Marian as intersectional problem: Librarian stereotypes
& stunted diversity
Nicole Pagowsky, MLIS, MS
LIS590DU Guest Lecture
October 28, 2014
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
About MeFaculty Librarian, Research & Learning Department
University of Arizona Libraries
student retention, general education, online learning, & subject liaison
@pumpedlibrarian
librarianwardrobe.com
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
The BookPublished June 2014, ACRL Press
librarianwardrobe.com/book
Foreword & Chapter 1 as free OA PDF
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
LIBRARIAN STEREOTYPESPerspectives
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
What are some common librarian
stereotypes?Shout them out in the chat box
Q:
via diamondencrusteddreams.blogspot.com
via bookriot.com via tobeshelved.com
Q: What’s missing in these images?
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
StereotypeExhaustion
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
A couple of minutes after the dawn of librarianship two librarians started worrying about what other people thought of them. They were suffering from what might be called “reverse narcissism.” They did not so much want to dive into the pond as flee from the ugly sight it reflected (Fisher, 1993).
As cited in Pagowsky & DeFrain, 2014
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Privilege
via http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/11/social_justice_comedy.html
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
PROBLEMSThat our stereotypes contribute to
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
External Perceptions• Students / patrons• Campus / community• Faculty / teachers• News & media• Funding
via matchstic.com
Q:
What have you
experienced?
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Internal Perceptions & Presentations• Other librarian & staff
opinions, microaggressions• Status & pay• Hiring, recruitment• Imposter syndrome• Research and publishing
via matchstic.com
Q:
What have you
experienced?
The Unbearable Whiteness of Librarianship
via Chris Bourg @ chrisbourg.wordpress.comMarch 3, 2014
“For a profession that claims diversity as a core value and declares that ‘We value our nation’s diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve’ to be so lacking in diversity is embarrassing.”
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
More depressing numbers…
via Chris Bourg @ chrisbourg.wordpress.comFebruary 22, 2014*See blog for links to original sources
via Andromeda Yelton @ andromedayelton.comSeptember 17, 2014*Looking specifically at keynotes
“Librarianship in general is 80% female, while only 58% of
directors of ARL libraries are female.”
“At national-scale US/Canadian library conferences:
43% of speakers are female
74% of speakers are white, 14% black, 7% Asian, 4% [Latin@]”
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
WHY THE BOOK?Re-directing the conversation
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Image via wjmc.blogspot.com
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
“…The perceptions of the librarian matter as much as the image of the institution when people decide to vote…”
-EveryLibrarySeptember 14, 2014everylibrary.tumblr.com
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Div
ersi
ty Identity
Hiring
Micro-aggressions P
rese
ntat
ion The stories
we tell
Tattoos
Intersection-ality
Ste
reot
ype
Impa
ct Pink collar work
LGBTQ Archives
Stereotype obsession
Per
cept
ions Student
interaction
“Sexy” - Porn & censorship
“Cat ladies”
Overview of Chapters
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
ReferencesBourg, C. (March 3, 2014). The unbearable whiteness of librarianship [blog]. Retrieved from http://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-librarianship/.
Bourg, C. (February 22, 2014). Lack of diversity by the numbers in librarianship and in book stuff [blog]. Retrieved from http://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/lack-of-diversity-by-the-numbers-in-librarianship-and-in-book-stuff/.
Fisher, D. (1993). Book Reviews: Bruijns, R.A.C. Status and image of the librarian: Report of a sample survey carried out in twelve countries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 25(3). 155-156.
(Cited in) Pagowsky, N. & DeFrain, E. (2014). Ice ice baby: Are librarian stereotypes freezing us out of instruction. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2014/ice-ice-baby-2/
Pagowsky, N. (July 6, 2014). Hiring and retaining diverse talent by supporting risk [blog]. Retrieved from http://pumpedlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/07/hiring-retaining-diversity.html.
Yelton, A. (September 17, 2014). Counting keynoter diversity in libraryland [blog]. Retrieved from http://andromedayelton.com/blog/2014/09/17/counting-keynoter-diversity-in-libraryland/.
Nicole Pagowsky LIS590DU Guest Lecture
Questions?Thanks! You can get in touch at:
[email protected] | nicolepagowsky.info | @pumpedlibrarian