2026 ALISE Annual Conference

Leah T. Dudak is a public librarian and Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University’s iSchool. Her research examines public libraries and the trauma that library staff encounter, centering supporting library workers, systemic issues contributing to trauma, and trauma-informed care. Drawing on feminist theory, embodiment, and disability studies. For methods, Dudak draws on feminist qualitative methods and arts-based research. She views her work through trauma-informed, feminist, disability, and arts-based lenses. She currently works with Urban Librarians Unite as their Community Care & Support Coordinator and helped to found the Library Worker Support Network (LWSN). She holds an MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.