Leah T. Dudak
trauma scholar,
Librarian, artist.
PhD Student
My positionality
Your Logo Here
Leah is a white, cis, female, fat, librarian, and Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University. She was raised in a midwestern, middle class household. She is disabled with diagnoses of fibromyalgia, dysgraphia, anxiety, and depression. She sees her body as disabled, but her disabilities are often invisible, so people cannot outwardly see unless she uses a mobility aid or discloses her disability. Her body also carries immense privilege of sometimes passing as ablebodied, as well as the privileges of race, sexuality/gender, education, and socioeconomic status.
The Work THat I do
My research looks at public libraries and the trauma that library staff encounter giving attention to supporting library workers, systemic issues underlying library labor, trauma-informed care, and librarianship.
My credentials
University of Dayton
BA in Music 2011-2015
University of Illinois
Masters of Library and Information Science 2015-2017
Syracuse University, 2021-present
Some Past Projects
The Eye in I
A quilt looking at my reflectivity as a scholar
Trauma Study
Urban Library Trauma study with Urban Librarians Unite
Body Utility, Body Grief
A quilt looking at the loss of body to the workplace
Critical Librarianship, Social Justice, DEIA and Libraries, Public Libraries, Trauma in Libraries, LIS Education, Readers Advisory, Reference, Design Thinking, Feminism, Disability Justice, and Information Seeking Behavior.
Research Interests
My Current Projects
- Urban Library Trauma Study Peer Support Network
- Reference Repertoire Project with Dr. Rachel Clarke
- Pathways Project with Dr. Rachel Clarke
- Library Bodies at Work Study
- Library Trauma and Book Banning with Dr. Jieun Yeon
- Autoethnography on chronically ill bodies in academic spaces with Rhys Dreeszen Bowman
Photos from ALA 2022
Leah T. Dudak
Let's Collaborate
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