C. Articulate the importance of designing programs and services supportive of diversity, inclusion, and equity for clientele and employees
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963, p.3)
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been a push for school libraries and school librarians to become culturally competent, aware of their own cultures and of those they serve “cultural competence means understanding your own culture, other’s culture, and the role of culture in education. Using student’s culture as a basis for learning, communicating high expectations, and reshaping curriculum to reflect student’s diversity leads to better educational outcomes” (NEA, 2021 para. 1). In order for school libraries to truly be culturally competent, the library teacher must be a champion of social justice; promoting the ideals of diversity, inclusion, and equity, while having an awareness of his or her own cultural beliefs and biases. The school librarian must also have an active interest in learning about the community they are serving. Having a clear understanding of the various cultures, languages, demographics, and socio-economic status that make up the school district allows the library teacher “to develop strategies to best serve the full community” (Wong, Figueroa, and Cardenas-Dow, 2018, p. 57). In this paper, I will discuss three key components to achieving cultural competence: diversity, inclusion, and equity.
DIVERSITY
Embracing diversity—the unique perspective each library user brings as a result of their individual experiences and the environmental factors surrounding them—is an integral characteristic of the school librarian “ when we recognize, value, and embrace diversity, we are recognizing, valuing, and embracing the uniqueness of each individual” (Wong et al., 2018, p. 54). Just as you can never judge a book by its cover, you cannot know what makes up a person by looking at them. In order for the library teacher to effectively serve the entire school community it is important to discover and value the varied external and internal factors that contribute to the makeup of the students and faculty in the community. These factors include, but are not limited to: culture, language, race, ethnicity, religion, values, sexuality, socio-economic status, gender, age, education, mental and physical ability, and geographic location.
School library teachers must go beyond simply knowing and understanding the characteristics of the population they serve, they must also provide diverse resources and materials that match the needs and interests of the school population. To ensure the collection has the materials and resources relevant to the population, Jensen (2018), suggests conducting a diversity audit “conducting a diversity audit made me look honestly at my collection development and forced me to step outside my comfort zone to accomplish the work I always claimed to be doing” (para 2). The diversity audit should highlight any existing gaps that need to be addressed.
It is also imperative that the library teachers seek out input from the entire population on materials, resources, programming and other services “among the most important diversity endeavors information organizations can undertake is the provision of equitable access to information through the inclusion of diverse communities in the design and delivery of programs and services” (Wong et al., 2018, p. 57). Gathering information from the community also helps the library in its pursuit of equity for all library users.
EQUITY
“Information and libraries are not neutral...consistent equity of access is always a concern and a goal” (Cooke, 2018, p. 45). Achieving equity does not mean providing the same things equally to everyone; it means providing each person the individual tools and resources they need to be afforded the same or similar opportunities as their peers across the country and throughout the world. Equity in the school library is about being aware “that some groups were (and are) disadvantaged in accessing educational and employment opportunities and are, therefore, underrepresented or marginalized in many organizations and institutions'' (Wong et al., 2018, p. 54). For this reason, the library teacher must make a concerted effort to bridge any gaps in service: cultural, socioeconomic, or digital.
This goes beyond diverse programming, signage in different languages, multicultural books in the collection, and lending hotspots and other technological devices. When ordering assistive devices and materials, the library teacher must be cognizant and mindful of the various physical and cognitive abilities and disabilities in the school population “special needs students entering the LMC should have resources that facilitate access to the information available in print and electronic formats and other media'' (Hopkins, 2006, p.12). This may include assistive technology such as text reading software, magnification devices, talking books (as opposed to audio books, these are made specifically for visually impaired individuals), as well as a braille and large print collection.
INCLUSION
It is imperative to the social-emotional wellbeing of all students that the school library be a place of inclusion. This goes beyond stating these values in the library mission statement and providing diverse materials, though these are important components to accomplish. This goes to the essence of what true librarianship is meant to be—finding a way to make all library users feel welcome and valued—providing resources and materials based on their individual needs and interests. A school library’s mission statement, values, and/or policies may discuss the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion; however, unless it is put into practice, they are just words. It is crucial that when any student or faculty member walks into the school library they are walking into “an environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully; are valued for their distinctive skills, experiences, and perspectives; have equal access to resources and opportunities; and can contribute fully to the organization’s success” (ALA, 2017, para. 4). Furthermore, as already discussed, it is also the obligation of the library teacher to “create inclusive collections that acknowledge and celebrate diverse experiences and provide instructional opportunities to empower learners as effective users and creators of information and ideas” (AASL, 2018, p. 1). This means using a variety of publishing houses, book lists, and vendors in order to be inclusive of all individuals “the state of diversity in publishing is not good, so those tasked with collection development need to work extra hard to ensure inclusive collections” (Jensen, 2018, para. 2).
