Customer Service, Hard Work, and Normativity: Identity Standards Encoded into Public Library Routines

Routines are a defining feature of the library workplace. While these routines can improve efficiency and keep libraries from needing to constantly reinvent the wheel, they can also introduce inequities that negatively impact library staff based on components of their identity. In this study, ten staff members from public libraries in America recorded a total of 50 audio diaries about their experiences in routine work. Analysis revealed the nature and source of identity standards encoded into library routines, how discrepancies in these standards are introduced, and what staff do to work around those discrepancies. Findings suggest that certain staff are more susceptible to these challenges, including staff of color, LGBTQIA+ staff, staff with mental illnesses, and staff with chronic pain. Yet, staff also employed their creative agency as they devised ways to work around problematic routines. This study contributes to research on routine dynamics and has implications for the continued promotion of equity, diversity, and inclusion in public libraries.