the critical reference librarian

Twitter chat
"She-cat & kittens"
From Elementary exercises for the deaf and dumb / by Samuel Akerly (1821)

22nd chat, January 13 2015: the critical reference librarian

moderated by @eamontewell
Storify (pdf, html) by @kshockey04

Suggested reading: “Radical Purpose: The Critical Reference Dialogue at a Progressive Urban College” by Kate Adler, and browse the Radical Reference website: radicalreference.info.

Discussion questions:

  • Q1. How do you define “critical reference”?
  • Q2. What does critical reference look like in practice? What are the characteristics of a critical reference librarian?
  • Q3. In what ways are reference services oppressive?
  • Q4. Are there reference models that improve upon traditional services in a critical sense? What would a #critlib reference model look like?
  • Q5. What actions can we take to encourage a critical approach to reference?