In Librarianship Women Hold Up More Than Half the Sky

Barbara J. Ford

Librarianship Around the World

• Librarianship predominately female profession• Larger and more prestigious library more likely

to have director male• Status of women in librarianship varies but

generally an issue• Limited data and research on status of

women library workers around the world outside of U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia

Women Librarians in Nigeria

• More male librarians• Status of women librarians good• Women need encouragement to reduce

psychological barriers• Make organizational structures more flexible• Underutilized potential of women

• Women Librarians in Nigerian Universities, Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, v.10, no. 3 (Winter 2009)

Librarianship and Technology

• Information Science and Technology – emphasis on administration and technical functions – viewed as masculine

• Service – viewed as feminine• Value and status of management versus technical

positions• Men dominate technical positions and have higher

salaries• Some types of work undervalued – children and

youth services, school libraries

Library from Hierarchies to Participatory Organizations?

• Traditional male management style – directive – individualism, power, competition

• Female management style – connective – cooperation, teamwork, consensus building

Improvements for Status of Women in Library and Information Sciece

• Continuing education especially in technology• Hands-on experience• Involvement in projects• Mentors and role models• Networks and networking• Library associations

Library Programs and Services and Gender Equality

• Many library programs work on gender issues in general but not directly relating to library staff

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Women and Girls Education

• Gender equality is global priority for UNESCO and is linked to UNESCO’s efforts to promote the right to education and broader development goals.

• Gender inequality in education takes many forms depending on the context. Though gender inequality affects girls and boys, women and men alike, girls and women are still more often disadvantaged.

• Among the obstacles in the way of women’s and girls’ ability to exercise their right to participate in, complete and benefit from education are poverty, geographical isolation, minority status, disability, early marriage and pregnancy, gender-based violence, and traditional attitudes about the status and role of women.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Inclusive Knowledge Society

People have the capabilities not just to acquire information but also to transform it into knowledge and understanding, which

empowers them to enhance their livelihoods and contribute to the social and economic development of their societies.

UNESCO’s Inclusive Knowledge Society

Information DevelopmentInformation Literacy

Information PreservationInformation Ethics

Information Accessibility

Information Literacy

• Challenge today - how to locate and select appropriate information

• Variety of scholarly content – datasets, videos, audio, maps, text embedded in tools and application

• Librarians guide and teach students to make sense of complex information environment

• Teach how to find and evaluate information

UNESCO Resources

• World Days – Radio, Audiovisual Heritage• International Women’s Day – March 8• Free and Open Software Portal• Open Access to Scientific Information• Open Educational Resources

UNESCO Gender Equality Action Plan

• Education• Natural sciences• Social and human sciences• Culture• Communication and information

Gender Equity Library Programs

• Many funders require or recommend• Governments see value in educating women

and girls• Women and girls do not have equal access to

technology• Lack capacity to use information and

communication technologies to build social capital

Carnegie Corporation

• University programs in sub-Saharan Africa• Funds for scholarships to educate women• Women studies programs on campus• Women’s collections in libraries• Special spaces in libraries for women

READ Global

• Empower rural communities in Bhutan, India, Nepal

• READ's Women's Empowerment Centers offer a safe place for rural women to gather, share experiences and access valuable livelihood training.

• http://readglobal.org/

Electronic Information for Libraries Public Library Innovation Program

• READ Information and Resource Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal

• Awarded the 2013 EIFL-PLIP award for using ICT to empower women and girls.

• Capacity Building Initiative for Women and Girls taught 70 women literacy and numeracy skills, and 122 women ICT skills.

• Fifteen trainees found good jobs and are now earning a living wage, and others have started small businesses.

Beyond Access

• Public libraries can help scale and institutionalize women’s and girl’s access to information and communications technology

• Examples from Uganda, Honduras and Ukraine show libraries are safe, stable space to women learn, socialize, and gain digital skills

• http://beyondaccess.net/

Libraries Empower Women

Support for Girls in UkraineLibrarians in the small Ukrainian town of Zaporizhia noticed that many girls in the community were falling prey to drug abuse and unhealthy life choices, so they decided to launch a program to provide girls with technology training, career advice and an overall support network. As a result of the program, girls in the community now spend more time at the library using computers and the Internet than they do getting in trouble on the streets.

Libraries Empower Women

Technology training for women in Ghana. The Northern Regional Library in Tamale, Ghana, trained more than 125 young women within three-months, thanks to a program that provides technology training on Internet, Web 2.0, search techniques, and leadership development. Training hours were instituted to ensure that women could still maintain their work hours during the day.

Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationAccess to Learning Award

• Dominican Republic's Community Technology Centers (CTCs)

• Free access to high-tech tools, training courses, and a wide variety of other services to help improve lives.

• Women on the Net program provides advanced training in programming, multimedia, and telecommunications to young women to help them secure jobs in the field of technology.

• http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Global-Libraries/Access-to-Learning-Award-ATLA

International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Key Initiatives

• Digital Content Program• International Librarianship Leadership

Development Program• Outreach Program for Advocacy and

Advancement of the Profession• Cultural Heritage Disaster Reconstruction

Program• Multilingualism Program

IFLA Trend Report 2013

• TREND 1: New Technologies will both expand and limit who has access to information.

• TREND 2: Online Education will democratise and disrupt global learning.

• TREND 3: The boundaries of privacy and data protection will be redefined..

• TREND 4: Hyper-connected societies will listen to and empower new voices and groups.

• TREND 5: The global information environment will be transformed by new technologies.

IFLA Women, Information and Libraries Special Interest Group

MissionPromotion, Development and Support of

Library and Information Services for the Benefit of Women,

and Society as a Whole

IFLA Women Group Goals

• Implications of Millennium Development Goals for Libraries Worldwide

• Empowerment of Women Through Education and Information

• Equality and Equal Opportunities for Women• Advancement through New Technology

IFLA Women Group Aims

• Identify information needs and barriers to access by women

• Advocate development of comprehensive and accessible library and information services

• Promote professional and public aware of importance of library services for MDG

• Encourage and foster ties among library organizations and institutions related to women

• Disseminate information in support of goals and objectives of IFLA internationally

For more information

• http://www.unesco.org

• http://www.ifla.org

• Barbara J. Ford bjford@illinois.edu