Paper short abstract:

A small but rapidly growing part of research done on libraries is ethnographic. What knowledge can we gain if we gaze upwards from instrumental, 'ethnographish' problem-fixing and employ open, explorative approaches and fuller participation in applied research and settings like the library?

Paper long abstract:

There is much research done on libraries, of which a small but rapidly increasing part is ethnographically inspired. 'Ethnographish' is the derogative term the library ethnographers Lanclos and Asher (2016) give this 'short-term and narrowly contextualised' research. Here, open and explorative vistas, broader contexts, serendipity and transformative experiences, or ponderings on larger issues are rare. Rather, the instrumental and often normative discipline of Library and Information Science (LIS) seems to rule the ground alone.

This paper explores what kind of unique knowledge a broader contextualisation and commitment to participant observation, including 'living attentionally with others' (Ingold 2014), can offer from institutional settings like the library. It addresses thus the interface between applied and basic research, and between anthropology inside and outside of academia. How can we enhance both sides, at a time when the two need each other more than ever? How can academic anthropology become more relevant, without losing its unique advantages? And how can applied ethnography lift its gaze, and become more useful, in unexpected ways?

The research project is based on long-term fieldwork in an academic library and in various public libraries in Oslo. Participant experience, sensory ethnography, attempts at grasping the broader life and history of the participants as well as a wider socio-political context were important methodological ingredients. The particular findings are of minor importance to this paper, but relate to a wide range of issues from socio-political integration; urbanism; atmosphere, materiality and built environment; sociality and subjectivity; and therapy.