Social Justice and Activism in Libraries

Su Epstein is the director at the Saxton B. Little Free Library in Columbia, Connecticut. her writing has appeared in several publications as well as the blog Public Libraries Online. Carol Smallwood, a recipient of multiple Pushcart nominations, is the author of journal articles as well as editor of numerous books including one in Poets & Writers Magazine List of Best Books for Writers. A Michigan resident, her experience includes school, public and special libraries. Vera Gubnitskaia is a reference librarian at Valencia College, Winter Park, Florida. She has worked in public and academic libraries in Russia and the United States, contributed chapters to several professional publications, edited multiple anthologies, and published book reviews.

Table of Contents


Foreword (Wanda Kay Brown)

Preface (Su Epstein, Vera Gubnitskaia and Carol Smallwood)

Part I—Bringing Underrepresentation to the Forefront

Literacy Support for the Intellectually Disabled: A New Frontier

for Library Outreach (Matthew Conner and Leah Plocharczyk)

Prison Libraries and Social Justice: Helping Inmates Succeed (Andrew Hart)

Buttressed Beliefs, Informed Action: Black Lives Matter, an Academic

Library and Building Critical Community Discourse (Ian Boucher)

Improving Everyday Lives: Free Administrative Legal Assistance

and Critical Trans* Politics in Libraries (Elliott Kuecker)

Part II—Establishing Partnerships

Food for Thought: Feeding Mind and Body at Public Libraries (Amber H. Williams, Erica Freudenberger and Cindy Fesemyer)

Partnering for Social Justice: Social Work Students’ Placement

at Public Libraries (Sarah C. Johnson)

Unidos por la Causa: ­Community-Driven Collection Development

for Chicanx Archives (Zoe Jarocki and Amanda Lanthorne)

Part III—Building Communities

Rethinking the Role of Libraries as Active Social Spaces (Carrie Fishner and Lisa Tessier)

Building Community in an Academic Library (Carolyn Frey and Jami Powell)

Critical Librarianship in Action: Supporting ­Campus-Wide Dialogues (Maureen Rust and Aimée C. Quinn)

Part IV—Administering with Diversity

Advocacy from Within: Employees with Disabilities (JJ Pionke)

Healing Justice: An Approach of Caring for Intersectional LIS Professionals (Melissa ­Villa-Nicholas, Tonyia J. Tidline and Tracy S. Drake)

Encouraging Social Justice Professional Development (Laura Francabandera)

Reflecting Diversity in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (Elizabeth Hobart)

Part V—Supporting Activism

The Archival Is Political: Archival Practice as Political Practice (Anna J. ­Clutterbuck-Cook and Jeremy Brett)

Hip Hop and Activism: Bridging Boundaries and Healing Through

Hip Hop Pedagogy (Kai Alexis Smith)

Bringing Critical Race Theory to the Library Bill of Rights: From the Past to the Future (Celeste ­Bocchicchio-Chaudhri)

Collaborative Justice: ­Gender-Based Activism in the University Library

Carrie Moran and Leandra ­Preston-Sidler

Part VI—Generating Programming

Creating Communities Through Living Books: The Human Library

Experience at Southern New Hampshire University (Heather ­Walker-White and Joshua Becker)

Check(Out) Your Privilege, or: How We Learned to Stop Worrying

and Love Putting on a Diversity Event (Damon Campbell, Lydia Harlan and Rachel Lilley)

Moving Beyond Just Talk: Diversity Programming at an Academic Library (Martin L. Garnar)

Getting Serious in the Public Library with “Current Conversations” (Jamie L. Huber, Whitney R. Gerwitz, Heather M. Wefel and Melanie Foster)

Part VII—Expanding Teaching

Teaching Social Justice with Special Collections and Archives: Critical

Information Literacy and Primary Source Analysis (Julie M. Porterfield)

Research Skills in International Issues and Social Justice Programs:

Talking Points and Literature Review (Paul Jerome McLaughlin, Jr.)

Advocating for Diversity Through Embedded Librarianship (Faith L. Bradham)

About the Contributors

Index