Our Labor, Our Terms: Workers’ Inquiry and Libraries

Abstract

The varied experiences of library workers during the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed a disconnect between how workers perceive the conditions, value, and results of their labor and the actual power they do or do not have over them. This paper proposes a workers' inquiry framework for gaining a more holistic understanding of the nature of library work by assembling the first-hand experiences of workers. This approach involves introducing the workers’ inquiry proposed by Karl Marx as a political strategy and exploring Italian feminism adjacent to the workerist and autonomist movements in Italy during the 1970s. It then examines the distortion of the library's mission during the post-Fordist era and explores how arguments around “the home”, “the family unit”, and “caregiving” have evolved alongside the abolition of binary notions of gender roles and work. By situating workers’ inquiry within its historical utility and connection to 20th century movements, it attempts to lay the groundwork for using this strategy to understand modern library work and workers and expose potential sites of struggle today. Pre-print first published online 02/20/202