Equity & Social Justice Advisory Group Resources: Social Justice and Librarianship
Introduction
"According to Wikipedia, information access is considered a "linchpin right" on which other human rights depend, because information is essential for supporting an informed citizenry that knows what their rights are and what their government is doing, or not doing, to respect those rights.[7]: 72 Free and equal access to information also supports lifelong learning for all, whether for personal enrichment, building individual capabilities or for fulfillment of a goal, such as starting a business, learning new software, discovering cultural history or finding healthcare.[2]: 69
Equity of access, which is a key action area of the ALA,[9] is central to the philosophy of librarianship. All people, "regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations or geographic barriers," should have access to the information they need.[10] Among the many ways in which librarians work to serve all populations are by working to eliminate barriers to service, providing materials in different languages, hiring bilingual and bicultural staff, and offering literacy instruction and ESOL courses. The ALA has policies addressing free access by all, including minors, LGBT, people with disabilities, the imprisoned, people living in poverty, cultural minorities, homeless people, immigrants, and people of all ages.[2][3]: 349 ALA policy also addresses diversity in terms of equity of access to information resources, services and technologies, especially for those who face language, cultural and other barriers.[11]
The ALA's adoption of "social responsibility and the public good" as a core organizational value[9] suggests that librarians have a responsibility to resist threats to intellectual freedom and advocate for democratic principles and human rights; and to address through social action the root causes of such problems as discrimination, poverty and homelessness, which are barriers to full and equal participation.[12][13][14]: 5–7 "
Wikipedia contributors, “American Librarianship and Human Rights,” Wikipedia, June 6, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_librarianship_and_human_rights.
Related Resource Guides
- Social Justice and Libraries: What Your Library Can DoThis guide provides professional development for libraries to promote social justice in our communities. There are many ways that libraries can support and promote social justice. Explore this guide to expand your library's role in contributing to social justice.
Books about Library Neutrality
Humanizing LIS Education and Practice
Humanizing LIS Education and Practice: Diversity by Design demonstrates that diversity concerns are relevant to all and need to be approached in a systematic way.
Dali, Keren, and Nadia Caidi. Humanizing LIS Education and Practice: Diversity by Design. 1st edition, vol. 1, Routledge, 2021, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429356209.
Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization
Reflective dialogue asks us to pause before reacting, to ground ourselves in a sense of compassion for ourselves and others, and to use that grounding to open a space to listen and to speak with the goal of recognizing a shared humanity and appreciating difference. In four sections, Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization explores the various ways in which librarians experience and respond to political polarization and its effects, both in our everyday work and in our professional communities.
Baer, A., Cahoy, E. S., & Schroeder, R. (Eds.). (2019). Libraries promoting reflective dialogue in a time of political polarization. Association of College and Research Libraries.
Unfinished Business : race, equity, and diversity in library and information science education
"In the wake of the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Unfinished Business: Race, Equity, and Diversity in Library and Information Science Education provides evidence that few, if any, library and information science (LIS) programs were ever integrated. With an impressive cast of contributors that includes experienced faculty and students, Unfinished Business tackles the issue of diversity from three distinct perspectives: external and environmental forces, student recruitment, and faculty/curriculum issues."
Wheeler, M. B. (2005). Unfinished business : race, equity, and diversity in library and information science education. Scarecrow Press.
Librarianship and Human Rights
In this book, the reader will encounter a myriad of urgent library and information voices reflecting contemporary local, national, and transnational calls to action on conflicts generated by failures to acknowledge human rights, by struggles for recognition and representation, by social exclusion, and the library institution's role therein. These voices infuse library and information work worldwide into social movements and the global discourse of human rights, they depict library and information workers as political actors, they offer some new possibilities for strategies of resistance, and they challenge networks of control.
Samek, T., & Gariepy, K. D. (2007). Librarianship and human rights : a twenty-first century guide. Chandos Publishing.
