|
I wrote this back in 2023 and am just now posting it. I've been thinking a lot lately about libraries and their roles in today's environment; this is the beginning of some of my thought process -- and a little case study! Libraries as vehicles for pacifism Previously, I had thought of libraries as places that smelled good and had good study vibes that I could also utilize for free audiobooks, and spaces where people could engage in community activities. This isn’t wrong, but what I learned is that the social role libraries play in communities -- as resources for information, but also for social interaction -- makes libraries vehicles for pacifism. As Eric Kleinenberg and Roman Mars discuss in “Palaces for the People,” investing in community resources can literally reduce crime. Having the hard data they discuss about repairing broken windows is extremely useful when considering how to convince community leaders with the pocketbooks to continue investing in libraries and information centers. As a Quaker, one of my life objectives is deescalating situations as a vehicle for peace. The evidence of the impact of libraries on problems that Americans complain about in the political sphere on the regular–and taking into consideration the respect (and relative nonpartisanship) libraries as institutions generally enjoy -- could be an optimal avenue for de-escalating situations by way of unifying communities.  Photo by Raphael Brasileiro Preventing extremism Libraries are vehicles for pacifism. It’s less about ~*~*~the power of books~*~*~ and more about democratization of access, but it’s also about getting users to believe in and trust the system that unites us all. The political impact is that libraries as trusted institutions doling out valuable resources for free have the ability to use their resources to arm people with the information they need to navigate their own personal lives, and get people talking face to face rather than from behind their laptop screens -- and it’s generally far more difficult to shout slurs at people in person than it is in a game of DotA. On both a personal and systematic level, I am constantly stressed about the different types of extremism that affect our world today. I was raised in a belief community that was on the milder side of extremism, and had I stayed in that community and not gained exposure to other belief communities, I may have very well be focused on trying to revoke people’s access to information today, labeling it “evil” or assuming that people who seek it are “misguided.” I found a sense of freedom when I left, and it has taken me fourteen years to deconstruct my previous beliefs and start to have self-esteem. I understand how easy it is to slide into extremism -- especially ritualized human abuses -- when one is trained in an information silo. Once a silo is created, it is reinforced repeatedly and very, very difficult to break -- and more often than not, leads to violence. Information centers are dedicated to breaking down information silos and educating information users on how to avoid them, which gives me relief but also makes the attempts to limit library power in certain parts of the US right now extremely worrisome. When thinking about the community project my group selected, and thinking about this issue of information silos, I would suggest that the California State Park Archives remember that it is part of a larger community of information curation and sharing. With how difficult it was to gather information about how it fit into the larger organizations–both within the California State Park system and its Photographic Archives–it seems that libraries and archives are not immune to information silos in their own organizations. Roman Mars describes libraries as “temple[s] dedicated to the concept of sharing” (FitzGerald, 2019, para. 1). It’s great that archives and libraries exist to share with patrons, but that kind of sharing shouldn’t be limited to the records themselves. It should be transparent in the sourcing, as well–including the organization that is curating the collection.  Photo by Alotrobo My actions in community engagement and de-escalation A huge part of my life is pacifism by way of community engagement. I run an organization called Voting Study Party (https://www.votingstudyparty.org/) with some friends, which aims to de-escalate and depolarize political conversations among neighbors and friends by guiding individuals on how to make studying down-ballot issues a fun, social activity. The materials on our website emphasize learning together and guiding people on how to ask questions with an intent to gather knowledge and not to challenge someone else’s deeply held belief. Due to the high tensions that can surround political conversations, many people think of politics as a conversation to be forbidden around the dinner table. But banning such topics leads to information silos -- which in turn lead to violence and extremism. So the question becomes: what is the fastest way to encourage widespread adoption of such conversational techniques that can keep us away from information silos? How might I convince my local library system to distribute the materials that my friends and I have put together? After hearing Mary Ann Harlan speak about school libraries being on the front lines of the culture wars (Harlan & Hirsh, 2022) -- especially in terms of teaching children how to stay away from extremism -- I applied some of the social, community-hub school of thought discussed in this course so far by hosting a community Voting Study Hall prior to the November 2024 primary in Southern California.  A case study: Voting Study Hall Voting Study Party (VSP) collaborated with Altadena Public Library to host two Voting Study Halls: sessions for community members to set aside time and space for researching all of the issues and candidates on their ballots. The event followed VSP's Hosting Guidelines and we (the organizers) established ground rules -- which were also posted in plain sight for reference throughout the event -- before initiating any discussion. The idea was to get past propaganda and focus on the practical (and bribe people into doing it by providing snacks!). Together, participants created a 24-page study guide for the November 2024 local election in Altadena, Pasadena, and LA County. As a group, participants asked questions, shared information from both personal and professional experience, verified informational accuracy. And because we had a librarian present, we were able to point out the library's newspaper and other research resources -- not only letting participants know that they already had access to these resources as library patrons, but also facilitating an introduction to utilizing librarians as partners in information-seeking. In a sense, it was a re-introduction to the library as a place for not just checking out books, but also as a place to connect with the people who curate the information available, who are particularly knowledgeable about information accuracy. We had a lovely set of conversations with our neighbors and were successfully able to deescalate some hot feelings, and all participants were engaged and stayed to the end of the 2-hour sessions, which is saying something! I hope that other folks will try this approach at other libraries and let me know how it goes.  References
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
PART OF THIS COMPLETE BREAKFASTBlog not recommended for sober consumption. Archives
October 2025
|
RSS Feed