With immigrants making up 13.8% of our population, the US is more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse than ever before. But for many library workers, staying abreast of the fraught immigration policy landscape is challenging. Laws shift rapidly, with initiatives introduced or eliminated according to political agendas. For instance, library workers may be interested in … Continue reading Serving New Neighbors
From the iconic to the incendiary, political messages like these have emblazoned buttons and pins since the start of US elections. Since 2012, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (HKS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been archiving political buttons. The collection now includes thousands of items spanning a century’s worth of campaigns and causes. “Pre-internet, this … Continue reading Bookend: Put a Pin in It
For nearly a decade, Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois, and the Chicago office of the national nonprofit World Relief have worked together to offer free summer programming for families who are refugees or seeking asylum. In 2021, after the US military withdrew its final troops from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghan families fled … Continue reading Makerspace and Sense of Place
For library workers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, creating successful mentorship relationships is more than a boon: It’s a necessity. This is especially true in a career where it’s difficult for women of color to see themselves among peers or draw inspiration and encouragement from leaders who share their identity, culture, and … Continue reading Busy Intersections
Benjes-Small addressed dozens of attendees at “‘It’s Not Okay. It’s Not Normal’: Sexual Harassment of Librarians and Implications for the Field,” a July 1 program held at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. Spurred by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Benjes-Small and Jennifer Resor-Whicker, university librarian at Radford (Va.) … Continue reading It’s Not Okay
These findings contribute to the notion that scholarly knowledge comes from a homogenous group of researchers, thereby overlooking the contributions of other groups. This phenomenon has been referred to as epistemological racism or screening, among other terms. In 2017, I read about the “Cite Black Women” campaign founded by Christen A. Smith, an anthropologist whose … Continue reading Citational Justice
To help acquaint faculty members with the facility and build strong relationships with them, we designed an engaging in-person event called Summer Fest at our Hazy Library and Learning Center. During Summer Fest, which took place June 2022, our 24 attendees received a passport directing them to explore seven stations placed throughout our two-floor library, … Continue reading Campus Connections
The current backlash against DEI is playing out in libraries and legislative buildings, on campuses, and at the ballot box, with many efforts targeting the works of authors of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Efforts to dismantle DEI initiatives on college campuses create a chilling effect that silences and erases the perspectives, experiences, … Continue reading Scholarly Publishing for All
“[Twitch is] where gamers are,” Brown said. “That’s where we really wanted to do some outreach.” She discussed the pros and cons of using Twitch, ideas for library programs that can be livestreamed, and how the popular platform enables libraries to reach new audiences at “Low Stress, High Mayhem: Using Twitch for Professional Development and … Continue reading Playing to the Crowd
Jasmine Shumaker, reference and instruction librarian, and Joe Lee, interlibrary loan specialist, both at University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, shared their experiences at “Steering the ‘Ship: Navigating a Cross-Departmental, Cross-Status Mentorship in an Academic Library,” a January 20 ShopTalk program at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in … Continue reading Breaking Down Silos
While examining academic library websites in 2022, researchers Danielle Maurici-Pollock and Rebecca Stallworth noted they found 80 different definitions for FGS. The most common definitions refer to the first person in a family to go to college or a student whose parents didn’t attend college, but a range of lived experiences can make the terminology … Continue reading Eliminating Barriers, Meeting Needs
So what can we do? First, take inventory of your organization’s DEI interventions. This can include antibias training sessions, antiracism book clubs, climate surveys, land acknowledgements, diversity residency cohorts, and revised collection policies. Second, ask tough questions. Why has progress so far been measured in inches instead of miles? Can any of these approaches meaningfully … Continue reading A New Ethic of Accountability
