Across the threshold: The library's place on the hero's journey

Nelson, Sarah

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/118023 Copy

Description

Title

Across the threshold: The library's place on the hero's journey

Author(s)

Nelson, Sarah

Issue Date

2022-10

Keyword(s)

• Storytelling
• Advocacy
• History
• Folklore
• School libraries
• Public libraries
• Community engagement
• Community-led services

Abstract

It has long been known that stories can be powerful marketing tools for many organizations, including libraries. Existing research has looked at the stories that employees tell about libraries and the stories libraries tell to promote themselves. For this exploratory study a workshop was offered training participants to tell personal, historical, or traditional stories relating to libraries, culminating in a performance. An open mic time during the performance allowed audience members to share their stories as well. Storytellers included library users, a student training to be a librarian, and the library professor/researcher. The stories were coded using Joseph Campbell's hero's journey as a framework. By examining these stories we can better understand where libraries and librarians fit on the hero's journey. These stories help us understand how patrons view and use the library and invite us to imagine the mythic potential of the library as we advertise our services.

Series/Report Name or Number

Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference, 2022

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/118023

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2022.991

Copyright and License Information

• Copyright 2022 Sarah Nelson
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

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