Problem-based Librarianship: what if we were structured to help address global challenges?
Librarians are typically sorted into specific categories:
Subject specialist: engineering librarian, business librarian, arts librarian
Functional specialist: data librarian, research metrics librarian, instructional design, digital scholarship librarian
Programmatic specialist: outreach librarian, distance learning librarian, first-year experience librarian, creative technologies librarian
But what if we applied a systems-thinking approach?
Thought Experiment: A New Framework
What if librarians were organized around specific problems, initiatives, or themes that a particular university focuses on? For example, consider climate change. I was talking with an engineering professor who published a significant article on glacier melting. This topic extends far beyond engineering, bringing together the knowledge, data, and models of many adjacent disciplines.
This got me thinking: what if there was a dedicated climate change librarian? Instead of adopting a library-centric viewpoint (where someone teaches and builds collections based on a particular domain of expertise), what if a problem itself was the focal point? This librarian could then ask, "Who's working on climate change, and how might I collaborate with them?"
This librarian would become well-versed in the relevant data and information sources, gain a deep understanding of the courses, labs, and stakeholders across the university and beyond, and ultimately become an expert in climate change knowledge and practices. This role would enable fluid collaboration with research teams and projects, the delivery of lectures and workshops, and active engagement in service and outreach initiatives campus-wide. In this way, librarianship transcends its traditional confines, embracing a more holistic and impactful role. This approach integrates across disciplines, fostering proactive problem-solving that aligns with the university’s strategic goals.
Broader Applications
I’ve been thinking about climate change a lot recently, but there might be other related complex issues that could serve as focal points for problem-based librarianship, such as food and water security, global health systems, equity, social-political polarization, humanitarian relief, next-generation energy systems, sustainable urban development, air & water pollution, or alternative (altruistic?) economic models.
This approach resembles how a university might develop a center or institute to bring diverse backgrounds together to explore issues more broadly or from different perspectives. In this model, librarians take on a thematic problem centered around a significant and expansive global issue. Positioned in this way, they could thread together the intellectual infrastructure to advance research, teaching, and engagement in a more systems centered manner.
Closing thought
Embracing a framework such as problem-based librarianship is not just an adjustment in librarian roles; it's a profound shift towards making libraries pivotal arenas for addressing real-world problems. By focusing on pressing global issues, librarians become central to the intellectual and practical solutions needed today. This transformation allows libraries to act not only as knowledge repositories but also as active, dynamic centers of innovation and collaboration. As such, librarians equipped with this focus are better positioned to influence and contribute to the broader goals of their institutions and communities, making an indispensable impact in our interconnected interdependent world.
