Essay // Social Justice in the Public Library

This assignment was written for my Understanding Information (LIS 2000) class in graduate school. It was a part of a class discussion regarding professional ethics in libraries.

One of the things that specifically drew me to public librarianship as a career was the function of libraries as a no-cost community space and provider of resources and their unique position to act as a “Great Equalizer” (ALA, 2013). This speaks to the library’s goal to be for the public good, but I believe that our code of ethics goes a step further and posits that we must work proactively on prioritizing equity, diversity, and social justice in our library spaces, programming, and collections.

In the ALA’s Code of Ethics (2008), ideals such as intellectual freedom, democracy, and equity are codified into our organizational values. The Code of Ethics challenge us to fight censorship of diverse materials, to not put our personal values (or prejudices) over our professional duties, and to make sure our libraries provide high quality, equitable access and service to everyone in our communities (ALA, 2008). For our libraries to truly act as agents of social justice, “everyone” in this case must especially include the most marginalized populations in our community.

In the midst of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, the Ferguson Public Library stayed open and provided an oasis amid violence and even “ad hoc school” for children while the schools were closed (NBC News, 2014). The San Francisco Public Library hired a full-time psychiatric social worker to provide mental healthcare for their large population of homeless patrons and also provided vocational rehabilitation programs (Goldberg, 2016). Many libraries also have partnerships with local foodbanks to distribute free summer lunches to children who rely on free school lunches during the year. These are just some examples that, to me, show how libraries can embody the ideal of social justice, and also illustrate how social justice fits very well into our professional Code of Ethics.

American Library Association. (2008). Code of ethics of the American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/proethics/codeofethics/Code of Ethics of the American Library Association.pdf.

American Library Association. (2013). Declaration for the right to libraries. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/declaration-right-libraries-text-only.

Goldberg, E. (2016). Library offers homeless people mental health services, and it’s working. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-library-is-often-the-safest-place-for-homeless-people-thats-why-this-one-hired-a-social-worker_us_56fbf43ee4b083f5c6063b0d.

NBC News. (2014). ‘In this together’: Ferguson library stays open amid violence. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/together-ferguson-library-stays-open-amid-violence-n256346.

Essay // Libraries, E-Books, and Self-Publishing

This short assignment was written for LIS 2000 as part of a discussion about the role of libraries in the era of e-books, self-publishing, and digital information.

In the past, libraries were traditionally focused on print resources, but the ever-growing number of digital resources available today has caused a significant shift in libraries’ roles. E-books and other digital resources take up a lot less physical space in libraries than print resources, which can leave room for libraries to take on new roles and house new resources like computer labs, meeting rooms, and maker-spaces. However, digital resources also often take up greater portions of libraries budgets than their print counterparts due to bundling and licensing costs, which can make it difficult to provide the same level of access under existing budget structures (Koehn & Hawamdeh 2010). Licensing terms and conditions are renegotiated often with publishers, and since libraries don’t actually own the digital content they purchase access to, this access could be much more restricted than with print resources. For example, HarperCollins Publishing Co. has a policy where you can buy access to a title, but you only get 1,000 uses (Neary 2011). While these challenges can put a strain on libraries’ current budgets, e-books and other digital resources are a great way for libraries to meet users where they are, so to say; instead of people having to physically go to the library to get the information they need, they can take advantage of those resources from home or their desk at work.

On the other hand, self-publishing is a unique issue as it has grown sharply over the last several years – Bowker (2013) found that between 2011 and 2012 alone, the number of self-published books rose by up to 60%. However, not many of these titles find their way into libraries for various reasons, be it the stigma of self-publishing as a “vain” endeavor, a lack of large-scale demand for the books, or a distrust of potentially un-reviewed content (and lack of fact-checking). However, Andrew Hart (2017) argues that self-publishing fits in well with the extremely popular maker movement – by providing access to self-publishing technologies and keeping a self-published/independent literature section in the library could be a great way for libraries to truly represent and give voice to the communities they serve. It fits well with the idea of public libraries as one of the last truly democratic institutions, and having self-published content in the library is not unheard of: even the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a self-published “zine” collection.

Bowker. “Self-Publishing Movement Continues Strong Growth in US, Bowker Says.” Bowker. October 9, 2013. http://www.bowker.com/news/2013/Self-Publishing-Movement-Continues-Strong-Growth-in-US-Says-Bowker.html.

Hart, Andrew. “Self-Publishing, Indie Authors, and Libraries.” Public Libraries Online. July 10, 2017.

Koehn, Shona L., and Suliman Hawamdeh. “The Acquisition and Management of Electronic Resources: Can Use Justify Cost?” The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy 80, no. 2: 2010 (161-174).

Neary, Lynn. “The Future of Libraries in the E-Book Age.” NPR. April 4, 2011. http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135117829/the-future-of-libraries-in-the-e-book-age.

Book Review // MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix

My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰

“By the power of Phil Collins, I rebuke you!”

My Best Friend's Exorcism, is officially the second Grady Hendrix novel I have read (I read Horrorstör shortly after it came out in 2014), and I wasn't disappointed by this second foray into his work. I thoroughly enjoy Hendrix's brand of comedy-horror, how he takes off-beat concepts (A haunted IKEA! An '80s teen movie, but with more demonic possession!) and turns them into genuinely scary, engaging stories.

My Best Friend's Exorcism follows the story of Abby and Gretchen, two girls who became friends in elementary school after Gretchen was the only one to show up to Abby's roller-skating party. They go through all the typical drama that comes with being teen girls -- until high school, when Gretchen becomes possessed by a demonic entity. Then it's a whole new kind of drama.

One thing that I really loved about this novel is the pacing. Part John Hughes movie, part The Exorcist, Hendrix knew exactly where to inject the plot with humor, pop culture references, or suspense for it to be most effective. While Hendrix plays with a lot of tried-and-true tropes of teen flicks and possession horror, the book doesn't feel at all derivative or disingenuous. The characters were all incredibly believable and well-written, and I am similarly amazed how well an adult man was able to capture the essence of a friendship between two teen girls, but I guess it just goes to show the true strength of Hendrix's writing chops.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes nostalgic '80s teen movies but just wishes they'd've had a few more demons in them. Or just anyone with a good sense of humor and a solid appreciation of fear-induced adrenaline rushes.

Originally published on Goodreads.com.