University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Allies and allyship in LIS

Hussey, Lisa

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ALISEACP2022_Hussey_1.pdf
ALISEACP2022_Hussey_1.txt

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117956

Description

Title
Allies and allyship in LIS
Author(s)
Hussey, Lisa
Issue Date
2022-10
Keyword(s)
  • Ally
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)
  • Social justice
  • Whiteness
  • Critical librarianship
  • Allyship
Abstract
Given the social tumult over the past few years, the concept of being an ally, or allyship, has become a popular talking point for many in the LIS professions. Acting as an ally is a common step in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategies. The term is used to describe individuals with power and privilege providing support and assistance to marginalized groups and individuals, including LIS professionals, staff, library users, or community members. Despite the prevalence of its use, the concept of ally is not well-defined resulting in different understandings and expectations. Ally and Allyship is applied to a variety of intentions and actions, ranging from declaring support on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to speaking up in public to actively engaging through volunteering, protests, and funding. Many of these actions, however, are not always perceived as helpful by the groups they are intended to help. In order to effectively engage in allyship, it is important to build a common understanding of what it means to be an ally and how that translates to the practice of allyship. In LIS, there needs a better understanding of what it means to be an ally and to engage with allyship, as well as how these concepts are perceived and defined by both those who are carrying out actions, as well as those who are receiving the intended support. This research focuses on the definitions of and the behaviors associated with being an ally and participating in allyship amongst professionals in LIS in the United States. The study builds on the work of Erskine and Bilimoria (2019), which proposed a definition of white allyship in support of Afro-Diasporic women and identified motivators and detractors of allyship behavior. The behavior of professionals with privilege and power can support or impede the career development of professionals from marginalized groups (p. 320). As a result, understanding the factors that support white allyship behavior can inform professional development and personal actions to increase the capacity of other white professionals to enact allyship behavior, with long-term potential for increasing the number of professionals of color in LIS organizations.
Series/Report Name or Number
Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference, 2022
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Conference Paper / Presentation
Language
eng
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117956
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2022.1075
Copyright and License Information
  • Copyright 2022 Lisa Hussey
  • This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

Owning Collections

Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference: ALISE 2022 PRIMARY
Go Back and Get It: From One Narrative to Many