Ruling Relations and the School Librarian An Institutional Ethnography

An Institutional Ethnography

Abstract

The work of a school librarian is shaped by relations seen and unseen. Problematizing the effects of these relations on the institutions of education, librarianship, and school librarianship can lead to a greater understanding of the work of the librarian. I will use institutional ethnography methods to investigate relations of education, librarianship, and school librarianship Institutional ethnography has been used to investigate the coordination of activities in other human services, but institutional ethnography has not yet been applied intensively in educational settings (Smith, 2005). Institutional ethnography can be used as a method of inquiry into the work of people in educational settings.