When we think about library history, it’s common to think about the distant past and the moments so long gone that we cannot talk to key people who could tell us about their actions and motivations.  Upon reflection, though, I think you’ll begin to see that you, too, are both a witness to and a creator of library history.  Some current library services have been with us since libraries began, but some of the increasingly normal aspects of contemporary library service gained momentum in the last twenty-five years.  The chapter that follows includes three pieces of reporting from American Libraries magazine, published when individual libraries’ leadership on these issues shifted from a local practice to big questions and best practices for the profession.  We share them here so you can see the way people talked about these ideas when they were still new and gain context about how these practices and issues developed.

We hope you’ll have more questions about these examples and exemplars.  We also hope they inspire you to consider a bigger, more abstract question:  How do we recognize landmark moments in librarianship, whether turning points or other signs of change?  As in our other chapters, this chapter includes a response that begins the conversation about our themes, as well as more questions that you can consider as part of your engagement with these ideas.

The first time I heard someone offer a historical overview of modern information access in libraries, I was amazed.  It reminded me of meeting librarians who had worked for Dialog in its early years, one of whom answered the phone when database users needed help formulating search queries and the other who stuffed envelopes with search results that were mailed out after searches were run on a mainframe computer.  Even though I had, at first, used card catalogs to locate books and then the online catalog, once known as an OPAC or Online Public Access Catalog to differentiate what users saw from the version the library’s technical services staff worked with, I hadn’t thought of myself as participating in library history.  These librarians’ stories, though, made plain the way librarians’ routine work is entwined with facets of library history.  Awareness of this principle can better position us to evaluate and change services.

I would argue, too, that because our work is library history as it happens, you and the work you do represent the future of the field through the decisions you make.  A few examples of SLIS alumni and colleagues offer powerful examples of how this plays out.  Madeline Jarvis (UI MA 2015), now director of the Two Harbors Public Library in Minnesota, was identified as an ALA Emerging Leader because of her commitment to strong and creative community engagement.  Her library work has been about saying yes to new partnerships that help bring new possibilities and connections for community members.  She is known for her pragmatic, visible leadership and innovative programming partnerships that truly bring the community into the library.  Colleen Theisen, now a SLIS faculty member, began her library career as a Special Collections librarian who knew how to strategically use social media, including YouTube, to reach new audiences.  Her online advocacy is well known and well regarded; simply put, she is one of the foremost experts in this area of our field.  Aiden Bettine (UI MA 2020) founded the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, a community archives and lending library in Iowa City, before becoming the Curator of the Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota.  His activism preserves the history of LGBTQ individuals and communities, while simultaneously creating collaborative spaces for this community.  These leaders in the field work in different and distinct areas, but they are alike in their visibility as professionals who model change that benefits both their institutions and their communities.  Importantly, they are only a few of the SLIS alumni whose work deserves accolades for helping the field visualize new priorities and possibilities.

Next, you’ll find examples changes in our field, starting with a Queer Timeline of Library Science, showing the field’s efforts to become more inclusive, followed by more viewpoints about innovations in library practice.

Timeline by Charlotte Brookins, Anna Luria, and Josée Varboncoeur (Libraries, Culture, and Society, Fall 2023).

Grassroots Report

Below are three short articles that cover:

• Management, with a focus on the ways that library fines affect the budget and community;
• Service, which covers the ways that libraries and information commons integrate into the digital age; and
• Reference, which introduces the idea of roving librarians in the stacks as a replacement for serving at a stationary reference desk.

For an accessible PDF of this article, please click this link.

For an accessible PDF of this article, please click this link.

For an accessible PDF of this article, please click this link.

Questions for Your Consideration:

1. How do we recognize key moments when librarianship is beginning a process of change?
2. What makes change in libraries sustainable?  How do changes spread from one or two libraries to others?
3. What practices in the libraries you use or work in seem like ones that either will be subject to change or that are the start of changes which will represent new norms?
4. Librarians and researchers alike are considering how we become a more inclusive profession (see, for example, this blog post by the authors of Narratives of (Dis)Enfranchisement:  Reckoning with the History of Libraries and the Black and African-American Experience).  What information and ideas help you participate in this effort?

Starting the Conversation:  A Response by Nancy Henke, MA, MLIS (2023)

I find so much of the content in this chapter inspiring.  The idea that librarians are simply doing what they do – responding to needs they see in their communities, offering innovative solutions and partnerships to better serve patrons – points to the ever-changing nature of librarians’ work (the “sometimes-ness” of Chapter 1 of this text).  It’s one of the reasons I love libraries:  there’s always space for innovation and change.

