[Michlib-l] Discomfort with Wednesday post about "neutrality"

Fri Apr 16 16:00:00 EDT 2021

Hi Kristin. 

Very well said. I admit I just skimmed it and deleted it, but I appreciate you taking the time to address the response. I agree that libraries cannot be neutral when it comes to encouraging our communities to "know better so you do better." I had a particular issue with the respondent's claim that DEI related posts are only "necessary" when there are "actual problems with individuals not feeling included" and their question as to whether we are "truly bringing culture to the community that is of interest" or just "diversity for diversity's sake". Posts highlighting diversity, equity and inclusivity are not just "for" the minority who may not have seen their particular community's accomplishments acknowledged in the past. The posts are also important to bring awareness to the majority - why are they noticing that these posts are different? Why do they feel uncomfortable when they see these posts? Examining our own biases and blindness is often not comfortable. And helping our patrons become better people is often what the library strives for - entertainment, information, education, community - it seems to me that everything we do is about making the world a better place. 

Thanks again to Kristin. And I hope everyone enjoys their weekend. 

Jocelyn 

Jocelyn Levin, MLIS 
Youth and Teen Services Librarian 
jlevin at lyon.lib.mi.us 

Lyon Township Public Library 
27005 Milford Rd, South Lyon, MI 48178 
248.437.8800 Ext. 615 
[ http://www.lyon.lib.mi.us/ | www.lyon.lib.mi.us ] 

From: "Michlib-l" <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
To: "Michlib-l" <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2021 3:32:08 PM 
Subject: [Michlib-l] Discomfort with Wednesday post about "neutrality" 

Hello, all -- 
There was a post on this earlier this week in which a librarian asked for advice on policies that would help her library navigate the pushback some of her DEI posts are receiving. Their query received one response. Admitting that they had not viewed the content in question, the respondent argued that the profession should be more careful about betraying neutrality and that we would do well to walk more in the shoes of our (assumed majority white) patrons and plan posts accordingly. 

I have been really uncomfortable about that for the past few days and have been waiting for someone to pipe up and voice concern about it. And now I am more uncomfortable that no one has, so I guess it's time for me to. 

Our profession's Code of Ethics advocates for [ http://www.ala.org/united/sites/ala.org.united/files/content/trustees/orgtools/policies/ALA-code-of-ethics.pdf | equitable access and service for all ] and that we leave our personal perspectives at the door when we show up to work to live out the library's mission. The Code of Ethics never actually says, "Be neutral," or, "Equity matters, but if it ruffles a few feathers, just let it go." I am haunted by Elie Wiesel's articulation that, " [ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1986/wiesel/26054-elie-wiesel-acceptance-speech-1986/ | Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim ] ." When we ask whose shoes we should be walking in, we might do better to ask who is most in need of empathy and whose perspectives are most underrrepresented. 

I'm no DEI expert. I know how far I have to go in my own journey and that I have said and done dumb or hurtful things when I didn't know better. But if we are going to say we're proud to serve all, we have to acknowledge that this should not be a self-congratulatory pat on the back but a call to action. 

I [ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/style/loretta-ross-smith-college-cancel-culture.html | don't believe that shame is an effective learning tool ] , and I am NOT writing this to provoke angry jabs at the respondent. We may share a goal of equity but have different paths of getting there. Libraries outside of metropolitan areas serve very different communities from those in more diverse areas, and our action steps toward equity may look different or move at different rhythms or speeds ... as long as we keep moving forward. 

I hope this message will help us all have a chance to take a deep breath, step back from the weird and stressful times we are living in, and ask, "How can our library welcome a wider swath of the population?" 

Thanks for reading and for everything you do to help those who need it most. 

Kristin 

-- 
Kristin Fontichiaro 
University of Michigan School of Information 
4427 North Quad 
105 S. State St. 
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 
734.647.3593 
[ http://fontichiaro.com/activelearning | Blog ] | [ https://www.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUFHX1E5cXRtYUVQfGRlZmF1bHR8YmY3NDdlYzA4ZDM2MjFmMzAzMDM2OTA3NGM3NjliMzQ | Book an Appointment (school year only)  ] 

Projects: 
[ http://michiganmakers.si.umich.edu/ | Michigan Makers ] | [ http://makinglibraries.si.umich.edu/ | Making in Michigan Libraries ] 
[ http://dataliteracy.si.umich.edu/ | Data Literacy in High School ] | [ http://ai.umich.edu/portfolio/public-library-management/ | Public Library Management MOOC ] 

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