AFTER WORKING THROUGH THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:

• Describe ways in which libraries replicate some of the inequities faced by youth of color and Indigenous youth in other areas of life.
• Investigate discipline and policy, resource, and service gaps in your own library or library system.

INTRODUCTION

The library has often been discussed as a democratizing institution that provides free and equal information access for the public good. In this rosy view, libraries level the playing field between society’s haves and have-nots, providing all people with free access to resources and education that they could not otherwise afford. While the library has indeed served this purpose for many and continues to do so, it’s important that this inspirational vision of libraries not lead us to ignore or dismiss the ways that libraries replicate and perpetuate many of society’s racial inequities. For more on this topic, look for the content on “vocational awe” under Additional Resources. In this module, we will explore disparities in library discipline and related policies, resources, and services as they relate to BIYOC.

You will notice here that unlike in the previous module, empirical data about racial disparities in library services and resources are scant or nonexistent. For that reason, much of the information we present below is based on the work of the original Project READY creators with BIYOC in school and public libraries. As part of this module, we will ask you to conduct some action research in your own library setting.

DISCIPLINE AND RELATED POLICIES IN THE LIBRARY

Both school and public libraries typically have a written policy delimiting appropriate behaviors in the space. Often, these policies list examples of prohibited behaviors within the space. 

Think back to Module 4 (Implicit Bias and Microaggressions). Because people in the United States have been socialized to expect poor or even criminal behavior from BIPOC, people of color are often viewed with conscious or subconscious suspicion. Recall the study in which preschool teachers were asked to monitor ten minutes of recorded play and note any instances of misbehavior; eye-tracking software showed that those teachers spent the most time watching the Black boy in the video, even though no misbehavior was present in the film. Library workers are not immune to this type of implicit bias, and we may find ourselves watching youth of color for behavior violations more closely than white youth in our spaces.

Many individual conduct rules are subjective. Rules may be interpreted quite differently from one librarian to another, or from librarians to children and teens. We also know from our exploration of culture that what is considered loud or quiet, rude or respectful, or disruptive or productive can vary widely. This can lead to misunderstandings between library workers and children and teens who use the library.

As a result of differences in interpretation of the rules and in which library users are most closely monitored for potential misbehavior, BIYOC can be subject to disproportionate disciplinary actions in libraries just as they are in schools. For example, a librarian may reprimand or kick out two Black teen girls who are talking at what she considers a loud volume but ignore screams and squeals from two younger white children. When the library hires security guards or off-duty police officers to help enforce their conduct policies, youth of color and Indigenous youth face even more severe consequences for perceived or actual misbehavior, up to and including possible arrests.

In part because of these discipline policy issues, youth of color report that they feel like outsiders in libraries. Three young Black men we spoke with about their library experiences reinforced this idea:

• “I wasn’t a bad student, but I would always get disciplined in the library.  The librarians…I guess they didn’t like me because I just talk too much.”
• “I got disciplined, like he said, for talking.  Also, moving around a lot. I couldn’t sit still, always going somewhere and looking at something or touching something.”
• “If I could have my own library… I wouldn’t want it to be quiet.  I just find it difficult staying silent in the library.  I like to be able to talk…if I’m reading a book and I find something interesting, I want to be able to tell my friend about it and don’t want to be shushed the whole time and get in trouble and things like that.”

While serious offenses such as drug use, fighting, or bringing a weapon to the library should obviously be prohibited, library workers should also think about whether there are some behavior expectations that might prevent, rather than facilitate, effective use of the library by children, teens, and their families. For example, rules that prohibit talking in the library might prevent teens from meeting there to work on collaborative school assignments. Rules that require an adult guardian for all children prevent older teen siblings from taking their brothers and sisters to the library. Prohibiting children and teens from moving the library furniture denies them the opportunity to configure the space in a way that meets their work or leisure needs.

What is the worst thing that could happen if you relaxed your library’s rules about noise levels, food and drink, loitering, moving furniture, or other minor offenses? In some cases, the potential drawbacks of allowing these behaviors are outweighed by the potential benefits to children and teens.

While you evaluate your own library’s discipline policies and actions in the next activity, we encourage you to ask yourself: what behaviors might we be prohibiting in our libraries that are not actually harmful? If we changed our rules to allow this behavior, what negative and positive impacts might that have on children and teens, BIYOC, and their families?

READ

Libraries, like many schools, often have police officers or security guards patrolling their physical spaces. Budgets for these services often make up a significant portion of library systems’ overall funding. For example, the 2020-2021 budget¹ proposed by the Los Angeles Public Library system included $10.4 million – about 5% of the system’s total budget – for security services, much of which was managed by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Calls for libraries to divest from policing are widespread. For example, library workers, students, and community members across the U.S. have formed the Abolitionist Library Association², a collective that provides resources, support, and advocacy aimed at ending policing in libraries. These efforts have succeeded in some communities. For example, the Denver Public Library system has redirected much of its security funding to social work and “peer navigator” services specifically focused on users experiencing homelessness.

READ

Read the following account of an encounter between a security guard and a Black teen girl in a public library, taken from “We Will Not Be Silent: Amplifying Marginalized Voices in LIS Education and Research” by Amelia Gibson and Sandra Hughes-Hassell.

Think about this encounter in light of the discussion above. In what ways does this interaction replicate and reinforce racial inequities that are evident outside the library walls? What needs to change in terms of library policies, procedures, professional development, etc. to prevent future incidents like this and make the library a welcoming place for BIYOC?

EXPLORE

Conduct some observations at your library to explore how (and which) children and teens are disciplined in the space, and for what behaviors. Even if you think you already know the answers to these questions, this may uncover some surprising findings. We suggest:

If you’d like to share what you found in your policy review and/or through your observations, visit the Project READY Module 16: (In)equity in Libraries page and locate the Padlet under the first Explore heading. All postings are anonymous.

LIBRARY RESOURCES

When libraries are discussed as agents for democracy and equity, those conversations typically focus on the library’s provision of high-quality resources to people who may otherwise be unable to access them. One of the phrases sometimes used to describe libraries is “the people’s university,” and this phrase implies that all members of society can better themselves and their communities by taking advantage of their local library’s collections and services. In addition to physical and digital materials, we can also consider librarians themselves to be valuable resources for library users in search of information or education. But does everyone truly have equal access to library resources, services, and staff?

In too many cases, the people who most need the library’s resources and services are the least likely to have ready access to them.

BUT WAIT!

In this section, we address common questions and concerns related to the material presented in each module. You may have these questions yourself, or someone you’re sharing this information with might raise them. We recommend that for each question below, you spend a few minutes thinking about your own response before clicking “Show more” to see our response.