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Full-Text Articles in Library and Information Science
The Clash Of The Commons: An Imagined Library Commons Discourse, Emily Benoff
The Clash Of The Commons: An Imagined Library Commons Discourse, Emily Benoff
Urban Library Journal
The commons has been adopted by LIS as a metaphor for transformational library spaces. However, post-colonial scholarship exposes the material violence and exclusionary practices that coincide(d) with commons-making in Europe and North America. When weighing such assessments against the traditional role of American libraries as mechanisms of colonial values, it becomes necessary for library professionals to critique their continued evocation of commons discourse from a perspective that centers decolonization. Responding to this challenge, I historicize the commons as both an imagined ideology and an actual instrument of power to contextualize Indigenous and post-colonial assessments of commons-making in the settler colonial …
Understanding The Roles Of Public Libraries And Digital Exclusion Through Critical Race Theory: An Exploratory Study Of People Of Color In California Affected By The Digital Divide And The Pandemic, Raymond Pun
Urban Library Journal
With the arrival of COVID-19, public libraries have been closed or partially re-opened in various phases. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of select library users in California, particularly people of color who experience digital exclusion, and how they use their public libraries prior to and during the pandemic. The study is guided by two research questions: 1. What are the barriers in using public libraries’ technology resources experienced by patrons of color before and during the pandemic? 2. What are their perspectives, purposes, and beliefs in using technologies in the public library before and during the pandemic? Using …
Fun Precedes Function: Fostering A Creative Workplace In The Public Library, Tony Tallent
Fun Precedes Function: Fostering A Creative Workplace In The Public Library, Tony Tallent
Urban Library Journal
The public library is full of creative people. Many library employees flourish in library systems that encourage them to move forward with their creative muses. A scan of the blogosphere quickly proves the public library attracts many creative minds and innovative thinkers to join its ranks. Once they have signed on to serve, what do we do to keep these creative types inspired, dreaming and channeling this creative energy into crafting experiences that benefit our users? What are we doing to consciously create a workplace that keeps fresh thinkers and risk-takers encouraged and empowered? Gleaned from conversations, interviews (both in …