On gaming librarians and the queer community

Her path took her from meteorology to working in the library at the Jülich Research Centre. From there, she went on to become a professor of science communication at the Technical University of Cologne. Prof. Dr. Claudia Frick talks about her professional responsibilities, librarians who play video games, and the queer community.

It's quite a big leap from meteorology to library science. How did you come to take this step?

In addition to my meteorology studies, I also devoted myself to many other things, such as political activism. I wanted to integrate these aspects into my career. Then a job advertisement from the research centre came along, looking for a natural scientist to work in the library, which was perfect for me: I was familiar with scientific publishing as well as copyright law. However, I still had to complete a master's degree in library and information science, which was financially supported by the research centre, which also granted me leave of absence for the relevant periods. I worked at the research centre for seven years and ended up sharing a departmental management position with a colleague. My team's tasks included publishing scientific journals, managing the FZ's own publishing house, and further developing and programming the publication database.

You had a permanent position – why did you leave the research centre?

In addition to my work at the research centre, I took on individual teaching assignments at TH Köln. And that's where I stumbled across a very suitable job advertisement: a professorship in the field of science communication. Since it was practically handed to me on a plate, I simply gave it a try. Although I hadn't worked towards it and therefore didn't have a long list of publications, my existing practical experience carried more weight at a university of applied sciences.

What are your responsibilities as a professor today?

The focus is on teaching, but of course I also have the opportunity to do research. Since I am heavily networked with other library professionals in my spare time and produce a podcast on climate research – an overlap between meteorology and science communication – this gives rise to topics that initially have nothing to do with what was on my desk in Jülich: For example, gender aspects, queer topics in library science, and climate adaptation. These research topics would not arise directly from my teaching activities.

What does the networking with other library people you mentioned look like? It seems that private and professional life are intertwined?

During the Covid pandemic, someone at a library conference – which was held online, of course – asked if any of us liked to play video games. A group of people who work in and around libraries and also enjoy playing computer games got together and formed a network: the Gamebrarians. Of course, we also talk about our work while gaming, which gives rise to numerous ideas. For example, this is how the network of queer librarians came into being: Some Gamebrarians planned a workshop on the topic of ‘Libraries as a safe space for the queer community’ – and while brainstorming, they realised that not only are there library people who game, but we are all queer as well. In order to connect with other queer library people who don't game but share this other commonality, we created the Queerbrarians network. Both networks have not only resulted in professional contacts and private friendships, but also in academic publications by people who otherwise probably would not have come together. It's a wild mix of a private commonality that you have and a professional perspective. Many ideas from these networks also flow back into my research.

How active was your role in establishing these networks?

In the case of Queerbrarians, my rather joking suggestion that we could also set up a network of queer librarians was the spark that ignited the idea. I was also involved in the creation of the Rainbow Network at Forschungszentrum Jülich, which is aimed at all employees, and the queer network of employees at TH Köln. The idea for the Rainbow Network was brought to me by one of my colleagues in Jülich: she told me that she wasn't sure at first whether the Research Centre was a queer-friendly company. The two of us therefore wanted to meet with the Office for Equal Opportunities to explore networking opportunities – but the word-of-mouth network at the research centre worked so well that Mr Jäger, Professor Marquardt's former executive assistant, contacted us in advance and joined us.

Is there anything in particular that you find special about the research centre?

Absolutely! There is something in Jülich that I miss at TH Köln: the close proximity of so many different disciplines. The research centre has a very special campus character: located on a green site in the forest, with a lake in the middle, it's like a melting pot where people come together. TH Köln, on the other hand, is spread across numerous locations. While you constantly bump into people from other disciplines at the research centre, here that's only possible by design or digitally.

Further links to the podcast and networks.

Podcast - Das Klima
Network - Queerbrarians
Netzwork - Gamebrarians