosener
Keywords
slow librarianship, care ethics, repair studies, library systems, systems librarianship
Abstract
Nearly all operations and services in contemporary libraries are mediated by technology. This makes systems and technology work an important place in the organization from which to address issues of time, power and culture.
In this essay, published as a chapter in a collection of essays about Slow Librarianship, I describe the origins of the associations between time, speed and technology in Western society. I articulate an alternative understanding of technology as relational, grounded in the needs and lived experience of those who work in and use libraries. I draw from several emerging concepts, including Slow Librarianship, feminist ethics of care, and repair studies. I suggest that a relational orientation to technology work in libraries supports emphasis on long-term collaborations, user research and people-centered approaches to management and organizational change involving technology.
Rights
CC-BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Recommended Citation
Mann, Sanjeet, "Reorienting Library Technology Through Slowness and Care" (2026). Library Faculty Publications & Presentations. 63.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/library-publications/63
