University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

In pursuit of antiracist social justice: denaturalizing whiteness in the academic library

Brook, Freeda; Ellenwood, Dave; Lozzaro, Althea Eannace

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89748

Description

Title
In pursuit of antiracist social justice: denaturalizing whiteness in the academic library
Author(s)
  • Brook, Freeda
  • Ellenwood, Dave
  • Lozzaro, Althea Eannace
Issue Date
2015
Keyword(s)
  • Social Justice in LIS
  • Academic libraries
Abstract
This article examines racism and the culture of Whiteness in academic libraries in three major areas of public services: space, staffing, and reference service delivery. The authors perform a critical discourse analysis, drawing on critical race theory, critical geography, critical education, and social psychology to examine foundational library scholarship and professional standards. Academic libraries as products and representations of their parent institutions, are situated within the well-documented systemic and institutional racism of higher education in the United States. This is reflected in the monocultural geography and spaces of academic libraries. It is seen in the organizational culture and hiring practices of libraries, which are overwhelmingly staffed by White workers, while serving an increasingly diverse student body. Finally, it is reflected in the traditional tenets of reference service delivery, including approachability, responsiveness, and objectivity. The authors argue that racism is embedded in academic libraries through a culture of Whiteness. Consistent with social justice traditions in librarianship, they offer tools and suggestions to realign the profession with antiracist values and practices that will enable libraries to better serve their communities.
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
ISSN
0024-2594
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89748
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2015.0048
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2008 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Owning Collections

Library Trends 64 (2) Fall 2015: Social Justice in Library and Information Science and Services PRIMARY
Library Trends 64 (2) Fall 2015: Social Justice in Library and Information Science and Services. Edited by Bharat Mehra.