Reference work often receives short shrift in the contemporary discourse and practice of librarianship. Reference Librarianship & Justice: History, Practice & Praxis highlights the unique position of reference librarianship, a liminal and dialectical space, potentially distinct from the power dynamics of classroom instruction and singular in its mission and practice. At heart, reference is a conversation and partnership. The stakes are significant, not only because of the unique potential for social justice work but because of the risk that the profession is now overlooking reference's central importance. This book makes a passionate case for reference work in a manner that is historically, socially and politically compelling.
The book's three sections explore the praxis, history and practice of reference librarianship in the context of social justice. Praxis grounds us theoretically while seeking to trouble and broaden traditional academic conventions, drawing on diverse epistemological frameworks and disciplines both inside and outside of LIS literatures. History grounds us in the past and makes the case that reference librarianship has a long tradition of social justice work, providing intellectual access, partnership and guidance from the Jim Crow South to the War on Poverty. Finally, Dispatches from the Field explores the contemporary practice of social-justice oriented reference librarianship, in prisons, in archives and beyond. We see how the rich genealogy of social justice in reference librarianship is at work today.
Author(s): Kate Adler; Ian Beilin; Eamon Tewell
Publisher: Library Juice Press
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 322
City: Sacramento, California
Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Leaky Ceilings, Staplers, and Nazis: Collocating Reference Work and Social Justice
Introduction
Reference and Justice, Past and Present
Urban Information Specialists and Interpreters: An Emerging Radical Vision of Reference for the People, 1967–1973
Unbound: Recollections of Librarians During Martial Law in the Philippines
“I Did What I Was Told to Do”: Ukrainian Reference Librarianship and Responding to Volatile Expectations
Social Justice and Birmingham Collecting Institutions: Education, Research and Reference Librarianship
Towards a Critical (Affective) Reference Practice: Emotional, Intellectual and Social Justice
2596 Girls School Road: The Indiana Women’s Prison Far-Away Reference Desk
Reference Behind Bars: Information Needs, Rights, and Empowerment of Inmates
Reference by Mail to Incarcerated People
Dispatches from the Field of Prison Librarianship
The Case for Critical Data Reference in Public Libraries
Hiding in Plain Sight: Reference Archivists as Social Justice Actors
Beyond Efficient Answers with a Smile: Seeking Critical Reference Praxis
From Interpersonal to Intersubjective: Relational theory and mutuality in reference
Social Justice, Sentipensante Pedagogy, and Collaboration: The Role of Research Consultations in Developing Critical Communities
A Blueprint on Self-Exploration to Justice: Introduction to “Referencing Audre Lorde” & “Lesbian Librarianship for All”
Referencing Audre Lorde
Lesbian Librarianship for All: A Manifesto
Author Biographies
Index