I’ve recently considered this in the context of the open movement and its effects on libraries.  In the past few decades, libraries have helped advocate for and foster open access publishing, open science and open data practices, and open educational resources.  This seems like a historical turning point, as well; how we see and think about publishing, scientific research, and educational content is changing, and librarians are playing important roles in this process.

While I’m inspired by the examples brought up in this chapter, the potential for a more negative history-in-the-making is also nagging at me.  Case in point is what happened in the summer of 2023 in Houston, Texas.  The new superintendent of the Houston Independent School District plans to eliminate librarians and media specialists at 28 schools – about 10% of the district’s 274 campuses – and use library spaces for misbehaving students.  The plan has certainly received criticism, but as of this writing the district has not announced any plans to change direction.

I wonder if this action will mark a pivotal (and devastating) moment in library history – when a major school district that serves nearly 200,000 students deems the work of librarians unnecessary for the growth and learning of students.  And even if this situation remains isolated and doesn’t rise to the level of “a moment of change in modern library history,” it’s certainly a pivotal and devastating moment for the students at those schools, even if they don’t realize it.

So while I celebrate the innovations explored in the articles in this chapter, and while I consider how to make positive changes in libraries sustainable, I also wonder how we isolate – and hopefully reverse – changes like those in Houston so that they become historical footnotes rather than new chapters in library history.

Continuing the Conversation:  A Response by Tyler Berrio (Libraries, Culture, and Society, Fall 2023)

My library has made great strides in recent years to acquire materials written by and about marginalized groups to represent a greater spectrum of people and enhance diversity.  It has left me wondering what I could do to assist these initiatives in my role as a cataloger — a role that sometimes feels passive because bibliographic records are often already created.  Our job is to plug that information into relevant fields and make materials easily discoverable.  Throughout this class and the many readings and videos, however, I’ve learned that promoting diversity and equity are not done passively.  My goal as a librarian, and especially as a cataloger, is to work actively and learn what I can do from my unique position to promote DEI and be an accessory to the already tremendous efforts by those working with collection development.  Even as a cataloger, where it is easy to become passive and simply do the job given to me without a second thought, there are ways in which I can contribute even if they are unseen.

I watched a presentation, “DEI Subject Heading Enhancements at DPL,” presented by Emily O’Neal, a Technical Services Manager at the Deschutes Public Library.  Her presentation speaks on the idea that despite librarians’ best efforts to collect and promote materials that reach wider and more diverse populations, if the records do not represent those people then the effectiveness of the collection may not matter.  She mentions a very important moment when the Library of Congress finally made changes to subject headings for the term “illegal aliens.”  She then explores what we as everyday catalogers in libraries can do to further that change and expand on the work that has begun to make more sensitive and representative headings.

O’Neal shows an example of this with the subject heading “working poor.”  She offers a series of replacements that better represent the subject with more sensitive headings such as “low income” or “low income groups.”  There are also examples of subject headings that are expanded upon for better discoverability and ease of access.  The end goal for all of these changes serves two purposes.  The first is to alter or completely change terms and headings that are insensitive or not representative of the subjects they pertain to.  The second is that through these alterations and updates, library materials can be more easily accessed through a wider variety of ways that are more diverse and applicable.

In Katherine Phillips’ “Why Diversity Matters” video, she explains that making changes in ourselves by embracing discomfort around diversity allows positive growth and transformation.  Many bibliographic records contain outdated or insensitive subject headings that catalogers across the country take for granted because they have historically been the norm.  I include myself among that group.  A defining aspect of her presentation is when she discusses the research she performed, where homogeneous groups were outperformed by diverse groups when tasked to complete challenges.  In a way, I saw myself as part of a homogeneous group of people who, albeit inadvertently, were promoting outdated and harmful practices that did not address diversity at an acceptable level.  If the consortium didn’t see a problem with how materials were categorized, why should I?

A large part of being a librarian is making sure that services and materials are accessible by everyone.  There are always ways in which we neglect this in practice, however.  Until watching O’Neal’s presentation, I was admittedly somewhat ignorant in what capacity I could enact meaningful changes in my own institution.  It is clear now that adding a book to the catalog is not enough.  To truly represent someone in the library they need to see themselves in the materials, and that includes both the collection and their ability to find something within it.