Intersectionality
- Making a New Table: Intersectional Librarianship"When librarians discuss the lack of underrepresented populations in librarianship, the solutions suggested most often are recruitment and awareness. But these discussions focus on one matrix of identity, like race or class, and ignore the fact that people embody multiple, layered identities. By treating these matrices of identity and marginalization as separate entities, librarians fail to fully understand how oppressions work in varying contexts. We need to go beyond the traditional diversity rhetoric and speak instead of intersectional librarianship. This article defines intersectionality, how it differs from the current discourse, and how it can be used to help librarians understand and serve diverse populations better."
Pushing the Margins by ISBN: 1634000528Publication Date: 2018-06-01Using intersectionality as a framework, this edited collection explores the experiences of women of color in library and information science (LIS). With roots in black feminism and critical race theory, intersectionality studies the ways in which multiple social and cultural identities impact individual experience. Libraries and archives idealistically portray themselves as egalitarian and neutral entities that provide information equally to everyone, yet these institutions often reflect and perpetuate societal racism, sexism, and additional forms of oppression. Women of color who work in LIS are often placed in the position of balancing the ideal of the library and archive providing good customer service and being an unbiased environment with the lived reality of receiving microaggressions and other forms of harassment on a daily basis from both colleagues and patrons. This book examines how lived experiences of social identities affect women of color and their work in LIS.
Chou, R. L., & Pho, A. (Eds.). (2018). Pushing the margins : women of color and intersectionality in LIS. Library Juice Press.
Library Neutrality and Vocational Awe
- Are libraries neutral?By now, the basic arguments for and against neutrality as a library value have been made. In this blog post, the author offers an argument about neutrality and materiality.
- critlibCritlib is short for “critical librarianship,” a movement of library workers dedicated to bringing social justice principles into our work in libraries. We aim to engage in discussion about critical perspectives on library practice. Recognizing that we all work under regimes of white supremacy, capitalism, and a range of structural inequalities, how can our work as librarians intervene in and disrupt those systems?
- Debating y/our humanity, or Are Libraries Neutral?Prepared remarks for an ALA Midwinter debate title "Are Libraries Neutral?"
Social Justice in Libraries
- Diversity, Equity Inclusion Statements on Academic Library Websites An Analysis of Content, Communication, and MessagingThis article analyzes the DEI statements of a library consortium's member websites to explore how these statements contribute to institutional construction of, and commitment to, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Developing a Culture of Inclusivity through a Library Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. Part 1: Team FormationHealth science libraries are ideally suited for proactive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, as their work and spaces transcend disciplinary boundaries. In 2018, a DEI Team was created by the Health Science Center Libraries at the University of Florida, with the purpose of improving the library's climate for its diverse patrons and employees. This article provides an overview of the Team's formation and development, including its charge, culture, structure, teamwork, leadership, and reporting processes.
- #Critical Conversations in LISAt the University of South Carolina, the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair, Dr. Nicole Cooke, has the honor of teaching a course entitled Critical Cultural Information Studies! As part of the Fall 2021 iteration of this course, there will be six amazing guest lectures that are being opened up to the larger LIS community (free and online). On this page you can register for upcoming lectures as well as view the recordings of past lectures.
- Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies through Critical Race TheoryIn Knowledge Justice, Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Color scholars use critical race theory (CRT) to challenge the foundational principles, values, and assumptions of Library and Information Science and Studies (LIS) in the United States. They propel CRT to center stage in LIS, to push the profession to understand and reckon with how white supremacy affects practices, services, curriculum, spaces, and policies.
- Libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justiceThe purpose of this paper is to examine libraries’ responsibility to engage with and support communities of color as they challenge systemic racism, engage in the political process, and exercise their right to free speech. Many libraries have ignored the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, citing the need to maintain neutrality. Despite extensive scholarship questioning the validity of this concept, the framing of library neutrality as nonpartisanship continues. This paper examines librarianship’s engagement with, and disengagement from black communities through the lens of the BLM movement. It also explores the implications of education, engagement, and activism for people of color and libraries today.
