Chapter 8: The More Than Three-body Problem: Embodiment as a Persistent Challenge to Information Science

This chapter explores the challenge of multiple embodied positionalities as it impacts the scholarship and practices of library and information science (LIS). By deploying a comparative case study of two issues within the organization and provision of information, the chapter advocates for embracing a “more than three-body problem” within the field. Highlighting unique sites where this embodiment topic emerges within identifying inclusive and accessible information work, the chapter identifies practical and theoretical interventions that advocate embracing the challenges brought forth by the more than three-body problem. The chapter further positions the implementation of inclusive information work as a foundational role provided by librarians in an era of increasingly technologically oriented systems. The chapter concludes by speculating on what the future of the LIS looks like upon the embracing of a more than three-body problem.