What I learned most from this presentation is an understanding of equity versus equality.  We have equality in the library because, in theory, our materials are accessible by everyone.  But had we achieved equity at the same time?  Someone who is facing an undesirable financial situation may want to look up books that can help them but are unable to find those materials because they are labeled under a derogatory or insensitive term they wouldn’t refer to themself as.  Going forward, I aim to learn more about best practices in terms of how we can transform records to suit the diverse populations they represent.  I do not think a library can pretend to advocate for equity and diversity if they do not attempt to make changes like this.

Continuing the Conversation:  A Response by Madison Creery (Libraries, Culture, and Society, Fall 2024)

The Public Library and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness

“…the bums are usually either sleeping, smelling terrible, stealing, or shouting at the top of their lungs…Maybe Iowa City should open a second library for all us ‘normies…’”^[1]

When googling the top negative reviews about the Iowa City Public Library (ICPL), one will find multiple statements disparaging the “bums” and “hobos.” People experiencing homelessness are often dehumanized and perceived as social outcasts, even in an institution that is meant to be free and accessible to all.^[2]

Each year, nearly 1,000 people in Johnson County experience homelessness.^[3]  In many cases, the public library is one of the few humanizing places left for unsheltered people to go.  Yet, many library professionals are not taught how to best assist this underserved population.^[4]  This is why I chose to watch “Understanding and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Library Service.”^[5]  My goals were threefold: to gain understanding of the prevalence and causes of homelessness; to learn the challenges library professionals face helping this population; and to explore how library professionals can better assist people experiencing homelessness.

Major Arguments, Ideas, and Facts

Kathleen Guarino—the webinar speaker—highlighted the structural factors that increase the risk of homelessness, including poverty and lack of affordable housing.  In Iowa City, nearly 28 percent of the population is living in poverty.^[6]  When working at minimum wage, an individual in Iowa would need to work 84 hours a week to afford a modest, one-bedroom apartment.^[7]  In Iowa City, there are at least two alternatives: Shelter House and the Iowa City Housing Authority (ICHA).  Yet Shelter House—the only overnight shelter in the city—has a 70-bed capacity and no option for housing during daytime hours.^[8]  While the ICHA also works to provide affordable housing, the current waitlist for the next available Public Housing unit is over three years’ long.^[9]

Today, public libraries are increasingly relied upon as places where people experiencing homelessness can go when shelters are closed—to stay safe from the weather, to use public restrooms, and to avoid trauma or victimization on the streets.  Though staff are committed to serving all patrons, there are unique challenges to providing services for this population, including high rates of trauma exposure; mental health and substance abuse issues;^[10] disruptive behaviors; hygiene issues; sleeping; and balancing the safety and comfort of all.

How the webinar connects or otherwise responds to our shared readings and viewings

When discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our viewings, I felt that Katherine Phillips did an excellent job of highlighting that diversity is more than surface level.^[11]  The socioeconomic factor may not be as easy to distinguish but is equally important.  Yet DEI is also intersectional.  As Kathleen Guarino noted, “Individuals and families who are minorities comprise a disproportionate percentage of the homeless population,” with wage disparities playing a critical role.^[12]  As library staff strive to create spaces that foster equitable access and participation for all, it’s key to remember that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to including DEI in their practices.

My learning and the session’s utility in enhancing DEI understanding as it factors in contemporary librarianship

Before watching the webinar, it seemed I would need a college-level social work course to better serve this population.  Yet, I left with a better understanding of the circumstances people experiencing homelessness face, the barriers in libraries preventing this population from fully accessing resources, and solutions that can be instituted.  One such barrier is the requirement for a permanent address to receive a library card, something I experienced at ICPL.  When a patron wanted to check out a book, I asked for their library card.  When they explained they didn’t have one, I robotically talked them through the process of acquiring one.  At this point, I learned the patron was currently living in a van and didn’t have a permanent address.  As library professionals, we need to create solutions to ensure access to a space meant to be free and open for all.  We are already seeing public libraries instituting “temporary” library cards that allow unsheltered people to check out materials, including at ICPL.^[13]  Furthermore, one of the easiest things staff can do is use humanizing language and discourage the use of identifiers such as “hobo” and “bum.” We can also learn about community resources in our area that patrons experiencing homelessness can access.  If we recognize a missing resource, we can see if there is a role for the library to bridge this gap, such as working with the local laundromat to provide vouchers.

However, there is more to learn, and I hope to pursue professional development that informs me about how social work and librarianship intertwine.  While there is a recognition that library professionals do not receive enough training on how to best serve people experiencing homelessness, but this is not an excuse to push this population aside and claim, “you don’t have training.” It is our responsibility to provide equitable, accessible, and inclusive services to all, and to continue our education to meet this population’s needs together.

Footnotes

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