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# Scout Bell

Board Director | LIS Leader | PhD Candidate

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.emiliabell.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://www.emiliabell.com/blog/)
- [Not a pitch: Why libraries need epistemic inclusion, not benevolent influence](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/08/24/not-a-pitch-why-libraries-need-epistemic-inclusion-not-benevolent-influence/) - The best library and leadership spaces I've ever been in involved epistemic inclusion. That is, inclusion related to knowledge. Specifically, uplifting and legitimising diverse and marginalised ways of knowing. Libraries have always been about information and knowledge. But we haven't historically gotten our own influence right. The history of libraries holds a civilising legacy, often
- [Picking up the pace: PhD workflows and finding what fits](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/08/21/picking-up-the-pace-phd-workflows-and-finding-what-fits/) - I'm past the halfway mark of my PhD, and lately have been trying to pick up the pace alongside my other professional commitments. There's been a variety of tools and approaches I've used (and at times rejected) across my PhD - everything from Power BI, Data Studio, RStudio, BigQuery, spreadsheets, handwritten notes, Scrivener, and Obsidian.
- [Building and governing for access in disruption: Open publishing, disability culture, and library leadership](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/12/30/building-and-governing-for-access-in-disruption-open-publishing-disability-culture-and-library-leadership/) - This blog post serves as an exploratory and developmental process for my PhD. Its focus is on the academic literature I engage with, presented in a blog format, against the backdrop of professional contexts. A blogging approach enables exploration of the ties between research and practice, supporting reflexivity. Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- [From inside the room: on efficiency, trust, and design as governance](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/05/30/from-inside-the-room-on-efficiency-trust-and-design-as-governance/) - A few years ago, I sat in on a leadership webinar about influencing. I found myself counting up which of the recommendations I'd actually find off-putting, despite their being positioned as rapport-building. From my perspective, it lacked the social and cultural nuances of other rooms I sat in. I was there, in the room, in
- [A story about accommodations for a neurodivergent and disabled PhD candidate (and the process that made them work)](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/11/27/a-story-about-accommodations-for-a-neurodivergent-and-disabled-phd-candidate-and-the-process-that-made-them-work/) - This blog post is shared with the permission of my PhD supervisor, who was part of these conversations.I had disability accommodations for a PhD milestone this year. It's not something I've opted for often (or for a while), and it ended up being a positive experience. A colleague who was encouraging me from the sidelines
- [A process problem: What the NDIS reform and Open Access have in common](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/07/26/a-process-problem-what-the-ndis-reform-and-open-access-have-in-common/) - Australia has two critical 'access' conversations happening in spaces that rarely talk to each other, yet they're sharing a problem. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) overhaul is dominating headlines. But the debate is almost entirely about who gets access, while the process of how we get there continues to be sidelined. Meanwhile, the Australian
- [On multi-level governance models, structures, and open knowledge](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/07/20/on-multi-level-governance-models-structures-and-open-knowledge/) - This blog post serves as an exploratory and developmental process for my PhD. Its focus is on the academic literature I engage with, presented in a blog format, against the backdrop of professional contexts. A blogging approach enables exploration of the ties between research and practice, supporting reflexivity. Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- [Processes as stories: On struggle, meaning, and collective access](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/04/27/processes-as-stories-on-struggle-meaning-and-collective-access/) - We tend to think about processes as the unglamorous part of our work. We struggle through the process to reach an outcome that matters. The outcome is what we tend to share and communicate. It's the impact and story that we hope to headline. I've written a lot about processes over the last few years,
- [Where's the problem? Problematisation in libraries and leadership](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/03/23/wheres-the-problem-problematisation-in-libraries-and-leadership/) - "Problems hold greater value than solutions; they keep us ontologically alive and epistemologically sharp. History is not shaped by selfish interests, lofty ideals, or grand visions alone, but also by the perpetual encounters with problems that propel humans to ponder, act, and push the wheel of events toward a better future." (Hiba, 2025) 1 I
- [Bury the lede and follow my lead: What we miss about access in leadership](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/03/29/bury-the-lede-and-follow-my-lead-what-we-miss-about-access-in-leadership/) - "Access is a beginning, not an end point ... accountability toward disability access means committing to cycles of success, failure, and (re)iteration. Put another way, access is a long-term commitment to do better" (Hamraie, 2016, p. 267). Two of the most common misconceptions I hear in leadership about disability and neurodivergence are that access and
- [Beyond provocation: Reimagining systems through care, critique, and community](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/06/13/beyond-provocation-reimagining-systems-through-care-critique-and-community/) - Keynote at ANZREG Conference 11th June 2025 Slides | Recording Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0), except for any content quoted from third-party sources or where otherwise noted. All images retain their original Creative Commons Licences and can only be re-used under their respective licences. Quoted material and recordings remains under
