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The opportunity to expand pedagogy is an especially good thing for library educators, particularly when library professionals do not have formal training as teachers and instructors. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our students to grow intellectually and share growth and new knowledge with others. We should be promoting and practicing critical self-reflection and thinking critically about and even critiquing the information we consume and the sources from which it originates. This is an ongoing and iterative process that requires that we consistently read and remain abreast of new and interdisciplinary ideas that can challenge and inform our practice. This perspective essay details my personal journey of critical self-reflection, or "conocimiento," that facilitated the strengthening and deepening of my critical library instruction and pedagogy.

Before there was the We Need Diverse Books movement, there was Augusta Baker and her Books about Negro Life for Children bibliographies. Baker was a children's librarian at the New [...]

In this autoethnographic article I reflect on my experiences as a now-tenured faculty member of color, which have been punctuated by incivility, bullying, stress, and abuse. As part of reconciling several acute events, I came to a distinct realization of what I had been going through; I was able to name it, and I was able to articulate the strategies I had been using to cope and thrive. This reflective piece is not meant to minimize the experiences of non-minority faculty, but it is absolutely meant to highlight and emphasize the specific challenges of being faculty member of color in library and information science, and in the academy writ large.

It is widely understood that effective children's and youth librarians must be innovative, aware of current/popular trends, and able to build rapport with young patrons. However, more emphasis must be placed on the fact that it is essential for these librarians to be prepared to identify and meet the needs of a patron population that is becoming increasingly diverse. The annotated resource list provided here shares resources that support children's/youth services librarians in developing and strengthening skills of cultural competence defined as "a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations" (Cross et al. 1989, 7). Further, the annotated listing of materials serves to increase practitioners' acquisition of equity literacy defined as "the knowledge and skills that enable us to recognize, respond to, and redress conditions that deny some students access to educational and other opportunities enjoyed by their peers" (Gorski 2014).

In a study of the information behaviors of graduate students enrolled in an online Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, it was determined that learners engage in threaded discussions not only for cognitive purposes but for affective reasons as well. The information sharing among students was particularly prolific during a session in which medical ailments and information were discussed. Data were collected from an asynchronous class in a graduate LIS program, and were examined through learner/context analysis and textual analysis. This study used syllabi, course construction, specific assignments and requirements, and other details that contribute to the totality of the learning environment. Specific attention was given to the threaded discussions assigned in the class. This data provided insight into the students' activities and learning during 15 weeks, and enhanced the overall context for the small world that develops within an online learning community. Students connected with their peers and instructor through copious exchanges of information during which a concerted and consistent effort was made to connect with one another by using personal names, engaging in humor and joke-telling, using emoticons, and expressing support and empathy.

Using a social justice framework, we discuss our experiences as faculty members of color working in Library and Information Science (LIS).  We present our educational trajectories as well as our professional engagement with teaching, research, and service.  This piece contributes to the growing literature on diversity in LIS by articulating African American and Latina perspectives of academia, which are underrepresented demographics in LIS and more generally in higher education in the United States.

Librarians and information professionals need to be reflective practitioners who can analyze, understand, and communicate in culturally competent ways about social justice. This study analyzes the output of student responses to the assignment to record a video social justice story in four graduate library and information science (LIS) courses. Qualitative analysis reveals patterns of "calling out injustice" and "calling in the audience" that reflect students' social justice storytelling and that demonstrate abilities to engage and provoke audiences. The findings show that social justice topics in LIS are amenable to a variety of narrative strategies. Future LIS research should look more deeply at what students learn through assignments like these and how this pedagogy should affect ongoing social justice storytelling by library professionals. Teaching LIS students to be social justice storytellers is an important way of continuing to push the field to "walk the talk" of diversity and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We all have digital footprints and legacies, even if we aren't the ones actively curating our own trajectories. Virtually every move we make online is tracked in some way, and [...]

With the aid of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity offered the first full fellowships under the Spectrum Scholarship program for 12 students to pursue doctoral degrees in Library and Information Science at accredited institutions around the country.  The Fellows were drawn from the four underrepresented ethnic populations and are in various stages of study from early course work to near completion of their doctoral degrees.With the goal of increasing racial and ethnic diversity among the profession’s next generation of Library and Information Science (LIS) faculty and leaders, the program has provided an unprecedented opportunity for the scholars.  It has also created the ability to extract a wealth of information from the scholars about their experiences as doctoral students.  The major goal of this research is to capture that information, especially the advantages and disadvantages those students experienced both as Fellows and as minority students in LIS PhD programs. The results of this research will inform LIS education and pedagogy and provide documented evidence of experiences that can lead to the improvement of doctoral education for minorities in the future and enrich the knowledge on which future initiatives are based.

These numbers are up only slightly for African Americans, which made up 3.2% of LIS faculty according to the 2012 report. "Considering the Ethnoracial and Gender Diversity of Faculty in United States College and University Intellectual Communities." "The Virtuous Circle: Increasing Diversity in LIS Faculties to Create More Inclusive Library Services and Outreach.". [Extracted from the article]

The article addresses the issue of soft censorship within libraries, discussing instances where diverse books have faced resistance and challenges in being added to collections and how such practices hinder the diversification of library collections and weaken the profession's stance against censorship. It emphasizes the need for self-reflection, cultural competence and standing up for marginalized voices and narratives as strategies to combat soft censorship and promote diversity in libraries.

