F08 - Marginalized Folx, Precarious Labour, and Moving Forward in the Profession.
Session Description
This session will explore current and past conversations on the use of precarious labour as it relates specifically to marginalized folx in information organizations, and how the profession can move forward in supporting marginalized library workers and users. An overview of the literature and data on the current realities of precarious labour and marginalized peoples in library and information science [LIS] will be presented. Additionally, this session will examine how the lack of representation in LIS relates to collections, resource development, and resource allocations, and the impact on marginalized people’s access to the profession and representation as a result. This context will inform a larger conversation about how precarious labour in information organizations relies on marginalized and volunteer labour as a way to sustain the mandates of the profession, without attributing actual value to them. Additionally, session participants will be asked to think about their own experiences with precarious labour and representations, as well as discussions on the following questions will be explored: What are we doing that is not working? How can we move past book displays to support our marginalized workers and users? What examples can we draw on from other organizations to develop this work in a more meaningful way? The conclusion of this session will be a facilitated discussion on how we can move forward in information organizations to provide tangible actions to support all marginalized people within these contexts.
Speakers
Curated by Sajni Lacey, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Biography
Sajni uses she/her/hers pronouns and is a biracial, cis-gendered, able bodied, settler woman. She currently lives and works in Kelowna at UBC Okanagan on the unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Peoples as the Learning and Curriculum Support Librarian. In this role she focuses on developing and delivering the Library’s instruction program and being the liaison librarian for Education, English, History, and Indigenous Studies. Her personal and professional research interests include information literacy, instructional design, imposter syndrome in new and marginalized librarian communities, and the role of radical empathy in teaching
Magnus Berg
Biography
Magnus uses he/him or they/them pronouns and is a white, gay trans masculine settler with invisible disabilities. They are an emerging information professional currently pursuing their MLIS at Western University while working in Western’s Archives as a coop student. Previous to this degree Magnus received an MA in Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management and worked in UBC’s Okanagan Special Collections as an Archives Assistant. Their research interests are digital preservation, radical archival empathy, precarious labour in LIS, and the description of trans and gender nonconforming resources.