Topographies of whiteness : mapping whiteness in library and information science

Title:

ISBN:

9781634000222

Publication:

Sacramento, CA : Library Juice Press, 2017.

Physical Description:

xv, 333 pages : illustration ; 23 cm.

Series:

Series on critical race studies and multiculturalism in LIS ; no. 2.

General Note:

"With a foreword by Todd Honma"--Cover.

Contents:

Early formations: tracing the historical operations of whiteness -- A revisionist history of Andrew Carnegie's library grants to black colleges / Shaundra Walker -- Interrogating whiteness in college and university archival spaces at predominantly white institutions / Nicole M. Joseph, Katherine M. Crowe, and Janiece Mackey -- The academic research library's white past and present / Ian Beilin -- Present topographies: surveying whiteness in contemporary LIS -- The weight of being a mirror : a librarian's short autobiography / Sarah Hannah Gómez -- Looking the part / Jessica Macias -- Nostalgia, cuteness, and geek chic : whiteness in Orla Kiely's Library / Vani Natarajan -- White feminism and distributions of power in academic libraries / Megan Watson -- Who killed the world? : White masculinity and the technocratic library of the future / Rafia Mirza and Maura Seale -- The whiteness of practicality / David James Hudson -- Fissures: imagining new cartographies -- Mapping topographies from the classroom : addressing whiteness in the LIS curriculum / Nicole A. Cooke, Katrina Spencer, Jennifer Margolis Jacobs, Cass Mabbott, Chloe Collins, and Rebekah M. Loyd -- Mapping whiteness at the reference desk / April M. Hathcock and Stephanie Sendaula -- My librarianship is not for you / Jorge Ricardo López-McKnight -- Breaking down borders : dismantling whiteness through international bridges / Natalie Baur, Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, and George Apodaca -- Disrupting whiteness : three perspectives on white anti-racist librarianship / with essays by Melissa Kalpin Prescott, Kristyn Caragher, and Katie Dover-Taylor.

Abstract:

"Exploring the diverse terrain that makes up library and information science (LIS), this collection features the work of scholars, practitioners, and others who draw from a variety of theoretical approaches to name, problematize, and ultimately fissure whiteness at work. Contributors not only provide critical accounts of the histories of whiteness - particularly as they have shaped libraries and archives in higher education - but also interrogate current formations, from the policing of people of color in library spaces to imagined LIS futures. This volume also considers possibilities for challenging oppressive legacies and charting a new course towards anti-racist librarianship, whether in the classroom, at the reference desk, or elsewhere."--Back cover.

Subject Term:

Library science -- Social aspects -- United States.

Library science -- Social aspects -- United States -- History.

Librarians -- United States -- Social conditions.

Minority librarians -- United States -- Social conditions.

White people -- Race identity -- United States.

White people -- United States -- Social conditions.

Anti-racism -- United States.

Library science -- Social aspects.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Race relations.

Local Subject:

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE COLLECTION

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION COLLECTION

Added Author:

Schlesselman-Tarango, Gina

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	020.973 Topog	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Exploring the diverse terrain that makes up library and information science (LIS), this collection features the work of scholars, practitioners, and others who draw from a variety of theoretical approaches to name, problematize, and ultimately fissure whiteness at work. Contributors not only provide critical accounts of the histories of whiteness - particularly as they have shaped libraries and archives in higher education - but also interrogate current formations, from the policing of people of color in library spaces to imagined LIS futures. This volume also considers possibilities for challenging oppressive legacies and charting a new course towards anti-racist librarianship, whether in the classroom, at the reference desk, or elsewhere.

Summary:

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Topographies of Whiteness is uniquely situated in the context of our times. It takes a critical approach to the study of how whiteness has shaped and continues to impact librarianship. By gathering the voices of nearly 30 scholars, Schlesselman-Tarango (California State Univ., San Bernardino) has compiled a distinct topography, outline, or survey that "aims to surface rather than resolve such tensions, ultimately giving us additional tools to identify and fissure whiteness." This anthology draws from interdisciplinary questions, theories, and approaches beyond library and information sciences (LIS), and brings new self-awareness to the unexamined norms and oppressive legacies of whiteness as a race object. The volume is organized in three parts to explore early formations of historical operations, contemporary experiences, and reimagined futures. First-person accounts from librarians of color and white librarians bring refreshing agency and respect to encourage understanding and engagement at multiple levels and in diverse communities. Summing Up: Recommended. LIS students, faculty, and professionals. --Denise Pan, University of Washington Libraries