University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A Holistic Approach for Inclusive Librarianship: Decentering Whiteness in Our Profession

Espinal, Isabel; Sutherland, Tonia; Roh, Charlotte

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/101941

Description

Title
A Holistic Approach for Inclusive Librarianship: Decentering Whiteness in Our Profession
Author(s)
  • Espinal, Isabel
  • Sutherland, Tonia
  • Roh, Charlotte
Issue Date
2018
Keyword(s)
  • Libraries
  • Information science
  • Library and information science
  • Diversity
  • Race
  • Ethnicity
Abstract
This paper traces the published literature on whiteness in libraries, identifying major themes in that literature, and then highlights the importance of decentering whiteness for moving the information professions forward. Engaging a dialogic ethnographic methodology, this paper was borne of conversations between librarians of color who worked in the same predominantly white library. The salient themes from those dialogues were the many ways that adherence to whiteness in libraries has had deleterious affective and career implications for librarians of color. The authors argue that to decenter whiteness in libraries and other information centers, it is crucial to center the experiences and well-being of librarians of color; diversify the ranks of librarians through bold initiatives, significantly increasing the numbers of librarians of color; and make large-scale incisive structural change at organizational levels. The paper concludes with an invitation for all information professionals to participate in inclusiveness initiatives by moving from microaggressions to microaffections.
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press. The School of Information Sciences at Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Series/Report Name or Number
Library Trends 67 (1). Summer 2018
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101941
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2018.0030
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2018 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Owning Collections

Library Trends 67 (1) Summer 2018: Race and Ethnicity in Library and Information Science: An Update PRIMARY
Library Trends 67 (1) Summer 2018: Race and Ethnicity in Library and Information Science: An Update. Edited by Nicole A. Cooke