Send us a text In this episode, part 1 of 2, our hosts welcome ILLUMINATION collection team members Ofelia Guzman and Thomas Hiura to discuss their experiences with the project, the impact they’ve seen from this work and what they’d like to see in the future. ILLUMINATION is a history and story collection project started by Madeline McGraw and Mindy Linder to actively work to address representation in its collection, recognizing that museum institutions have historically used gatekeeping and ...
Send us a text This episode originally aired on December 31, 2024 and is being re-released. In this episode we welcome We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) board members and authors Caroline Richmond (Executive Director) and Dhonielle Clayton (COO) to discuss why it is more important than ever to ensure diverse books are available and accessible to youth. Since its creation in 2014, WNDB has championed diverse publishing and diverse creators, and has pushed back against the lack of diverse represent...
Send us a text This episode originally aired on August 31, 2023 and is being re-released to celebrate Native American Heritage Month (November). In this episode we talk with Dr. Sandy Littletree (Navajo/Eastern Shoshone), Assistant Professor at the Information School at the University of Washington, whose work focuses on Native North American Indigenous Knowledge. Dr. Littletree shares background about Indigenous systems of knowledge, and practical application as it pertains to Indigen...
Send us a text In this episode, the remarkable Heidi Estrada & Sophie Kenney discuss RAILS BIPOC Library Workers Group and RAILS BIPOC Library Workers Mentorship Program—two inclusive programs for library professionals in Illinois that foster support and mitigate racial disparities. More specifically, RAILS BIPOC Library Workers Group aims to foster connection, share resources and discuss specific experiences in a safe, welcome, and open space for all library workers who identify as Black...
Send us a text We are joined in this episode by Oregon State University Associate Professor and Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) Curator, Natalia Fernández. How can academic archives confront harmful narratives and create more inclusive records? Fernández shares how SCARC'S Antiracist Description Activities project is challenging biased language, improving finding aids and ensuring collections are represented with dignity, non-prejudice and accuracy. Date of Inte...
Send us a text In this episode, we welcome Kendra Morris-Jacobson with the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC), and Lisa MM Butler, a Black, biracial, transracial, domestic adoptee working in libraries in Washington State. Kendra and Lisa discuss the vital role that libraries, books and educational resources play in the lives of children in care and adoptees. From fostering a sense of identity and belonging to providing comfort, escapism, representation and essential learning opport...
Send us a text In this episode, the hosts welcome back Jamia Williams, co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices, which amplifies the voices of Black, indigenous, and people of color who work in archives and libraries. This time around, Williams, a Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Training Office, discusses health literacy, resources and advocacy. In addition, she touches upon the topic of barriers to recruitment, retention a...
Send us a text In this episode we welcome We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) board members and authors Caroline Richmond (Executive Director) and Dhonielle Clayton (COO) to discuss why it is more important than ever to ensure diverse books are available and accessible to youth. Since its creation in 2014, WNDB has championed diverse publishing and diverse creators, and has pushed back against the lack of diverse representation in youth literature, publishing and collections. Their advocacy effort...
Send us a text In this episode, Dr. Emily Knox, a professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, explores the intersection of intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and social justice, as well as power, neutrality, and the rise in book challenges and bans in the United States. Hosts: Ericka Brunson-Rochette and Gene Iparraguirre Record Date: October 9, 2024* *Please note episode was recorded prior to the 2024 election Mentioned in this...
Send us a text In this episode*, we have the absolute honor of conversing with Donna Barba Higuera, Middle Grade and Picture Book Author, Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Award Winner and New York Times Best Seller. Donna shares from where and whom she draws her stories, and how she went from an imaginative child to inspiring readers of all ages. In a time where book challenges are on the rise, Donna discusses the importance and power of sharing stories, owning the stories you hear and having a...
Send us a text In this episode we are joined in conversation by Shannon LaRance (Dine'/Hopi/Assiniboine). Founder of Indigenous Empowerment, Indigenous Empowerment's mission is to ensure culturally sensitive counselors and social service agents are accessible to those in need. Their goal is to train human service organizations across the nation on the complexities, nuances, and beauty of Indigenous people. Social Worker, Counselor, So’oh Story Time. So'oh, meaning "Grandmother" in Hopi,...
Send us a text In this episode we are joined in conversation by scholar, academic consultant, librarian and educational game designer, Fobzi Ettarh, who notably coined the concept of "vocational awe" in 2018. Ettarh shares how vocational awe operates at both the micro and macro levels, contributing to problematic hiring, onboarding, and retention practices in the library profession, and illustrates how this concept directly ties to workplace inequities and burnout. Additionally, Ettarh provi...
Send us a text Anne Heidemann & Melissa Isaac from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan join us to share about Maawn Doobiigeng, a new classification system for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Library. In 2019, The Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries were awarded the IMLS National Leadership Grant to facilitate the creation of a new classification system by members of the community. As of April 2024, this new system, titled Maawn Doobiigeng (Gather Together), has been created an...
Send us a text *There were slight technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions* We are excited to welcome Jamillah R. Gabriel, the Critical Pedagogy Research Librarian at Harvard University and co-host of the podcast LibVoices, for a second time. Jamillah provides listeners with a beginner-friendly overview of Critical Pedagogy, how it can be applied to library and information science, and used to promote EDIA within libraries and educat...
Send us a text In this episode, Immer Honorato, Library Outreach Specialist at the Tualatin Public Library, talks with us about connecting his library with his community in Tualatin, Oregon. As an immigrant of Mexico who grew up in Tualatin, Immer brings an important bilingual and bicultural perspective to bridging the gap between library services and a library’s community. He reminds us that there are steps that all of us can take to improve accessibility, a sense of belonging, and re...
Send us a text Multitalented Aaron Whitefield joins the hosts and shares insight gained from leading successful multicultural academic programs during the decade he spent working as an educator, library professional and youth development specialist in Columbus, Ohio. Aaron’s passion for uplifting youth and creating community is apparent, even while navigating systemic issues like sexism, classism, and racism. Those interested in better understanding the “unique experiences, challenges, and t...
Send us a text In this episode, we hear from Ayn Reyes Frazee and Mai Takahashi, co-chairs of the newly formed EDI Committee of ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children, a division of ALA). Frazee, who serves as current president of the Oregon Association of School Libraries, is a high school librarian in Portland and was a 2019 ALSC Equity and Diversity Fellow. Takahashi is a youth services librarian at the Seattle Public Library, working closely with Seattle’s Indigenous community ...
Send us a text We are joined in this episode by Nichelle M. Hayes, MPA, MLS, founding director of the Center for Black Literature & Culture, and former CEO (Interim) of the Indianapolis Public Library, and current President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Hayes shares her background in human resources with us as she discusses ways that HR departments can help library organizations become more inclusive, diverse, and supportive of BIPOC library staff....
Send us a text In this episode, we have the absolute honor of speaking with Jamia Williams (Consumer Health Program Specialist with the Network of the National Library of Medicine(NNLM) Training Office) and Jamillah Gabriel (Critical Pedagogy Research Librarian in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and a PhD student in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Before Overdue: Weeding out Oppression in Libraries started, Jamia...
Send us a text In this episode we talk with Dr. Sandy Littletree (Navajo/Eastern Shoshone), Assistant Professor at the Information School at the University of Washington, whose work focuses on Native North American Indigenous Knowledge. Dr. Littletree shares background about Indigenous systems of knowledge, and practical application as it pertains to Indigenous information science, Indigenous librarianship and the intersections of tribal sovereignty, technology, knowledge, and informat...