LIBRARIANS AWAKEN TO THE CRISIS AND THE CHALLENGE

In a 2014 Portal article, “Diversity, Social Justice, and the Future of Libraries,” Myrna Morales and colleagues envision “the future of academic libraries where librarians confront and creatively address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity within our profession and actively pursue a social justice agenda within our libraries and in the communities we serve. This future requires that we acknowledge that many of our current practices reinforce existing structures of inequity and privilege, and that we leverage our services and resources to sup port, document, and encourage diversity and social justice efforts within librarianship and society” (muse.jhu.edu/article/549202/pdf?casa, citation only). They point also to the collection development activities of academic librarians, which tend to favor non-diverse viewpoints.

Other libraries—public, research, corporate—are also beginning to question their current practices, assumptions, and priorities. The Inclusive Pedagogy for Library Instruction project (IP4LI), for example, is a grassroots effort of librarians from several small, liberal arts colleges to discover resources and best practices for applying inclusive pedagogy in library instruction settings (library.sewanee.edu/ip4li/racism).

CHALLENGING OUR ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT INFORMATION LITERACY

In 2015, ACRL released its Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which was intended as a blueprint for “creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.” However, some of its core assumptions and directions have been challenged. In a provocative 2019 Journal of Radical Librarianship article, “That Which Cannot Be Named: The Absence of Race in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,” Marcia Rapchak attacks the basic foundation of the Framework, which “does not explicitly address the ways in which systemic racism has shaped the information environment, instead centering traditional academic sources and discourse (journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/33/51).

Rapchak urges librarians to take a very different tack: “While systemic racism is unlikely to be dismantled through information literacy instruction, naming the issue of systemic racism and its prevalence in the information environment (something the Framework fails to do), providing counterstories in the classroom, and creating a supportive learning community are important antiracist steps that can lead to librarians and students working together to address white supremacy in their universities and beyond.” Morales and her co-authors agree. They conclude, after scrutinizing the Framework, that “information literacy is situated in a history of white supremacy in academia and academic libraries… .”

WAKING UP TO THE RESEARCH CHALLENGE

Racial tension is at a depressingly high level today. Finding and analyzing data to reflect this must continue to be a serious research requirement. Making these growing collections of data available to engender understanding is amplified by using data mapping to communicate complex information through visually appealing maps. Projects are now underway at major research institutions across the U.S. to use graphical representations of complex datasets.

The University of Washington’s “Segregated Seattle” (depts. washington.edu/civilr/segregated.htm) focuses on how ideas  about race shaped real estate law and housing policy. The University of Richmond’s “Mapping Inequality” (dsl.richmond. edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=4/37.272/-96.93) digitized New Deal redlining maps to clearly demonstrate how the federal government’s Home Owners’ Loan Corp. used race, ethnicity, culture, and religion for redlining neighborhoods and denying mortgage lending to these groups. “Mapping Prejudice” (mappingprejudice.org/index.html), from the University of Minnesota, looks at how “covenants created demographic patterns that remain in place in Minneapolis today. Residential segregation reinforces other disparities in employment, education and health care.”

LIBRARIANS HAVE A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY

Librarianship has a well-deserved image as a reactive profession, peopled with somewhat introverted individuals who are most comfortable behind a desk. However, true as that might be of some libraries and librarians today, the history of libraries in America is one of deep investment and support to our communities. Gratia Countryman, for example, was head of the Minnesota Public Library from 1904 to 1936 (and ALA president, 1933–’34). Her response during the Depression was to open the doors widely and provide whatever services were needed to support her community—including hiring a psychologist who worked alongside reference staff and others to best help people deal with the impact of the economic, social, and political environment of the day.

Information is our realm. We are the only key institution in the complete knowledge cycle and in advocating for the preservation and universal access to information. Knowledge production and use are central to our expertise, but we need to up our game. We can no longer sit on the sidelines but must demand our seats at the table of all aspects of information creation, publication, and access. The following must be included:

• Fostering collaboration with all players involved—acting not just as audiences or buyers of available information products, but as equal partners in the design and development of these products.
• Becoming true partners with information seekers, creators, and producers by providing advice, information, critiques, a sounding board, resources, and whatever else might be required to make our clients successful and information as useful, available, and findable as possible.
• Taking the lead in our research organizations, as well as the larger environment, in the creation/production/distribution process—from funding to publishing, access, and pricing, always with the needs/interests of potential users (now and future) in mind.
• Critically evaluating information products and resources and moving from a “hands-off” theory of neutrality to one that pushes vendors and creators to meet higher-quality expectations.
• Championing the needs and interests of all users of information—now and in the future—to see that information “ownership” never prevents access or use, making it as easy as possible for all people to feel empowered, able, and successful in whatever ventures they envision.

Perhaps no one has said it better than educator R. David Lankes: “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.” Our communities are calling out for our support.