[Libs-Or] OLA Quarterly Author Showcase | Meredith Farkas | The Distance Between Our Values and Actions: We Can’t Be Passive When it Comes to Privacy

[OLA Communications Committee]

Please download and read, “The Distance Between Our Values and
Actions: We Can’t Be Passive When it Comes to Privacy,” by Meredith
Farkas, here: https://journals3.oregondigital.org/olaq/article/view/vol27_iss1_10

>From Meredith’s article, “In September 2021, the WOC+Lib collective
published a searing "Statement Against White Appropriation of Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color's Labor (BIPOC)," decrying the
exploitation and abuse of BIPOC library workers. One of the many
hypocrisies the group took issue with was:

the proliferation of anti-racism statements put out by information
institutions and organizations in 2020 without also taking on actions
addressing the lack of Black, Indigenous, or People of Color workers
or how the BIPOC within those very libraries and organizations have
been ostracised and disrespected for years prior to 2020, while
allowing the mistreatment to continue. (WOC+Lib, 2021)

In the midst of the international uprisings for racial justice
following the murder of George Floyd, many libraries put out
antiracist statements affirming their commitment to diversity, equity,
and inclusion (DEI). Yet in a recent survey of library directors, only
31 percent of academic library directors agreed that their “library
has well-developed equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility
strategies for employees" (Frederick and Wolff-Eisenberg, 2021, p.
10). The lack of progress made in these areas suggests that while
diversity may be a library value, dismantling systems of oppression to
improve DEI is not a top priority at most institutions.”

Meredith Farkas (she/her) is a Faculty Librarian at Portland Community
College, a proud member of the Library Freedom Project, a perpetual
beginner, and a recovering workaholic. From 2007–2021, she wrote the
"In Practice" column for American Libraries and has also authored the
blog Information Wants to be Free since 2004. Meredith was honored in
2009 with the LITA/Library Hi Tech award for Outstanding Communication
in Library and Information Technology, and in 2014 with the
Association of College and Research Libraries Instruction Section
Innovation Award. She has held many different leadership and
management roles in her career, but her favorite is working with
students and faculty as an instruction librarian.

OLA Communications