EVIDENCE
Info 250 - Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals - Project 3
In Info 250 we were required to create a “knowledge building center” lesson plan in order to help students gain deeper understanding and stimulate the development of 21st century skills. The lesson my partner and I created was centered on social justice, and was titled Books not Bullets. I believe this lesson shows my dedication to designing culturally diverse lesson plans and educating students on the importance of social justice through a multicultural lens. My role in the project was to design the site including inserting the majority of pictures, we then split up the pages. I was responsible for: tools & tutorials, calendar, work spaces, contact us, and assessments. We co-wrote the lesson plan, and both contributed to the resources.
Info 237 - School Library Media Materials - Cultural Exploration Text Set
The goal of this assignment was to practice and reflect on the skills needed to provide students with resources to support student’s diverse needs. I believe by creating this text set, I learned the importance of having multicultural materials in the library that students can relate to and learn about other cultures from. Through this assignment, I also learned there are many kinds of diversity. The text set I chose tackles some hard situations, it is important not to shy away from them, as you never know which student may need to see that they are not the only one dealing with a particular situation.
Professional Experience - 3 trainings: Teach for Justice Training & Understanding Microaggressions I & II
Through the high school I work at, I have done two diversity trainings with Dr. Kalise Wornum. One on September 23, 2020, and the other on November 16, 2020. Dr. Wornum provides cultural proficiency training for educators and discusses identifying micro and macro aggressions and internal biases. I also attended a social justice webinar through Teachers Pay Teachers Teach for Justice series with Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. titled Diversity, Privilege and Leadership: Are We Making Any Progress in the 21st Century? on October 15, 2020. Through attending these trainings, I feel I have a better grasp on having important conversations centered around race and ethnicity, no matter how uncomfortable it is. I also learned how crucial it is that each student feels welcomed and comfortable in the library with materials that they can connect with in order to feel seen. I also learned that it is important to provide materials that show positive role models of color, as many books and other materials tend to reinforce negative stereotypes and the slavery narrative. While it is important to understand the history of slavery, and how certain stereotypes have been perpetuated, it is also important to showcase successful people of color living ordinary and extraordinary lives.
CONCLUSION
According to Cooke (2018), social justice is the real goal, not diversity “action is what creates the distinction between diversity and social justice; being a social justice advocate implies that you are working toward equal access for those who are different from you” (p. 41). Through my academic and professional experiences, I have learned that school libraries have a unique opportunity to provide resources to all students; regardless of where they live, what color they are, what language they speak, or what their abilities are. I believe I have gained a clear understanding of the importance of making a concerted effort to learn about the school community’s diversity. This includes becoming familiar with linguistic preferences, social customs, and cultural norms to develop strategies in order to best fulfill the needs of the community I am serving. I will also ensure that I regularly reflect on my own inherent prejudices and biases; conscious or not, to make sure the school library collection and services are inclusive, diverse and equitable.
References
American Association of School Librarians (AASL). (2018). National school library standards crosswalk. https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180828-aasl-standards-crosswalk-future-ready.pdf
American Library Association (ALA). (2017, July 5). Equity, diversity, inclusion: An interpretation of the library bill of rights. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/EDI
Cooke, N. A. (2018). Librarians as active bystanders: Centering social justice in LIS practice. In K. Haycock & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 39-48). Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.
Hopkins, J. (2006). Assistive technology: 10 things to know. Library Media Connection, 25(1), 12-14. https://search-ebscohost-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=502889585&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Jensen, K. (2018, October 22). Diversity auditing 101: How to evaluate your collection. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=diversity-auditing-101-how-to-evaluate-collection
King, M. L., Jr. (1963, April 16). [Letter]. Stanford University; The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf
National Education Association (NEA). (2021). Cultural competence. https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/professional-learning/just-equitable-schools/cultural-competence
Wong, P., Figueroa, M., & Cardenas-Dow, M. (2018). Diversity, equity of access, and social justice. In S. K. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 52-68). Rowman & Littlefield.