“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

Stephen Covey

Diversity as a concept is essential to the values of information professionals. According to Wong et al., “Diversity connects with, compliments, and advances two key principles of the information profession - intellectual freedom and equity of access.” (2018, p. 56) By fostering diversity efforts as a general practice, the rewards of these attitudes, behaviors, and policies, is an advancement towards a greater cultural competence.

Information needs are a fundamental concept, and these needs are required by a diverse range of information users. For many, information needs are responses to a problem situation. “Information professionals must booth zoom in on the individual user and his or her specific problem situation, cognitive and affective state, and end goals, and then zoom out to the level of the group, organization, or community to consider the broader expectations, access and resource constraints, and emerging technologies that will impact current and future information needs.” (O’Brien & Greyson, 2018, p. 44)

Info 282 - Social Crisis Management: The Emerging Role of the Information Professional

Crisis situations arise in all types of libraries and impact staff and users. Information professionals must be prepared to meet the social, psychological, medical and legal situations caused by drug overdoses, sexual assault, homelessness, neglect and mental illness. In this class I explored the issues and possible resolutions to social crisis management.

For the class, I participated in discussions about the ways in which social issues impact the safety of staff and users. I investigated and identified social, psychological, medical and legal resources that can be utilized to resolve crisis situations. I focused on researching and designing a training program and program for the community as it relates to homelessness and can now demonstrate an understanding of the legal and ethical issues surrounding this social issue.

The assignments for social crisis management included weekly topic discussion threads, a community resources infographic, a social crisis staff training outline, and a reflection paper. Homelessness is particularly divisive, and working towards inclusive spaces for all is vital in our commitment to equity for clientele and employees.

Empowering the Homeless Infographic

For this artifact, I created an infographic for use in a public library setting that provides information and community resources for homeless individuals, using local data to address the issue. I identify common difficulties for those impacted by homelessness, and provide a list of resources, including websites, that can help someone suffering from the effects of homelessness. Digital inclusion is one way to empower homeless people.

Working with Incarcerated Populations

One important component of learning how to provide information services to diverse populations is an understanding of the information needs of incarcerated populations. This user group has a unique set of circumstances and challenges along with a tremendous need for information assistance. Without access to the Internet, prisoners must rely on the resources of the jail library or on correspondence-based reference services provided by other libraries. In 2018, the San Francisco Public Library created a new program called Jails and Reentry Services. I had the opportunity to work with SFPL librarians to provide reference by correspondence with incarcerated users. This entailed researching answers to their queries, writing out complete responses and mailing them back. All interactions with prisoners were filtered through the program office and remained anonymous. This artifact is a reflection paper which analyzes my experience with the project and draws conclusions supported by the professional literature. It includes examples of my correspondence with users.

Reflection

As Information Professionals we have an obligation to stand by our ethical commitment of access of information to all. This includes understanding the challenges of information delivery to a diverse set of individuals. By focusing on programs that empower people to meet their information needs, we can create a more inclusive information experience for all.

References

Covey, S. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved from: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/stephen_covey_636520

O’Brien, H., & Greyson, D. (2018). Diverse Information Needs. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., 40-51). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

Wong, P., Figueroa, M., & Cardenas-Dow, M. (2018). Diversity, Equity of Access, and Social Justice. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., 52-68). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.