Document Type
Article
Version
preprint
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
This article examines seven case studies concerning college libraries addressing demands collated by the Black Liberation Collective in 2015. Six years out from the publication of the lists, we evaluate statements issued by the libraries and posted on their websites, the promises that have been made to address inequities, and the ensuing actions the libraries have taken to create a welcoming, inclusive community. In solidarity with the protests’ student activists at universities across the United States and Canada organized into the Black Liberation Collective and held the first #StudentBlackoutOut day of protests on university campuses on November 15 followed by the publication of lists of demands to over 80 colleges in 28 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada in the hopes of creating more-equitable and inclusive institutions. Seven academic libraries in particular were included with demands to better serve the Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) community. Through this investigation, we examine the responses from these libraries and recommend best practices for evolving academic libraries to serve BIPOC students.
WMU ScholarWorks Citation
Guth, LuMarie; Bocko, Amy; and Broadnax, Micha, "Library Response to Black Liberation Collective: A Review of Student Calls for Change and Implications for Anti-racist Initiatives in Academic Libraries" (2022). University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications. 54.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/library_pubs/54
Published Citation
Bocko, A.F., Guth, L. and Broadnax, M. (2022), "Library response to Black Liberation Collective: a review of student calls for change and implications for anti-racist initiatives in academic libraries", Reference Services Review, Vol. 50 No. 1, pp. 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-07-2021-0036