Maintaining a Future: A Theory Toward Present Action and Future Thinking

This presentation proposes an understanding of maintenance as standing in opposition to the concepts and language of “disruption” and “innovation.” These terms, and the actions they foster, consistently disqualify history and existing processes, ignoring long term engagement and development. The future, however, cannot be attained and sustained without consideration as to how systems, infrastructures, people, and resources are supported, developed, and cultivated. This is particularly true of libraries in times of upheaval, change, and technological shift. This presentation seeks to reframe maintenance from a progress-adverse concept to an actively critical approach. To this end, a schema for maintenance is proposed, engaging participants in seeing and practicing maintenance, challenging invisible and unquestioned aspects of library practice in the present toward an engaged future.