John joined CILIPNE to share his passion
for social justice and introduce the work of The Network. First of all we had to define social justice
in a UK context; the standard definition centres around equality – equal
citizenship, having access to resources to meet their essential needs, and
equality of opportunity, with fair distribution of resources. Taking it further, it can involve
restructuring systems to remove barriers to accessing tools and opportunities
to create equity.
Equity itself required a further definition
– giving people what they need in order to make things fair – not about giving
the same to everyone but giving more to those who need it, proportionately to
their own circumstances.
Can a library be neutral? John’s argument was that nothing in the world
can be entirely neutral! He added that
our role as librarians is to understand the local, regional and national
climate and be aware of the context in which we’re operating and how the
decisions we make impact how the library is perceived. He argued that the blanket statement “well
libraries are neutral” stops us getting on and developing all kinds of things.
There is actually a long history of
libraries being involved in social justice; the policies behind it have just
changed name over the years. It was once
“serving the disadvantaged” then more recently “social inclusion”. It’s what is behind many library services –
book boxes, hospital and housebound library services and outreach work from as
far back as the 1920s.
There are naturally obstacles to doing this
kind of work; the political views of your organisation may inhibit some
areas. Funding levels, priorities and
decisions all have a massive impact on the work we can do; external funding can
be pulled away and services removed.
Staff commitment and interest is also key – getting the wider team on
board first can make a huge difference.
In the past, the Library Association wasn’t
keen to support this kind of work, then it became something that was seen as a
bit “niche” and only relevant for very specific small areas. However now CILIP is very much on board and
has a commitment to proactively advocate for and promote inclusive,
participatory and socially-engaged library, knowledge and information services.
Simply saying “well, libraries are for
everyone” doesn’t help the people who don’t feel the library is for them. The solution is targeted services towards
specific needy groups and individuals.
Quite often this begins with a project and a trial, but in order to make
it long term, they need to be mainstreamed and become part of the core
service. Making it sustainable for the
future is the real challenge. This
includes offering long-term support and training for all the staff and also any
volunteers involved in the programme.
A critical strategy is working in
partnerships with organisations who already have connections in the relevant
community. They can provide links, bring
groups into the building and create the connection. Local community groups are also a way to
reach these target audiences.
John also introduced “The Network” (www.seapn.org.uk) who have been working to tackle social exclusion since 1999. Initially with public libraries, they now
also work with museums and archives as well as university and college
libraries. They work on projects like
Libraries of Sanctuary. There is a small
membership subscription but many of the resources, including the regular
eBulletins are absolutely free and open to everyone.
The discussion that followed began with
questions around stock; and how to strike the balance between providing up to
date materials whilst not falling into censorship. John advocated for listening to the community
around you but agreed it was a massive issue.
Having books within the collection but separated for critical appraisal
rather than part of general lending was a frequently used solution. Some staff had used tagging within the
catalogue to alert people of a piece of material which has outdated or
offensive viewpoints, especially for items in special collections or archives.
We agreed there was a need for access to
resources and training for staff to develop their understanding and
appreciation of the issues.
Look out for John’s book coming soon from
Facet Publishing about welcoming new arrivals to the UK.
Contact John: john@nadder.org.uk
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