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Wilson, K (2024) On a wing and a prayer: professional ethics and the prison library. Library Management.
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LM On a Wing and a Prayer OA PDF_Proof.PDF - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (243kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Abstract Purpose In response to instrumental cultural policy agendas in the United Kingdom, the paper explores the practice of collaborative cultural work in the criminal justice system through the lens of professional ethics in prison libraries. It seeks to balance narratives on the value of arts and culture in cross-government policy agendas with a nuanced consideration of the realities of such work in non-conventional organisational settings. Design/methodology/approach “Instrumental Values: Professional ethics in collaborative cultural work” was a two-year empirical study (2017–2019), including ethnographic fieldwork in three case study sites representing prison library services in England. Following a “communities of practice” conceptual framework, research methods included participant observation of day-to-day cultural work and specific events; successive research interviews with library and prison service staff and volunteers; and interviews with key collaborating organisations from extended professional networks. Findings Data from three prison library case studies show consistent ethical implications relating to the extent of collaborative complexity in the field and its impact on participants’ emotional resilience; navigation of the prison regime by cultural workers; consequences for emotional labour and care in the field; and the re-negotiation of ethical boundaries and practices. Originality/value The research makes an original contribution to debates on the instrumental value of arts and culture via its intimate focus on prison libraries as microcosms of situated, truly integrated cultural work, both from a physical, organisational perspective and in their representation of a cross-policy function for arts and culture.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com' |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Prison libraries; Cultural policy; Professional ethics; Cultural value; Criminal justice; Collaborative work; 0807 Library and Information Studies; Information & Library Sciences |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z719 Libraries (General) H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV8301 Penology. Prisons. Corrections |
| Divisions: | Humanities & Social Science |
| Publisher: | Emerald |
| SWORD Depositor: | A Symplectic |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Jun 2024 13:21 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jun 2024 13:21 |
| DOI or ID number: | 10.1108/LM-04-2024-0043 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/23600 |
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