Social networking sites cast a wide net, not only in the sheer number of sites that exist on the Internet but also in terms of their application and usefulness. The last column, in "PSQ" v.4 (3), examined sites that could assist professionals with outreach, networking, and collaboration. In this second column dedicated to social networking sites, the emphasis is on sites related to books, blogs, wikis, and Internet bookmarking. Public services librarians should be aware of such sites and open-minded to the possibility of offering traditional library services via these new online mechanisms. The sites reviewed in this column have been selected as quality examples of social networking sites that have great potential for use within libraries, enabling library professionals to better collaborate with one another and reach out to patrons. (Contains 2 notes.) [For Part I, see EJ877356.]

While not a brand new phenomenon, online social networking sites continue to be exceedingly popular and seem to be where students spend much of their time. Not only are participants blogging, texting, chatting, sharing files, gaming, and existing virtually online, they also are forming communities and new cultures and exhibiting new informational needs. While this may be intimidating, librarians, particularly those in public services, need to be aware of these sites and be open-minded to the possibility of offering traditional library services via these new online mechanisms. The sites reviewed in this column have been selected as quality examples of social networking sites that have great potential for use within libraries, enabling library professionals to better collaborate with one another and reach out to patrons. Specifically, the reviews address sites offering conferencing and general networking opportunities. [For part II, see EJ877364 .]

With the vastness of the Internet ever increasing, it is likely that busy, time-deprived librarians may not stumble upon valuable sites that may actually facilitate their organizational efforts and eventually save them time and energy, especially energy exerted prioritizing tasks and working in groups or other collaborative projects. This column reviews sites that have been selected as premier examples of online calendars, scheduling tools, and project management tools that will enable librarians to better manage and share their daily professional tasks and successfully collaborate with colleagues. (Contains 7 online resources.)

This essay aims to take an introspective look into soft censorship’s complexities and demonstrate how conforming to the ideals of soft censorship makes libraries perpetrators of implicit bias. It begins by defining the concept of book banning before delving into its long and complicated history, which dates back to 212 BCE. By initially looking back at the chronology of book banning, the authors aimed to make a case for how the practice of book banning has continuously been a concerted effort to whitewash and sugarcoat history and to continue dismantling our public educational institutions. The essay dives into disseminating implicit bias through soft censorship in libraries and information sciences. The authors justify how soft censorship directly undermines the intellectual freedoms of library users and readers and demonstrate how, by engaging in soft censorship, libraries are not only perpetrators of implicit bias but are also catalysts of inequity within their institutions. The essay then gives readers a step-by-step guide on resisting censorship in their respective roles. After that, it urges readers to take action and concludes with an important message emphasizing the need for a cultural approach to combat censorship. By doing so, we can begin dismantling the inequities plaguing the library and information science field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though distance education has a long and diverse history, dating back to 1840, in the last ten-to-fifteen years it has been completely transformed by the emergence of Web-based technology. This technology has had an enormous impact on all aspects of distance education (or distance learning as it is increasingly called). In addition to palpable changes in the teaching and learning processes, library and other support services are also being challenged by change. This paper will provide a brief account and analysis of the impact of Web technology on distance education, as well as its impact on the role of library services for distance learners. (Contains 28 notes.)

A personal narrative is presented which explores the authors experience of having thirty Black and Latino students of GSLS Carnegie Scholars, at the University of Illinois's graduate program.

In an April 2018 webinar, the Freedom to Read Foundation asked the question: Do information consumers have the right to be misinformed? Fake news is nuanced, prolific, sometimes malicious, often automated, and has the added complications of emotion, privacy, and ethics. And unfortunately, fake news and its foundational components of misinformation and disinformation (mis/dis), aren't quickly fixed by learning a few information literacy strategies or media literacy concepts. People are inclined to believe what they want to believe despite training, awareness of critical thinking, and acknowledgement of widely held "objective facts." Are they less intelligent or information poor because they choose to exist in their own information worlds and privilege their own confirmation biases? Individuals have the right to seek, avoid, and use information for themselves as they see fit, regardless of whether or not others deem their information deficient, insufficient, or even false. However, this is a very black and white perspective on a much more complex and nuanced moral issue. Even if it is to their detriment, people ultimately do have the right to be misinformed, choosing the information they will and won't accept. But information professionals should still be compelled to instruct patrons on the importance of seeking, finding, and using quality information and sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there are calls for new paradigms within the profession, there are also existing subgenres that fit this bill if they would be fully acknowledged. This essay argues that underrepresented and otherwise marginalized scholars have already produced significant work within social, cultural, and community‐oriented paradigms; social justice and advocacy; and, diversity, equity, and inclusion. This work has not been sufficiently valued or promoted. Furthermore, the surrounding structural conditions have resulted in the dismissal, violently reviewed and rejected, and erased work of underrepresented scholars, and the stigmatization and delegitimization of their work. These scholars are "outsiders‐within‐LIS." By identifying the outsiders‐within‐LIS through the frame of standpoint theories, the authors are suggesting that a new paradigm does not need to be created; rather, an existing paradigm needs to be recognized and reprioritized. This reprioritized paradigm of critical sociocultural work has and will continue to creatively enrich and expand the field and decolonize LIS curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opportunity to expand pedagogy is an especially good thing for library educators, particularly when library professionals do not have formal training as teachers and instructors. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our students to grow intellectually and share growth and new knowledge with others. We should be promoting and practicing critical self-reflection and thinking critically about and even critiquing the information we consume and the sources from which it originates. This is an ongoing and iterative process that requires that we consistently read and remain abreast of new and interdisciplinary ideas that can challenge and inform our practice. This perspective essay details my personal journey of critical self-reflection, or conocimiento, that facilitated the strengthening and deepening of my critical library instruction and pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs about public talks and workshops in the spring of 2019, had the pleasure of talking to quite a few youth services librarians about equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and why it matters in librarianship. Topics discussed include librarian not really understanding how to promote diverse materials; how to promote diverse books to their predominantly white community; and library professionals should ideally be culturally competent when working with communities.

