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Vol. 43 No. 8 — October 2023

TECHNOLOGY & POWER

The U.N. High-Level Political Forum 2023 (hlpf.un.org/2023) took place in July to review and follow up on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted in 2015 (sdgs.un.org/2030agenda). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; sdgs.un.org/goals). For the U.N. High-Level Political Forum 2023, ALA organized two webinars, one on Indigenous agency and the other on women’s empowerment. I spoke at the latter, titled Libraries and Women Empowerment at the Intersection of Development, which directly relates to two of the U.N.’s SDGs: gender equality (Goal 5) and reducing inequalities (Goal 10).

Gender Inequality and Libraries

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism have become strong themes in recent years. Due to this, gender inequality might seem like a rather old-fashioned and outdated issue. However, in many parts of the world, gender inequality is still a deeply troubling reality that affects many more people than other inequalities. A U.N. study, “Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” found that, globally, 641 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a husband or partner at least once in their lifetimes. This accounts for 26% of ever-partnered women 15 years and older across the world. Up to 10 million more girls are likely to become child brides by 2030, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the 100 million girls projected to have been at risk before the pandemic. As of January 2022, the global share of women in lower and single houses of national parliaments is only 26.2% (un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality).

These statistics show that gender inequality continues to be a powerful force that harms women in the present—not at all a relic of the past. Gender-based violence and discrimination are serious inequalities, as they oppress half of humanity. What are libraries doing to realize gender equality? And what meaningful role can technology play in reducing gender inequality and empowering women and girls?

Before answering these questions, it is important to first acknowledge that women are not one monolithic group. Women come from many different races, cultures, nations, socio-economic classes, abilities and disabilities, and gender identities. Libraries and library technology should aim to serve women in all these categories, not one category of women over others. Also, empowering women and girls is part of libraries’ work toward empowering all who have less privilege and less of a voice in our society. They are not in competition with each other.

Libraries and Technology Together Address Gender Inequality

Libraries provide many technology-related programs specifically geared toward women and girls. For example, Connecticut State Library encourages girls to sign up for Girls Who Code Clubs, a free and flexible computer science program for 3rd through 12th grade students to learn how to make a positive impact on the world through computer science (libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children/GirlsWhoCode). Given that computer science is a heavily male-dominant field where female students experience difficulty in finding mentors and role models, programs like Girls Who Code play an important role in reducing gender inequality.

Similarly, the University of Virginia (UVA) Library runs the Women’s Maker program, which aims to increase women makers’ confidence and interest in STEM and makerspace technologies, improve their sense of belonging in the field, and better prepare them for future careers in the STEM area (news.library.virginia.edu/2019/10/04/womens-maker-program-now-accepting-applications). UVA’s Women’s Maker program focuses on improving gender equality in the library makerspace by making it more inclusive for all.

Another example is the Ann Arbor Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, sponsored by the University of Michigan Library and held at the Ann Arbor District Library in collaboration with other local groups such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the University of Michigan Digital Studies Institute. The goal of the Ann Arbor Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon is to increase the number of Wikipedia contributors and improve the coverage of artists and activists in Wikipedia articles who identify as women, nonbinary, trans, queer, Black, Indigenous, or people of color (stamps.umich.edu/events/ann-arbor-art-feminism-2023-wikipedia-edit-a-thon).

In addition to programs designed for women and girls, libraries use technology to build digital collections whose main topic or distinguishing characteristic has a focus on women. The Women Composers Collection by the University of Michigan Library, with digitized versions online through the HathiTrust (lib.umich.edu/collections/collecting-areas/special-collections-and-archives/women-composers-collection; babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/mb?a=listis&c=1346310894), and Women Working, 1800–1930, a digital archive by the Harvard University Library, are examples of such library collections (curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/women-working-1800-1930).

These collections show how libraries leverage a wide range of complex digital technologies, from digitization and OCR (optical character recognition) to digital repository platforms, to empower women and girls and reduce gender inequality. By making gender equality a prominent focus in their programs, services, and collections, libraries can promote the empowerment of women in various areas such as education, job training, and access to information that are critical to improving the socioeconomic conditions to which they are subjected.

Libraries are a trusted institution in the communities they serve and highly effective in local programming. The mission of libraries is to provide equal access to knowledge and information as broadly as possible. This leads to a natural affinity between libraries and a variety of local organizations that aim to reduce inequalities through community education, training, and participation.

Partnering with those local organizations is an area of outreach where libraries have proven experience and success. Effective strategies in such partnerships include first, finding specific areas where both local organizations and libraries’ interests align, and second, considering the needs of the community itself. Once an outreach area where those interests and needs match is identified, libraries and local organizations can work together to accomplish their shared goal by leveraging each other’s strengths and amplifying each other’s message.

A good example of such partnership is found in the AAUW (American Association of University Women) salary negotiation for women workshop, called Start Smart (aauw.org/resources/programs/salary/start-smart), hosted at libraries such as Greensboro Public Library and Boston Public Library. This workshop addresses the interests and needs of women, helps them gain effective skills in negotiating their salary, and aims to close the gender pay gap.

Libraries also develop their own programs and services that address various interests or needs in the women communities they serve. Ypsilanti District Library (YDL) in Michigan received two grants that will allow it to open a new library branch and support women and girls across all its branches (Sarah Rigg, “Ypsi District Library Preps New Branch, Expanded Programs for Women and Girls, Strategic Plan Update,” Concentrate, Aug. 17, 2022; secondwavemedia.com/concentrate/features/ydlupdates0647.aspx). For its programs, such as one that provides free meals for children and teens 18 years of age and younger, YDL added a kitchenette in one of its branch libraries. A local single mothers’ support group also uses YDL as a meeting place.

The Importance of Continuing Investment in Technology

In today’s libraries, technology is woven into all aspects of library services and operations and plays a key role in libraries’ work toward reducing inequalities. We have seen many technology-related library services and programs specifically geared toward empowering women and girls. Some of them are developed and provided by libraries themselves. Others are created through libraries’ close partnerships and collaboration with other organizations. Many of those library programs and services are made more broadly accessible and reach a greater audience through technology. Technology also directly supports libraries in developing digital collections that focus on various themes that are relevant to women.

Among all inequalities, gender inequality affects the greatest number of people. It systemically puts half of the world’s population in a disadvantaged position in all areas of human activities and welfare, ranging from politics, education, and finance to health. Libraries should continue their efforts to empower women and girls, and those efforts should be combined with libraries’ work toward reducing all types of inequalities. To be effective in this work, libraries should also continue to invest in and fully leverage the benefits of technology to make their work in this area more broadly available and reach a wider audience.