The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Invisible illness and disability in the library profession
Library workers with invisible illnesses and/or disabilities face barriers to succeeding in the workplace as described in the September 2023 College & Research Libraries article “Hidden Barriers: The Experience of Academic Librarians and Archivists with Invisible Illness and/or Disabilities.” The authors adapted their definition from the Invisible Disabilities Association, which defines an invisible disability as “a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities. The article reports on their study of academic librarians and archivists with invisible illnesses and/or disabilities. The survey results indicate that much work is needed to increase understanding and support of the issue. Disclosing and requesting accommodations should be easy and without fear of repercussions. The authors noted that 58 percent of respondents chose not to disclose because it would be “too complicated or energy consuming.” On the positive side, the results indicate requested accommodations are often granted (82 percent), and people who disclose reported actionable support from their supervisors (59 percent).
The most striking statistic from this article was the number of respondents who identified their illness or disability as “invisible.” For both chronic illness and disability, the majority of those who identified as having one of these conditions identified it as invisible. This reminds us that individuals and organizations need to be proactive in creating an inclusive workplace for everyone. This article is also an important reminder that organizations committing to diversity and inclusion should include disability and accessibility-focused topics in their efforts. Contributed by Kate James.
The Archivists: The Unseen Fight to Preserve Our Stories
Latino USA producer Victoria Estrada visited the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas in Austin (OCLC Symbol: IXA). Her reporting is documented in The Archivists: The Unseen Fight to Preserve Our Stories. The Benson is one of the preeminent collections of Latin American collections, including holding the Latino USA archives.
One of the aspects of the Benson’s story that may be somewhat forgotten is that collecting practices were shaped by demands from students in the 1970s Ethnic Studies movement – due to student pressure, the Benson began collecting materials documenting the Latino / Latina experience in the United States. This episode also grapples with the complexities of colonial collecting practices and discusses institutional support for the Archive of Indigenous Languages of Latin America, a non-custodial archive. The Benson’s support for AILLA helps the institution to “move away from a logic of extraction in the archives.” Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
Toolkit for Program Challenges
In August 2022, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) offered “Stand Up Against Book Challenges,” a blog post giving advice to library workers facing book bans (as noted in the “Advancing IDEAs” of 4 October 2022). Now in response to the increase in challenges to Drag Story Hours and other programs presented by libraries, ALSC’s School-Age Programs and Services Committee has prepared the Toolkit for Program Challenges, devoted to the issues unique to these situations. Similar to other tools, the ALSC guide suggests preventive actions to take before challenges, dealing with challenges as they are taking place, and means of following up afterwards, as well as links to additional helpful resources.
Knowing ways to prevent challenges to library programming, to deal with active challenges, and to recover from them are skills increasingly useful to all libraries in our contentious and tumultuous times. Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Kellogg Canada’s EDI efforts met with boycott threats
On 12 September 2023, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada announced they had partnered with Kellogg Canada, their Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® cereal brand, and Kids Can Press to create the Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® ED&I Digital Library, a free online library of EDI-focused content including books, podcasts, and more for parents and their children to explore together. The Digital Library went live in July and, beginning at the end of September, Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® cereal boxes appeared at grocery retailers across Canada with a 4-digit pin code to promote the Digital Library. By November, however, there were calls on the Internet to boycott Froot Loops® for their participation in the program.
While corporations, advocacy groups, and publishers are seeking new ways to promote EDI-focused resources for families, threats of product boycotts can undermine these efforts. Those who believe in a more diverse and inclusive society must express our support for projects like these or companies will be less likely to participate and promote similar EDI initiatives. Contributed by Morris Levy.
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.
