Face Value: How Living with An Appearance Difference Informs Library Customer Service

Abstract

This reflective article explores how living with a visible difference shapes professional practice in a public-facing academic library role. Drawing on personal experience with craniofrontonasal dysplasia (CFND), the author examines how visibility, empathy, and self-awareness inform interactions with library users, colleagues, and the wider university community. The article highlights the importance of representation, inclusive service delivery, and human-centered approaches in library practice, linking personal insight with institutional frameworks for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). By integrating lived experience with professional practice, the author demonstrates how understanding and valuing difference can enhance user experience, foster belonging, and cultivate meaningful connections in academic library environments.