Double the Vocation, Double the Awe: An Examination of Vocational Awe in Music Librarianship

Abstract

Building upon Ettarh’s call to dismantle vocational awe in librarianship, this article outlines the shared components of Western libraries and Western music that lay the groundwork for vocational awe in each of these institutions and explores the ways in which vocational awe uniquely manifests for workers in the interdisciplinary field of music librarianship. The article explores the narrative of music’s goodness, disciplinary training, and manifestations of vocational awe as they appear in the institutional cultures of practice of music and librarianship: inability to develop work-life balance, job creep, low morale, and inequitable compensation. In naming this phenomenon as it is situated within music and music librarianship, we critically examine how it may affect our own narratives and values. We seek to empower those in music library work to become mindful of and address the presence and influence of vocational awe at individual and institutional levels.