- [Open access politics of vulnerability, symbolic capital, and care](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/02/27/open-access-politics-of-vulnerability-symbolic-capital-and-care/) - This blog post serves as an exploratory and developmental process for my PhD. Its focus is on the academic literature I engage with, presented in a blog format, against the backdrop of professional contexts. A blogging approach enables exploration of the ties between research and practice, supporting reflexivity. Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- [Three things I'm reading (part 2 and the PhD version)](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/02/18/three-things-im-reading-part-2-and-the-phd-version/) - I've been across several books and articles lately (and don't seem to be able to finish anything in one go!). It's probably reflective of being across so many spaces; though, I enjoy wearing several hats at once and find that it brings new perspectives to my work and research. I'd also been missing my old
- [Thoughts on 'joy' for 2026](https://www.emiliabell.com/2026/01/13/thoughts-on-joy-for-2026/) - A colleague shared a study about Autistic joy with me last week. I thanked them, feeling seen. They continued: "...and i immediately thought of you when i read 'joy' as well." And with that, I had a word for 2026: Joy. I've never set a focus word for the year. I usually resist this, as
- [2025: The words I wanted to use](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/11/05/2025-the-words-i-wanted-to-use/) - 2023 | 2024 In my past end-of-year reflections, I've touched on loss. No one close to me has died (or almost died) this year, but the feeling was there again. And it felt like something I'd lost previously. I've lost my words before. Because, at times, I choose not to compete. Which feels amusing, because
- [Libraries in knowledge brokering: Thick trust, weak ties, and diffusion networks](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/12/11/libraries-in-knowledge-brokering-thick-trust-weak-ties-and-diffusion-networks/) - This blog post serves as an exploratory and developmental process for my PhD. Its focus is on the academic literature I engage with, presented in a blog format, against the backdrop of professional contexts. A blogging approach enables exploration of the ties between research and practice, supporting reflexivity. Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- [What does it mean to be values-based? On process and visibility](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/10/24/what-does-it-mean-to-be-values-based-on-process-and-visiblity/) - A few weeks ago, a colleague and I struck up a conversation about values in the context of leadership. 1 It felt like a full-circle moment. A few years earlier, I'd shared with a colleague that I was worried about losing my sense of being values-based as I progressed in my career. 2 They came
- [Surfacing power and process: Relationality in open knowledge governance](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/11/17/surfacing-power-and-process-relational-governance-in-open-knowledge/) - This blog post serves as an exploratory and developmental process for my PhD. Its focus is on the academic literature I engage with, presented in a blog format, against the backdrop of professional contexts. A blogging approach enables exploration of the ties between research and practice, supporting reflexivity. Licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- [What does creating space for lived experience in leadership look like?](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/09/21/what-does-creating-space-for-lived-experience-in-leadership-look-like/) - One of my favourite leadership roles has been one with a remit that included (but wasn't limited to) bringing my lived experience of disability and neurodivergence to the table. It wasn't my only responsibility, and my expertise was recognised as going well beyond my lived experience, but its value and opportunity for impact were made
- [What happens when strengths-based leadership becomes strategic neglect?](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/09/07/what-happens-when-strengths-based-leadership-becomes-strategic-neglect/) - I've always prided myself on taking strengths-based approaches (toward myself and others) and finding creative solutions that allow people to move forward. Strengths-based approaches focus on what a person can do, rather than what they cannot do, emphasising a shift away from deficit models. Yet, something I often hear in conversations with disabled and neurodivergent
- [Brains in motion: When to step forward and when to step back](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/05/25/brains-in-motion-when-to-step-forward-and-when-to-step-back/) - Over the last year, the most popular blog post I've written has undoubtedly been Brains in motion: Navigating confidence and belonging. It felt like a massive risk at the time, even with an incredibly positive reception. Amusingly, the motivation for this second post is almost exactly the same as for the first post and follows
- [Six things that sustain me in my PhD](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/07/17/six-things-that-keep-me-phd-ing/) - I'm approaching the second milestone for my PhD, and buried in interviews and bibliometric data. I thought it was a good point to pause and reflect. Navigating many different spaces, it's often needing to mask/camouflage that creates the most work. Thankfully, my PhD has been a space where showing up as myself has been completely
- [Doing things differently: Resilience is relational](https://www.emiliabell.com/2023/08/01/doing-things-differently-resilience-is-relational/) - Presentation at ALIA NLSX (30 July 2023) Failing to understand how resilience relates to structural barriers can undermine how library professionals connect with the communities they partner with.
