Topic: Residency programs aim to make academic and research librarianship more inclusive and diverse. Historically, residency programs were created to address a skills gap between LIS education and the specialized needs of academic and research libraries. Today, residency programs are often marketed as a “diversity initiative” of a library, citing a lack in racial and ethnic diversity within the profession. Sometimes their goal is to recruit and retain minority librarians; other times their goal is to experiment with new library services. This #critlib will consider residency programs within the broader effort to address the lack of diversity in librarianship.
Recommended reading: On the history and purpose of residency programs as they relate to the diversity of librarianship, we recommend this reading: Brewer, J. (1997). Post-Master’s Residency Programs: Enhancing the Development of New Professionals and Minority Recruitment in Academic and Research Libraries. College & Research Libraries, 58(6), 528–537. http://crl.acrl.org/content/58/6/528
Discussion questions:
Q1. What does “diversity” mean in context of libraries and librarianship? #critlib
Q2. What are some barriers preventing librarianship from becoming more inclusive and diverse? #critlib
Q3. What are some challenges in diversity recruitment? How can we avoid stigmatization? #critlib
Q4. How does a library residency/fellowship fit in the hierarchy of librarianship? Is this conducive to a diverse and inclusive workforce? #critlib
Q5. What is needed to diversify librarianship? How might residencies play a role? #critlib
Topic: What does #critlib look like? Who are we? (Optional) #criticalselfies…. take a selfie of yourself before/during the chat to share! You’re welcome to be obscured by cats or other creatures if you don’t want to do a full-on selfie. If everyone is ok with it, we can make a collage of the pics and put them on librarianwardrobe.com to show what #critlib librarians look like.
Discussion questions:
Q1. Let’s revisit what #critlib means… try defining or explaining in a tweet(s). What is it? What is it not?
Q2. What books/films/texts have had an impact on how you have come to your political/critical understandings? #critlib
Q3. How do you confront the idea that the library is portrayed as a “neutral” space? #critlib
Q4. How do you, or how would you, enact #critlib in your ongoing work? Provide specific, practical examples
Q5. What confuses you or frustrates you about #critlib (the topic, not the chats)? & What can we do about it?
Topic: For the purposes of this discussion, we are understanding “politics” to refer to a system of governance, and political ideologies (Democrats! Republicans! Bull Moose!) Here’s also an optional reading to help contextualize this conversation a little:
Rory Litwin, “The Library Paraprofessional Movement and the Deprofessionalization of Librarianship.” Originally published in Progressive Librarian no. 33 (Summer/Fall 2009): 43-60. Revised version: http://www.libraryjuicepress.com/docs/deprofessionalization.pdf
Q1. What can librarians do to create greater solidarity with other workers in the library without weakening their already precarious positions vis-à-vis administrators, politicians, and other (potentially) hostile forces?
Q2. How can the status and working conditions of non-MLS library workers be improved without aiding and abetting neoliberal interests?
Q3. Does it matter if non-MLS workers perform tasks such as reference, cataloging and instruction that are traditionally the ‘jurisdiction’ of MLS-holding librarians
Q4. Given that professional credentials are one of the most common and obvious means used to reinforce and reproduce class, race and gender oppression, is it possible to defend them for librarians and at the same time fight oppression?
Q5. In what other ways do issues of gender, race and class affect labor relations in the library, and how can these issues be faced pro-actively and productively?
Topic: We are a group of University of Illinois LIS student interested in thinking through how our university’s recent unhiring of Prof. Steven Salaita —and other related events around the country–might impact our practice as librarians.
If you’re curious, this fact sheet goes over some of the basic facts of the case (it’s a little out of date). We hope you will read our letter in support of Dr. Salaita & our colleagues in American Indian Studies at Illinois, as well Sarah Roberts’ letter.
Discussion questions:
#critlib Introductions – Nice to meet you all! Thanks for being here to chat w/us!
Q1. How have the Salaita case or related academic/intellectual freedom issues come up in your practice? #critlib
Q2. How can librarians foreground intellectual freedom issues and the make them relevant to various publics across disciplines? #critlib
Q3. How can we mobilize critical information literacy skills to engage students in responding to events like this? #critlib
Q4. What obstacles do we face in having these discussions? #critlib
Q5. And what are some strategies to overcome these obstacles? #critlib
#critlib pitch – We want to keep this conversation going! If u r interested in collaborating let us know & keep an eye on #uncivilLIS
