Information Services to Diverse Populations: Competent Humility for Library Professionals, Second Edition (Critical Cultural Information Studies series)—eEditions PDF e-book
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- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the author
- Reviews
Foreword by Cynthia Sturgis Landrum
Providing a clear and comprehensive survey of the landscape of diversity in librarianship as a profession and service, this updated text is an important orientation tool for LIS students and current library workers alike.
The development of cultural competency skills and social awareness benefits LIS students, their future employers, and the library profession at large―not to mention library customers and society as a whole. Cooke's freshly updated text introduces readers to the contexts and situations that promote the development of empathy and build cultural competence. It marshals cutting edge research and relevant best practices to give readers a strong grasp of the political, social, economic, and technological divides among library patrons. It also covers outreach and library services to diverse populations, how to evaluate such services, and many other key topics. Complete with an updated syllabus, lesson plans, and exercises ready-made for course use, Cooke’s text
- demonstrates why social responsibility is a foundational value of librarianship;
- considers library services to members of marginalized racial or ethnic groups, older adults, people with mental health or physical disabilities, neurodiverse library users, refugees and immigrants, people experiencing homelessness or hunger, those growing up in or experiencing poverty, members of the LGBTQIA+ communities, and people who are incarcerated;
- features a myriad of testimonials drawn from a wide variety of settings that highlight the experiences of library and museum practitioners who are working with diverse populations;
- introduces a new model of cultural competence and cultural humility;
- authoritatively covers such essential concepts as intersectionality, privilege, marginalization, cultural competence, cultural humility, and counter-storytelling along with discussions of how they interplay in the communities that libraries serve;
- explores the impact of overwhelming whiteness of the library profession and what can be done to recruit, welcome, mentor, and retain racially and ethnically diverse library workers; and
- identifies potential employment and networking opportunities related to diversity and social justice in librarianship.
Foreword: The Phoropter Approach to Framing IDEAs Learning and Activism
by Cynthia Sturgis Landrum
Preface: We Will Not Be Erased—A Manifesto for Library Liberation, Justice, and Transformation
by Nicole A. Cooke
Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction to Diversity, Inclusion, and Information Services
Testimonial from the Field
- "Champions of American History" by Ashley Jordan
Chapter 2 Developing Competent Humility
Testimonials from the Field
- "Peacebuilding: A School Librarian’s Journey to Serve with Empathy and Love" by Christopher A. Stewart
- "Navigating an Untraditional Career Path" by Stephanie Sendaula
- "From Conversation to Action" by Yasmeen Shorish
- "Leading by Example" by Christy James
Chapter 3 A Sampling of Diverse Populations
Testimonials from the Field
- "To Be Together or to Stand Apart: A Brief Exploration of Latinidad and Library Services in the United States" by Mónica Colón-Aguirre
- "Information and Service Needs for Older Adults" by Joseph Winberry
- "Belonging" by Jennie Marie Durán
- "Reexamining Longstanding Practices" by Pambanisha Whaley
- Jail and Reentry Services by Jeanie Austin
- Working with Emerging Doctoral Students by Jamillah R. Gabriel
Chapter 4 Services to Diverse Populations
Testimonials from the Field
- "Social Work" by Damien T. Frierson
- "Library Outreach" by Brittany N. Champion
Chapter 5 Managing IDEAS
Testimonials from the Field
- "Building a Privilege Layer Cake: The Value of Engaging in Conversations around Privilege in the Library Workplace" by Kawanna M. Bright
- "Fresh Leadership: Leading and Managing with Kindness, Authority, and Humility" by Randy Dantrell Heath
Chapter 6 Becoming New Storytellers: Counter-Storytelling in LIS
Testimonial from the Field
- "A Pathway to Support and Collaboration" by Rhonda Evans
Appendixes
- Appendix A: Sample Syllabus and Reading Lists
- Appendix B: Sample Assignments and Exercises
- Appendix C: Building Your Privilege Layer Cake
- Appendix D Professional Organizations, Conferences, and Initiatives Related to Diversity
Index
Praise for the second edition
"At a time when libraries, librarians, and equitable access to information are increasingly under attack, Dr. Nicole A. Cooke offers not only a powerful defense of the profession but a visionary roadmap for its future. Information Services to Diverse Populations challenges library professionals to move beyond performative commitments to diversity and toward the practice of competent humility—a lifelong process of reflection, learning, and action. Drawing on the wisdom of scholars, educators, and liberation thinkers, including Octavia Butler, Dr. Ruha Benjamin, and Dr. Robin D. G. Kelley, Cooke invites readers to examine their work through four lenses of liberation and provides a practical framework for building library services that truly center the needs of marginalized communities. As a therapist and bibliotherapist, I deeply appreciate her recognition that access to stories, information, and community resources can be transformative and life-affirming. This second edition is both an urgent call to action and a generous guide for professionals committed to creating more just, inclusive, and liberatory institutions."
— Emely Rumble, LCSW, author of Bibliotherapy in the Bronx
"An outstanding resource for Library and Information Science students, educators, and practitioners. Cooke provides readers with a strong theoretical foundation as well as practical strategies for serving diverse communities. The text includes thoughtfully designed lesson plans with essential readings, testimonials from professionals working in a variety of library settings, and extensive appendices featuring sample syllabi, assignments, and reading lists. As an instructor, I found this edition particularly valuable and plan to incorporate it into my course planning for the upcoming semester (and beyond). This is a book that belongs on the shelf of every LIS educator and practitioner committed to equitable and inclusive library service."
— Valerie Byrd Fort, 2026 "I Love My Librarian" Award-winner, Teaching Assistant Professor at University of South Carolina
"An invaluable resource for those library professionals who want to humbly serve the marginalized and silenced people of their communities in all their humanity. The contributing writers assembled by Cooke thoroughly show how, in a society rotting from rampant censorship, systemic prejudices, and rising authoritarianism, libraries can not be, and have never been, neutral spaces. I finished this book convinced that if our profession is to survive, let alone thrive, we must drop the mantle of neutrality and root our work in respect for the multiculturalism of the public, no matter the city, state, or town. The future of libraries depends on it."
— Jarrett Dapier, librarian and author of the graphic novel, Wake Now in the Fire
Reviews of the first edition
"This extremely relevant and topical guide only starts the conversation about diversity and gives the reader motivation to continue. It is a much-needed resource for both the student and professional."
— VOYA
"Although geared toward library science students and public librarians, school librarians will also find the content valuable ... Librarians who seek to better understand diversity and the library will benefit from this work."
— School Library Connection
"Although written for LIS students, this work is also essential for all information professionals and will be particularly valuable to library managers looking to recruit a more inclusive workforce."
— School Library Journal
"In Information Services to Diverse Populations: Developing Culturally Competent Library Professionals, Nicole A. Cooke has written a book that is clearly needed in this emerging area of library services ... For librarians, library staff and library instructors who are involved, or need to become involved, in the work of cultural competencies, diversity, and inclusion, Information Services to Diverse Populations is a vitally useful book ... Its existence should be welcomed by anyone who is interested in this area of librarianship."
— Technical Services Quarterly
"Information Services to Diverse Populations provides a clear and comprehensive description of the landscape of diversity in librarianship as a profession and service. This book is particularly appropriate for library and information science graduate students and can function as a foundational text even for those students who do not have a background in critical theory."
— College & Research Libraries