- [Shelf & screen: Three things I'm reading/watching](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/03/01/shelf-screen-three-things-im-reading-watching/) - Lately, working through my inboxes feels like it's just bookmarking a lot of links with things I'd like to read/watch. Those emails then get added to a professional development folder. Realistically, I won't get to go through it any time soon. Emails aside, one thing I do enjoy about having a few different projects on
- [Six things: PhD-ing](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/02/02/six-things-phd-ing/) - Sundays are for PhD-ing. Or, at least, writing out my thoughts on PhD-ing. As I've started to reshuffle and rework some of my earlier PhD writing, I've finally related to the idea of "don't ask how the PhD is going." My brain is constantly swirling, rapidly sifting through everything - including what needs to be
- [Like an athlete: A reflection on camouflage, palatability, and leadership](https://www.emiliabell.com/2025/01/19/like-an-athlete-a-reflection-on-camouflage-palatability-and-leadership/) - I had a conversation last year where someone asked me about the impact of career progression on accessibility and inclusion. Separately, I was also asked whether being open about disability and neurodivergence had left me feeling like I could be more myself. They were interesting and challenging prompts, especially since I work and research across
- [Situating hope in community](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/12/08/situtating-hope-in-community/) - One of my favourite parts of December is planning future projects and professional development. I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, but I will happily plan a full year of learning, study, and projects. I've had a rough last week (challenges during the week of IDPwD got the better of me), and so (like the
- [2023: A year of embracing the co- in co-lead](https://www.emiliabell.com/2023/12/18/a-year-of-embracing-the-co-in-co-lead/) - I'm not sure how to describe 2023. In January, I'd already started thinking that this might not be my year. Having lost a family member and then a pet shortly after, the year began with being asked to do a eulogy and a series of emergency vet trips. There were plenty of successes alongside the
- [2024: Embracing change](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/11/10/2024-embracing-change/) - Last year, I wrote a reflective end-of-year blog post about embracing the co- in co-lead. I didn't anticipate making a yearly reflection a habit, and I'm probably not keen on that. I also didn't know if I'd feel comfortable writing one this year. However, 2024 has brought many changes, and I've enjoyed writing through them.
- [Are we evidence based or informed? An LIS perspective](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/10/14/are-we-evidence-based-or-informed-an-lis-perspective/) - Are we evidence-based or informed, and does it matter? When I was focused on the evidence based library and information practice (EBLIP) space, I noticed a small handful of people in libraries preferred to say they were evidence-informed rather than evidence-based. This difference in language stuck with me. From my observations in the LIS profession,
- [Brains in motion: Navigating confidence and belonging](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/08/27/brains-in-motion-navigating-confidence-and-belonging/) - I rarely talk openly about being Autistic. As a multiply neurodivergent and disabled person, I'm proud of my wonderfully nuanced Autistic brain, yet also acutely aware of the risks and assumptions that come with disclosing. I've stepped into new roles and experiences this year, so I've been somewhat reflective about my experience of leadership as
- [What does it mean to be values-based?](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/07/23/what-does-it-mean-to-be-values-based/) - For the last few years, I've described my work as values-based. This was something that I saw as directly related to evidence-based library and information practice (EBLIP), as I'm a proponent of making values explicit in decision-making. I cared enough to write a paper on this and apply values-based practice to value/impact work in open
- [Impact through connection: A reflection](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/07/07/impact-through-connection-a-reflection/) - It's Disability Pride Month, and I'm celebrating community and connection. Last Friday, I unboxed some assistive listening technology. I'd had to wait for it, and so was worried I had only imagined the positive impact from the first time I trialled it. But it was still there, and I once again benefited from something I
- [The problem with solutions](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/06/23/the-problem-with-solutions/) - I intended to work on my thesis and a paper today. But, instead, I'm thinking about expectations and problem-solving. Whether identifying, establishing, or communicating expectations, this has been a passing topic in several chats over the last few months. In the past three years, an expectation I've had for one of my team's was documentation,
- [Exclusionary norms](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/06/18/exclusionary-norms/) - Earlier this year, I found a post (focused on student leaders) asking: 'Why are university meetings still so inaccessible?'. The author reasons that making meetings accessible by design will ensure they are more "effective, productive and mindful of the diversity of the student and staff community." What I especially like, though, is the statement: "And
- [Why I'm standing for the ALIA Board in 2024.](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/02/05/why-im-standing-for-the-alia-board-in-2024/) - ALIA Board Elections 2024 I'm standing for election to the ALIA Board of Directors. I hadn't initially thought I'd nominate in 2024. I am, however, thankful to the two incredible library leaders who reached out and asked about my ALIA Board intentions for this year. Thank you. There's only so much space for candidates to
