A few thoughts on the readings for Sep 22

“Tunnel Vision and Blind Spots” by Wayne Wiegand

Whew! This was a whirlwind history of the last century or so of librarianship. I actually found it very interesting. I liked how the author pointed out which parts of the motto “The best reading for the largest number at the least cost” libraries held most dear at different points in history. Just because libraries held the same motto for the last 100 years, doesn’t mean they held all parts of that motto in the same esteem throughout that time period.

I thought a lot about bias in library collections in reading this article. The article touches on what some think the public “should” be reading as opposed to what they actually are reading. It talks about clear cut censorship in Nazi Germany and the McCarthy era. It talks about creating subtle bias in the form of book lists published to help librarians choose what to acquire for their collection. Even if the list is put together without the intention of biasing a libraries’ collection, it inherently will. So my question is, how can a library choose materials for its collection without that bias? Is it even possible? How do librarians resist the winds of political change? Is there such a thing as an unbiased library?

“Unequal Legacies” by Pawley

I found this article a little uncomfortable to read. I hadn’t thought about how the established library system has a bias built in. For example, the author points out that there are separate subject heading for “services to” several minority groups. Then the author notes how many cultural groups are not mentioned under the service headings. Thus, implying that those groups that were mentioned were inherently needier than others.  On the flip side of that, if some cultural groups search for or request services more often, wouldn’t it make sense to have a separate subject heading for them? Is that bias, or is it good service?

Reading this article really made me think.  I liked the suggestions the author made to create libraries as a “race-neutral space.”  It is a nice change to read about a problem that needs fixing, and then reading an upbeat conclusion that gives concrete suggestions for fixing the problem. A few of the other articles we read for this week seems a little more doom and gloomy. Lots of problems, without a lot of solutions suggested. Certainly there is no one cookie cutter answer to this problem, but acknowledging it exists is a great first step. I’m interested to hear what others in the class think of some of the solutions suggested.

“Information Technology and the De-skilling of Librarians” by Roma Harris

This article hit home to me, as a woman who formerly worked in research science.  At my previous job, all of the managers were men. The “data workers” at that job were evenly balanced between men and women.  As a woman, I often felt a little bit dismissed, and a little like I had to work harder to prove my worth.  While I’m disappointed to hear that this same hierarchy exists in library science, I’m not surprised.  Unfortunately the author doesn’t seem to give any suggestions to resolve this problem.

The author also predicts, essentially, the demise of librarianship without giving any suggestions of how the field might adapt. This would not be the article to give to people to read if they are considering entering the field of library and information studies!  I do agree that to some extent many skilled jobs will be replaced by computers. However, there always has to be someone around who knows how to work the computers, and someone who knows how to talk to people. Sometimes people don’t know how to articulate what they need, and in that case Google isn’t going to help them, as was pointed out in “This Book is Overdue!”

“Librarians and Party Girls” by Radford and Radford

The authors gave some great background on cultural studies. Being a person with a science background, I don’t have much experience in cultural studies myself. ”Cultural texts…are regarded as not simply reflecting history and society but as integral components in the making of history and society” made things very clear for me. I always thought of media reflecting society, but that is not always the case. I also found the information on stereotyping useful and concise.

I didn’t like the amount of space dedicated to analyzing the movie Party Girl. I haven’t seen the movie, but it sounds a little silly and trite. I think the authors’ point of the stereotypical librarian in the media could have been made without the lengthy description of the movie.  We are all aware this stereotype exists; whether it will change any time soon remains to be seen.  Is that media image of librarians a problem? If it inhibits people from asking for help, it certainly is.

“The Ugly Side of Librarianship” by Klaus Musmann

This article is a brief account of the history of African-Americans and libraries. It discusses the accessibility of libraries, the number of African-American librarians, and how the ALA handled integration.

I found it interesting (and confusing) that different cities had such widely different policies. Some would allow African Americans more or less full access to the library. Some would not allow African-Americans inside at all, and there seemed to be every variation in between. The same could be said for African-American staff at libraries.

One point that struck me was the ALA meeting in 1936 in Richmond, VA which allowed African-Americans to attend, but they were not allowed to eat or stay at the conference hotel. Some people called for a boycott of any city that would not allow full access to African-Americans, but the ALA didn’t listen.  It continued to use hotels that restricted access to African-Americans for several years.