Emotional labour, information literacy instruction, and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The authors of this article, both instruction librarians, have researched the emotional labour that information literacy instruction librarians perform for several years. Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, they discuss concepts of emotional labour among instruction librarians in that evolving context. They outline common aspects of emotional labour that manifest differently during the pandemic, compared to non-pandemic times. They identify and analyse new layers of emotional labour that many instruction librarians currently experience on top of their “normal” lives and emotional labour. They provide a brief overview of aspects of emotional labour that may be easier or lesser during the pandemic. The article concludes with a call for future research on these concepts, particularly using qualitative and mixed-methods research.