With a new study out (published 8/30/2017) by Ithaka S+R on the diversity in Academic Research Libraries, discussion over the startling lack of diversity in the library field has begun again. There have already been multiple blog postings and articles about the report in places like Inside Higher Ed. (A link to the report can be found at the bottom of this post.) The whiteness of librarianship is a problem that I can see, and I've only been in the library profession for about five years. I look around at my colleagues and the majority are white, upper middle class females. I can remember my time in graduate school and encountering mostly white upper middle class females. There is quite a lack of diversity in all facets of librarianship (gender, race, ethnicity, LGBTQIAA, etc.). The question that remains: why? Some talk about the systemic biases of the library field and the failure of diversity initiatives. A great post about that can be found at In the Library with the Lead Pipe. (Can we take a second to discuss the cleverness of this name?) Others talk about the numbers - what are our actual diversity statistics? What can we do to "fix" it? They propose ten year plans to help combat the problem, such as a blog post over at Feral Librarian. All of these articles and posts are important. The lack of diversity in our field is a problem. The lack of diversity in many fields in a problem. In my opinion, we won't be able to address the problem properly until we acknowledge that we are part of the problem. A huge issue that I see happening in our field and in our discussion on diversity is perpetuating the terrible concept of "us and/vs. them" or "the other". When librarians talk about diversity in the field, it usually comes from a place of whiteness. What can WE as white people do to attract more people of color to OUR community/field? No wonder the field is so whitewashed! Our very language - something that our profession should be so much more cognizant of - perpetuates "the other" concept. The library field and librarians tout diversity as an important topic and issue - it is one of our core tenants. I have no doubt that there are many well meaning people who are working so hard to make the field truly diverse. How can we reach a true level of diversity, inclusion, and equity if people of color are continually treated as "the other" in the profession? I'm not even talking about trying to "recruit" diverse professionals. I am talking about the way "the other" manifests itself in everyday practices. Let's look at an example that I see currently happening in the library field. Many libraries that serve communities with diverse languages being spoken provide books that are written in different languages. Awesome! Great! They should have even more of them! The fact that they have these books isn't the problem. That is a step in the right direction. It's how these books are marketed to the community that continues to add to "the other" perception. Most libraries want to highlight these collections - make them easier for patrons to access and locate materials. They usually indicate them with special stickers and usually have an allocated section in the library for them. I totally understand their thinking. Guess what? By doing this, we are producing an "us vs. them" atmosphere. In our quest to be more inclusive, more diverse, more helpful for our patrons, we are doing the exact opposite. We are indicating that (in this example) those who read English belong over here and those who don't belong over there. What does this mean? It means that from a young age, libraries and librarians are seen as highlighting diversity but perpetuating whiteness. I know that some of you are currently reading this post and thinking to yourself: ACCESS. BARRIERS TO ACCESS. How does a non-English speaker access portions of the collection if they do not know how to use the library catalog or read the language to access the information in the catalog? I don't know. I do not have the answer to this question at this moment and I am sorry. I am merely using it as an example to highlight "the other" problem that I see lurking in all areas of the library field. I wonder what the library culture, and the rest of society in general, might look like if we treat every piece of our collection as a "normal" part of our collection though. Would the library field become more diverse because members of all facets of society find themselves represented and included? Would everyone view the library truly as a space for everyone, as we so often claim we are? I think that a large part of the problem is the library field is indicative of the broader issues of how diversity is treated in our society at large. All we are doing is mirroring a terrible system that currently exists. Even my own language of treating the lack of diversity as a "problem" that needs "fixing" is not sitting well with me. It keeps perpetuating "the other" mentality, and it has become so ingrained in me through my education and personal learning that I am having a hard time finding another way to discuss it without using that type of terminology. By no means am I trying to claim that I am an expert in this situation. I know that at various times of my life I have accidentally contributed to this continuing problem in the field. I am just stating some of my own observations and thoughts on the matter at hand. I'm very curious to what others think about the report and the larger topic being discussed in it.
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AuthorI have worked in Education my entire life moving from K-12, to a community college, to my current position at a four year. I am fascinated by weird things and information in general. Archives
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