Libraries & social justice

[socialjusticelibrary]

[socialjusticelibrary]

by Melissa Adler

‘Classifications are never built in isolation. They are informed by social processes and are in dialogue with one another. And the knowledge organization systems of the 21st century – Google, Wikipedia, the Internet, etc. – are similarly influenced by and build upon these and other systems. With regard to race, these systems sustain and complement one another’s conceptualizations, as well as dominant, normative discourses. But their invisibility and ubiquity means that the systems and hierarchies are deeply embedded in our information retrieval systems, on the shelves, and across discourse communities. As Bowker and Star have argued, the hiddenness and naturalization of classificatory infrastructures heightens their potency and secures their ground. As they become entrenched in information infrastructures, it becomes more difficult to resist or change them. Perhaps more importantly, catalogers reiterate and reinforce the authorized classifications each time they apply them to a bibliographic text.’

[socialjusticelibrary]

I had this interesting mini-eureka moment a few weeks ago that I wanted to share for a few reasons. One, I don’t usually reflect on the connections that help me understand how I learn somethi…