Emil Lawrence (he/him) is the Library Coordinator at the Pride Center of New Jersey. He works with other volunteers to manage PCNJ’s library collection and make materials accessible to community members. 

A former reference and web services librarian, Emil is now an assistant professor of Library & Information Science at Rutgers University, where he teaches courses on adult reading interests, social justice in information institutions, and human information behavior. He spends quite a bit of time thinking about the freedom to read and what it entails, as well as how libraries—public and grassroots—can advance that freedom through their services. Emil is a romance reader, horror movie enthusiast, and (slow, but committed) jigsaw puzzler.