Professor Emily Drabinski of the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (GSLIS) at Queens College has been a longtime advocate for change. Her leadership in public libraries and national movements against censorship exemplifies the strength of women in shaping both academia and society.
Before teaching at the GSLIS, Drabinski served as a librarian at the CUNY Graduate Center for four years, including two years as interim chief librarian during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining CUNY, she worked as a librarian at Long Island University Brooklyn. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric from LIU Brooklyn and a Master of Library Science from Syracuse University.
Drabinski’s story is rooted in her personal journey as a woman navigating the world of literature, with a purpose often overlooked. Originally from Boise, Idaho, she moved to New York City to pursue her dream of writing. While working as a freelance writer, she encountered barriers to income and healthcare but remained undeterred. When Drabinski realized that the internet was transforming print journalism worldwide, she reached a crossroads in her career and began seeking more stable opportunities. She found a position as a librarian and quickly fell in love with the profession.
“I have also been able to do a lot of writing as a librarian and as a professor, far more than I likely would have done as a struggling magazine writer,” Drabinski said. Writing, after all, had always been the foundation of her aspirations.
Drabinski is not just an ordinary professor; she is a knowledgeable and dedicated woman committed to redefining the field. She served as president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2023 to 2024, where she collaborated with fellow librarians to raise awareness about the importance of classrooms that reflect the real world. She underscored the overlooked aspects of the field, stressing how skills gained in the classroom are transferable to practical work.
Drabinski’s initiatives directly contrast with the views commonly held by conservative groups, who argue that the humanities are unnecessary.
“Thinking critically about information and how it is produced, circulated, and preserved is always important, and I think only more important given the context of mis- and dis-information that most of us find ourselves navigating,” Drabinski explained. She added that college provides a foundation for “deriving more out of our experiences,” then cheerfully concluded, “Life matters too!” emphasizing how people’s lives intersect in all these different fields.
Drabinski has produced an extensive body of work, including initiatives focused on the issue of banned books. As the former president of the ALA, Drabinski noted that the fight for the right to read is closely connected to marginalized communities.
She shared, “I am an out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and somehow that has been turned into a threat against people who don’t share this identity. If we expand the discussion of censorship from books to people, we can see how important it is to organize against censorship in our communities.”
Drabinski highlighted the historical impact of censorship on marginalized groups and stressed the importance of challenging the silence it creates. She pointed to recent elections as a reminder of the growing negative rhetoric but expressed confidence in the public’s capacity to create change beyond the political realm. She emphasized the role of libraries in providing equitable access to information and shared that, as ALA President, she witnessed the resilience of individuals who support public institutions.
Given the political climate, Drabinski said, there will be challenges in colleges and universities. The field of information studies is valuable, and scholars in the field often are the “defenders and preservers of information.”
“If we organize and win the library, I believe we will win the world,” she said.
Circling back to the QC community, Drabinski understood the broader implications of the attack on knowledge. Her mantra is, “I believe that we will win.” She explained, “My entire life has been spent under political systems that undermine public institutions from the school to the library and regimes that profit from inequality and division. It’s tough out there, but we can’t make progress if we don’t believe it’s possible.”
Professor Drabinski is a trailblazing force at QC, championing intellectual freedom and social change. Through her work as a librarian and educator, she has underscored the importance of knowledge, empowered others to challenge traditional systems that undermine public institutions, and found ways to amplify marginalized voices.
