Library Staff and Drag Queen Perspectives and Decision-Making About Drag Queen Storytimes

Drag queen storytimes are a type of children’s programming that is becoming increasingly common in public libraries across North America. During these events, drag queens lead storytime by reading stories, singing songs, making crafts, and engaging in other activities typical of library storytimes. Organizers have pointed to the potential of drag queen storytimes for promoting acceptance and celebration of diverse identities. Although these storytimes have received quite a bit of attention in the popular press, to date little scholarly research has examined this phenomenon. This proposed project will address this gap in the literature by examining the perceptions of both public library staff members working in children’s services as well as drag queens who participate in these storytimes. This project will engage these stakeholders in semi-structured, open-ended interviews to explore the factors influencing library staff and drag queens’ decisions to host or not host these storytimes, the supports and challenges encountered when hosting them, strategies used to address these challenges, and how drag queen storytimes may complement existing library programs and services. Results will provide much-needed insight regarding whether, how, and why public libraries implement drag queen storytimes and have implications for informing public libraries' decisions to host such programs.