Purpose - This chapter argues that more opportunities for diversity-related content should be purposefully included in library and information science (LIS) graduate curricula. Design/Methodology/Approach - Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with LIS graduates and current LIS graduate students. The data were analyzed for patterns and themes, and a narrative developed that expounds on the experiences and insights of practicing LIS professionals. Findings - The data emphasize that more work needs to be done to incorporate, de-tokenize, and normalize meaningful conversations about diversity and social justice and incorporate them across LIS curricula. Reframing and re-centering the curriculum to foster critical, inclusive, and culturally competent professional engagement is greatly needed in LIS programs and in the profession at large. Originality/Value - This chapter details and analyzes a set of original interviews in which both current and aspiring librarians discuss their experiences with diversity and social justice content in their graduate programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a case study examining a library and information science graduate curriculum, 18 graduate students engaged in a comprehensive diversity audit of the School of Information Sciences curriculum. The diversity audit was a student-generated review of 108 syllabi and permitted students to engage in an action-learning project that benefited the school and allowed them, and the school's faculty, to see firsthand why diversity and cultural competence are important facets of library and information science curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that in fall 2021, Cooke and Valerie Byrd Fort from the South Carolina Center for Community Literacy introduced the virtual program the Augusta Baker Storytelling Experience: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programming for Children of All Ages (AB Kids). It mentions that the AB Kids team looks forward to offering more programs in the fall of 2022, focusing on a range of diversity-related issues.

This investigation of new approaches to improving collaboration, user/librarian experiences, and sustainability for virtual reference services (VRS) reports findings from a grant project titled 'Cyber Synergy: Seeking Sustainability between Virtual Reference and Social Q&A Sites' (Radford, Connaway, & Shah, -2014). In-depth telephone interviews with 50 VRS librarians included questions on collaboration, referral practices, and attitudes toward Social Question and Answer (SQA) services using the Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan, ). The Community of Practice (CoP) (Wenger, ; Davies, ) framework was found to be a useful conceptualization for understanding VRS professionals' approaches to their work. Findings indicate that participants usually refer questions from outside of their area of expertise to other librarians, but occasionally refer them to nonlibrarian experts. These referrals are made possible because participants believe that other VRS librarians are qualified and willing collaborators. Barriers to collaboration include not knowing appropriate librarians/experts for referral, inability to verify credentials, and perceived unwillingness to collaborate. Facilitators to collaboration include knowledge of appropriate collaborators who are qualified and willingness to refer. Answers from SQA services were perceived as less objective and authoritative, but participants were open to collaborating with nonlibrarian experts with confirmation of professional expertise or extensive knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a study of the information behaviors of graduate students enrolled in an online Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, it was determined that learners engage in threaded discussions not only for cognitive purposes but for affective reasons as well. The information sharing among students was particularly prolific during a session in which medical ailments and information were discussed. Data were collected from an asynchronous class in a graduate LIS program, and were examined through learner/context analysis and textual analysis. This study used syllabi, course construction, specific assignments and requirements, and other details that contribute to the totality of the learning environment. Specific attention was given to the threaded discussions assigned in the class. This data provided insight into the students' activities and learning during 15 weeks, and enhanced the overall context for the small world that develops within an online learning community. Students connected with their peers and instructor through copious exchanges of information during which a concerted and consistent effort was made to connect with one another by using personal names, engaging in humor and joke-telling, using emoticons, and expressing support and empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though distance education has a long and diverse history, dating back to 1840, in the last ten-to-fifteen years it has been completely transformed by the emergence of Web-based technology. This technology has had an enormous impact on all aspects of distance education (or distance learning as it is increasingly called). In addition to palpable changes in the teaching and learning processes, library and other support services are also being challenged by change. This paper will provide a brief account and analysis of the impact of Web technology on distance education, as well as its impact on the role of library services for distance learners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]