Before we begin, I recognize that my positionality as a white man privileges me personally and professionally while simultaneously skewing and distorting my perspective on race. This blog post is an attempt to share the work of WOC+Lib with my professional organization in an effort to spur collective reflection.

Earlier this month, WOC+Lib released their Statement Against White Appropriation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’s (BIPOC) Labor — WOC+Lib.  While the statement addresses white library workers in all areas of the profession, the authors place an emphasis on work within professional organizations such as ALA, SLA, and ACRL as well as their respective conferences. The statement criticizes white library workers in several ways, including but not limited to those who: 

• take credit and profit off of BIPOC’s labor, 
• participate in “Diversity Theater,” which is the facade and performance of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work within an organization while continuing to marginalize and harm BIPOC workers, and, 
• in general, uphold whiteness and white supremacy. (Links from original post kept in for context)

The authors close their statement by explicitly calling out all white library workers, stating, “We here and we see you. White person, if you think we’re not talking about you, we are. We mean YOU.” 

For the white library worker, the work of EDI is both a personal, reflective practice of the individual as well as a collective action of their organizations. This statement should be interpreted through both of those lenses. Each white library worker is encouraged to review this statement, reflect on their personal work, and commit to restorative action such as that suggested in the statement:

• Apologize to your BIPOC colleagues, BIPOC employees, BIPOC bosses, BIPOC students, and BIPOC communities in which your libraries are situated. Take responsibility for the harm that you and your libraries and organizations have caused them, with no burden of expected forgiveness. Your apologies should be as visible as your anti-racism statements. (Links from original post kept in for context)

But also white library workers should examine their organizations, specifically STS, and their position within them. 

Examining this statement within the context of STS will inevitably lead to the work of the STS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Task Force (now the STS EDI Committee). The STS EDI Task Force’s preliminary work was conducting environmental scans, focus groups, and surveys in order to create a report and set of recommendations. In Summer 2020, the STS EDI Task Force assigned volunteers for each of the recommendations; their progress can be tracked on Science and Technology Section (STS): Equity Diversity and Inclusion LibGuide. In early 2021, STS announced the creation of an EDI officer, who will serve on the Executive Board, and the establishment of a permanent EDI Committee to continue the work of the EDI Task Force. 

According to the committee charge and the officer responsibilities, the EDI Committee and EDI Officer are not solely responsible for this work of the section; rather, they exist to facilitate this work in all areas of STS. This structure should empower STS committee members to take on the work of equity, diversity, and inclusion with the support and expertise of their colleagues in the EDI Committee. But first, every STS committee member is encouraged to spend time in reflection and consider the collective demands of WOC+Lib. 

Samuel R. Putnam, Director of Bern Dibner Library, New York University.

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