In this roundtable, the presenters consider cognitive and cultural imperialism as manifested in library spaces and exclusionary to a multitude of voices. In addition to considering the colonialist origins of many institutions of higher learning—and in the formation of librarianship itself—and the way in which it enables and reifies certain ways of knowing, the panelists will also consider opportunities for subversion and destabilization of visible and invisible structures of power within the library. Presentations address initiatives that challenge institutional hegemony in programming, instruction, library spaces and design, and collections. After presenting briefly, participants will engage in a conversation about institutional hegemony from a variety of perspectives and at various stages and scales.
Samuel T. Barber, "Amplifying Radical Voices: Pop-up Style‚" will discuss new projects at the Pollak Library (Cal State Fullerton) designed to present hidden collections featuring radical voices from the Californian Chicano movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
Ashley Hosbach, "Sites Lacking Sight: Architectural Imperialism in Library Design‚" will trace the settler colonial narratives in library architecture and interior architecture and consider their implications for library users and marginalized communities.
Kim Lesley, "Supporting Neurodiversity & Creating Safe Spaces in the Art School Library‚" will explore ways that academic libraries can create welcoming spaces for neurodiverse populations through experiences at the Moore College of Art & Design.
Evan Schilling, "Indigenization/Decolonization of Instruction, Collections, and Spaces at the Musagetes Architecture Library‚" will present strategies for developing community- and student-centered projects that promote voices which have been historically silenced or denied access to their own knowledge and traditions, as producers of knowledge rather than subjects.
Kevin Whiteneir, "Queer Heretics: Case Studies in the Convergence of Witchcraft and Queerness in Contemporary Art and Art Spaces‚" will analyze the convergence of Indigenous spiritualities, queerness, race, and witchcraft in contemporary art and archives while seeking to uncover the power of marginality to disrupt hegemonic paradigms.
Learning Objectives- Attendees will come away with a basic understanding of cognitive and cultural hegemony in libraries and academic institutions at large.
- Attendees will develop an understanding for how these power structures converge on nearly every aspect of the library: design and spaces, collections, programming, instruction, cataloguing, etc.
- Attendees will consider strategies for revealing and disrupting some of the power structures in their own institutions, while providing spaces for promoting marginalized voices or ways of knowing.
