Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Library and Information Science through Community-Based Learning (original) (raw)
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Library Trends, 2015
In this exploratory study, the researchers examined the core library and information science (LIS) curriculum, looking for diversity levers, or conceptual access points, where transformative academic knowledge related to diversity and social justice could be meaningfully integrated. Multicultural curriculum reform, conceptualized as a social justice approach, was the guiding framework for the research design and analysis. The researchers began by establishing what constitutes the core curriculum and essential knowledge taught across thirty-six ALA-accredited master's of library and information science degree programs. These data were then used to construct a survey that went to one hundred LIS faculty at ALA institutions who provided pedagogical knowledge, ideas, and resources for infusing diversity and social justice into the core curriculum. The findings suggest that there are certain core LIS courses that have explicit diversity levers, or areas where there are natural connections to diversity and social justice content, while others have emergent or implicit diversity levers. The differences among these types of diversity levers are explained, and some of the pedagogical resources that were shared by the survey respondents are included. The Information Technology core course shows the most promise for integrating diversity and social justice pedagogies.
Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 2021
It is simply not enough to declare that because one is a member of an underrepresented community that a commitment to diversity and social responsibility can be taken for granted. Neither can one assume that lack of membership in an underrepresented group precludes a commitment to social responsibility and diversity in teaching and research.-Roberts & Noble (2016), p. 518. In a 2018 report on the future of Library and Information Science (LIS) education, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) underscored the profession's lack of racial and ethnic diversity, which seemed ever more conspicuous given national demographic changes (Sands, Toro, DeVoe, Fuller, & Wolff-Eisenberg, 2018). The report pointed out barriers to formal LIS education: not merely its cost, but also its tendency to adopt synchronous delivery of course content, thus penalizing those without flexible schedules, and its lack of RA and TA positions for distance learners. It recommended that LIS programs recruit from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) more generally, provide a greater number of scholarships, recruit paraprofessionals, and weigh the merits of alternative methods of educational credentialing. But the concerns raised and the suggestions proffered by IMLS have a lengthy history. Fully four decades before the report, scholars such as Carter (1978) identified similar problems and offered similar recommendations. In the late 2010s, in fact, LIS continued to stare down a bedeviling paradox. The profession's inveterate ideal of and concomitant commitment to serving diverse communities and users equally had failed to translate into diversity, equity, and inclusion in LIS education or in the profession overall (Jaeger,
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: A conceptual framework for instruction
Recasting the Narrative: The Proceedings of the ACRL 2019 Conference, 2019
Frequently the issue of accessibility within the context of libraries is framed as accommodation predicated on difference. Our paper reframes this issue as one of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the instructional design of information literacy learning. Using DEI to recast this issue reveals significant intersections of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles with three current models for learning: the ACRL Framework, growth mindset, and design thinking. By illustrating these intersections, we will provide a conceptual framework for designing information literacy teaching and learning, and empower participants to enact curricular change in their library.
Using Data to Guide Diversity Work and Enhance Student Learning
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. —William Bruce Cameron (1963) The strength of a college lies in its capacity to nurture ideas and individuals. Central to this strength is the concept of diversity. Creativity, innovation, and learning stagnate without true diversity of perspectives, born from a multiplicity of individuals' identities (Miller & Katz, 2002). This chapter is about using campus diversity data to inform student affairs work. For the purposes of this chapter, diversity is defined on two levels. The first is compositional—the degree to which the community being refer-enced is representative, in all of its characteristics, of the larger population. The second is the degree to which members of that community experience a culture of inclusion and engagement within that community, such that each member feels a sense of belonging and respect. This definition, therefore, combines numerical representation with organizational culture. The guidance provided in this chapter is intended to complement earlier syntheses of research on improving the campus climate, most notably Griffin' s (2017) discussion on campus climate and diversity, and Pope and Mueller' s (2017) discussion of multicultural competence and change on college campuses. These writers have outlined the definitions, models, and key outcomes for campuses, and have identified how campuses could assess progress on those outcomes. This chapter focuses on three topics to help you use those data to inform your practice: (1) identifying the scope of your inquiry; (2) using data to improve program design, and therefore (3) program impact and student outcomes, particularly for diverse student communities.
Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 2014
IntroductionThis paper introduces a model of experiential learning to support teaching, research, and practice in library and information science (LIS). The concept we call Community Informatics (Cl) Studio uses studio-based learning (SBL) to support enculturation into the field of "Community Informatics" (Campbell & Eubanks, 2004; Gurstein, 2003; Keeble & Loader, 2001; Stoecker, 2005; Williams & Durrance, 2009). The SBL approach is rooted in the apprenticeship model of learning in which students study with master designers or artists to learn their craft. This pedagogical technique is closely related to John Dewey's inquiry-based learning (Lackney, 1999). In this paper, we argue that the Cl Studio provides a novel research approach for examining LIS-led community engagement by modeling actual learning environments where future LIS professionals can develop meaningful Cl projects.The paper begins with a review of the "community informatics" and "studioba...
Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 2014
This paper introduces a model of experiential learning to support teaching, research, and practice in library and information science (LIS). The concept we call Community Informatics (CI) Studio uses studio-based learning (SBL) to support enculturation into the field of CI. The SBL approach, closely related to John Dewey’s inquiry-based learn- ing, is rooted in the apprenticeship model of learning in which students study with master designers or artists to develop their craft. Our paper begins with a review of literature to frame our research before introducing our analysis of the CI Studio course. Using the first three semesters of the course as case studies, the goal of the paper was to present three related investigations that emerged from our overarching research question: How can the CI Studio be understood as a model of experiential learning to support LIS teaching, research, and practice?