Create equitable experiences, adopt active efforts, and reinforce individuals' worth are the key terms and ideas that stand out to me when thinking about EDI in the LIS field. However, there are many barriers people still face when creating, adopting, and reinforcing EDI measures. In order to begin thinking about these ideas, we must first look at how access to library and information services plays a role in EDI.
The American Library Association notes that "libraries are major sources of information for society and they serve as guardians of the public's access to information" (n.d.). Many members of the public rely on libraries to locate the information they need. Of course, a major issue to library services rests on barriers to access. The ALA makes note of several areas in which access to information is severely limited including the digital divide (in which there is an economic and social inequality between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don't), economic barriers experienced by those experiencing poverty and/or homeless, language barriers, and the incarcerated population (n.d.). Individuals in these three categories represent a major portion of those who face barriers with access to information. Throw in a worldwide pandemic and access gets even harder for those individuals. Throughout this program and in my work experience, I have had first-hand experience with supporting EDI programs and services. I understand the importance these services play in access to information.
Access to information for incarcerated individuals is a livelihood necessity. LIS programs and services to the incarcerated work to satisfy two means; they work to ameliorate the impact of confinement, and they work to aid in the successful readjustment to society (Rabina et al., 2016). While working as semester-long intern for the San Francisco Public Library's Jail and Reentry Services program, I witnessed first-hand how answering reference-by-mail letters contributes to the expansion of access to LIS services for those incarcerated. Furthermore, I learned what kind of information incarcerated individuals seek out. These individuals commonly seek out self-help information (e.g., legal information, medical information), general information (e.g., news articles, book passages, song lyrics, scholarly articles, etc.), and reentry information (e.g., school, jobs, housing, etc.) (Rabina et al., 2016). Learning about the information needs of the incarcerated population and goals of these services helps LIS professionals develop services and programs tailored toward their needs. Programs and further research on the topic also increase the awareness of the need for such programs, services, and access.
While working in a public law library in a predominantly Hispanic community, I come into contact with many Spanish-speaking individuals. Some only speak Spanish. Because of this, there is a limit to how we can help this population. As part of my work experience, I was able to take a cultural competence for librarians continuing education course. In the course, we were asked to conduct a community analysis and identify ways we can better serve our community based on cultural competence. I came to discover that many individuals in the community I serve speak Spanish at home and are immigrants. Because of my discovery, I began advocating for the inclusion of more Spanish materials and partnerships between my library and local Spanish-speaking attorneys and legal aid organizations. Knowledge of the demographics in my service community really contributes to how my library can communicate and provide access to all community members.
This first piece of evidence demonstrates my awareness and knowledge of the importance of developing diverse policies and practices in an information environment. For this white paper in my Info-230 class, we were tasked to compose a white paper in some area of collections, cataloging, or technical services in the academic library. I opted to focus my paper on the topic of developing diverse collection development practices. Specifically, I discuss assessing an academic library's collection for updated LGBTQ+ materials. I discuss the lack of transgender health information in medical libraries as an example of this issue. I also discuss the need for access to more diverse children's literature for teacher-education students. I conclude my paper with a discussion on recommendations for diversity collection assessments. Incorporating a collection development policy based in part on diversity can open the gates for greater access to materials and deeper understanding of diverse information needs.
This second piece of evidence demonstrates my knowledge of designing and contributing to programs supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion work in the LIS field. During my Info-210 course, I had the opportunity to work as a short-term intern with the San Francisco Public Library's Jail and Reentry Services department. I worked as an intern for the reference-by-mail program which had me respond to real-life reference request letters from incarcerated individuals on the west coast. I enjoyed the work in the program. I found it rewarding and meaningful as it helped me discover the importance of EDI services like this. At the end of the program, I had to compose a reflection paper and combine it with my 3 reference letter responses and my evaluation from the site supervisor. On a personal note, I believe that jail and reentry library services are often overlooked by many other public libraries. Public libraries can easily contribute to work that is supportive of jail and reentry services by simply answering reference-by-mail letters. There is an abundance of incarcerated individuals requesting information to improve their situations.
This last piece of evidence for this competency demonstrates my understanding of the importance of diversity and cultural competence in the workplace. During the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to participate in a cultural competence for librarians course through Library Juice Academy. My place of employment was currently looking for ways for the staff to engage in lessons and webinars focused on EDI. I located this 4-week online course and referred it to my supervisors. Myself and 4 other coworkers enrolled in the course. The course itself had us do 3 major assignments. First we had to do a "who am I" exercise in which we described the social groups and identities we see ourselves belonging to. Next, we had to do a community analysis of the community in which we serve. Using statistical data online, I was able to pull various demographic figures for my community. Lastly, we had to write a diversity advocacy memo in which we had to advocate for a diversity change in our library. I opted to write on assessing our information services to the Spanish-speaking community. I advocated for the inclusion of additional materials in Spanish, partnerships with Spanish-speaking attorneys and legal aid organizations, and the inclusion of more programs and workshops tailored to the Spanish-speaking audience. I found this course highly beneficial as it allowed me and y coworkers gain more knowledge and experience with advocating for EDI services in the LIS field.
Overall, I felt like I experienced a personal connection between my experience with EDI throughout this program and myself. I was once interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement/corrections and through this program I discovered LIS services and programs for incarcerated individuals. I never thought I would find a more perfect career fit for my interest in criminology and my newfound interest for library and information services. Growing up, I was raised in southern California around a lot of Spanish speakers. I learned the importance of being bilingual early in life. Understanding the importance of being able to speak Spanish in southern California is something I have recognized all my adult life. When I began work in the library field, I quickly understood the connection between information access and language barriers. Advocating for services and programs geared towards the Spanish-speaking community and the incarcerated population are two EDI efforts I have come to work on in my professional life. These are two efforts that I believe I will continue to work on in someway throughout the rest of my LIS career.
American Library Association. (n.d.). Access to library resources and services. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/access
Rabina, D., Darbinski, E., & Paradise, L. (2016). Information needs in prisons and jails: A discourse analytic approach. Libri: International Journal of Library and Information Services, 66(4), 291-302. https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2016-0098
Wong, P., Figueroa, M., & Cardenas-Dow, M. (2018). Diversity, equity of access, and social justice. In Hirsh, S. (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. (pp. 52-68). Rowman & Littlefield.
Photo credit: Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, CA by: Cameron Van Aken