- [Exploration in evidence: A personal reflection](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/04/02/exploration-in-evidence-a-personal-reflection/) - The past week I've been trialling a remote mic device and hearing aids in professional and social settings. Eventually, I'll have to make decisions for the longer term. It made me think about the different types of evidence I'll rely on for that decision. A colleague recently suggested that examples of applying evidence to decisions
- [Hit-and-miss approaches to sustainable impact](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/03/25/hit-and-miss-approaches-to-sustainable-impact/) - I've recently had several conversations on libraries, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and soft power. A few discussions turned to focus on reporting and impact, including mapping activities around the SDGs. In particular, these looked at applying the SDGs as a framework to outputs or outcomes after they have occurred. There's nothing inherently wrong with
- [Creative inquiry in EBP: "It's not just …"](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/01/29/creative-inquiry-in-ebp-its-not-just/) - I recently came across a blog post on Why Bother With Creative Research Methods? by Dr Helen Kara. I've previously stepped into creative practice-based research methods in a case study on experiences in a regional university library makerspace using visual elicitation. While my work in library evidence-based practice doesn't always involve research methodologies in the strictest
- [Finding purpose & potential in library impact assessment](https://www.emiliabell.com/2024/01/21/purpose-potential-library-value-impact/) - I've been grappling with value and impact in library evidence based practice over the last few years. It's often been a source of dissonance (though one I keep returning to). It's not that we lack frameworks, standards, and scholarship on library value and impact to refer to. For me, the problem lies in how we
- [The potential for partnership in evidence-based library practice](https://www.emiliabell.com/2023/08/08/partnership-evidence-based-library-practice/) - How can evidence-based practice in libraries be experienced as a shared process (with and for communities)?Approached with care, there is potential to see evidence-based practice in libraries as a shared process.
- [AI, evidence, values, and stories: Prompting partnership](https://www.emiliabell.com/2023/08/18/prompting-partnership-ai-evidence-based-decisions/) - What questions should AI prompt library professionals to ask about their sources of evidence?
- [NLSX questions - Resilience is relational](https://www.emiliabell.com/2023/08/01/nlsx-questions-resilience-is-relational/) - Responses to questions recieved following my NLSX presentation.

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.emiliabell.com/) - Scout Bell (they/them). Also go by Emilia C. Bell (pronounced emi-lee-ah). Hear my name I am a Board Director, library leader, NFP co-founder, and PhD candidate who is passionate about inclusive governance, evidence-based leadership, and driving change that creates lasting and meaningful impact for individuals, communities, and organisations. ORCID | LinkedIn | BlueSky: @emiliacarabell.bsky.social
- [About](https://www.emiliabell.com/about/) - Scout Bell (they/them) — Also known as Emilia C. Bell (pronounced emi-lee-ah). Hear my name I'm a board director, NFP founder, and library leader working at the intersection of governance, libraries, open knowledge, and disability inclusion, and bringing a systems lens to my work in research services, open scholarship, and institutional strategy. I lead teams
- [Speaking engagements](https://www.emiliabell.com/speaking/) - Invited speaker | Presentations Invited & keynote speaker Invited speaker. Bell, S. (2026, August). ANDPA - From access to belonging: Rethinking disability and neurodiversity in libraries. [Industry Lightning Talk]. CAVAL Spark. Invited speaker, Wilson, D. (2025, June 22). Episode 22 - With Emilia Bell . Let’s talk libraries! Keynote speaker. Beyond provocation: Reimagining systems through
- [Professional experience](https://www.emiliabell.com/professional/) - My leadership has taken shape across libraries, universities, open knowledge and research, governance, community, and not-for-profit spaces. I founded ANDPA and grew it into a 200+ member national charity, served as a Board Director for ALIA and BWB, have completed the AICD Company Directors Course. This is while also leading research services, digital strategy, and
- [Research](https://www.emiliabell.com/research/) - My research sits at the intersection of library and information studies, knowledge production, and critical theory, with connections to International Relations scholarship and open knowledge practices. I work across two related research streams: doctoral research examining open scholarly practices through the lenses of knowledge and library diplomacy and critical disability studies, with a focus on
- [Publications & media](https://www.emiliabell.com/publications/) - Peer-reviewed journal articles Bell, E. C., & Stagg, A. (2026). Developing an OPEN Framework for Asking EBLIP Questions in Open Education. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 21(1), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip30867 Bell, E. C. (2025). Open knowledge through soft power, diplomacy, and the library: A theoretical analysis and critique. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 12(2). Bell, E.
- [Academic CV](https://www.emiliabell.com/academic-cv/)
- [Experience](https://www.emiliabell.com/experience/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Evidence Based Practice](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/evidence-based-practice/)
- [Equity diversity inclusion](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/equity-diversity-inclusion/)
- [Pedagogy](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/pedagogy/)
- [Reflection](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/reflection/)
- [Research & Schol Comm](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/research-schol-comm/)
- [Critical librarianship](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/critical-librarianship/)
- [PhD](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/phd/)
- [Leadership](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/leadership/)
- [Disability](https://www.emiliabell.com/category/disability/)

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