Abstract
This chapter intends to explore the history of social justice in libraries, archives, and museums (LAM) in general and social inclusion in particular. The value of this chapter is in the identified indicators, also known as characteristics (e.g., title words and its relation to citation behavior) in the current literature. A profile of over 500 articles, from 2001 to 2021, is analyzed. Journal articles from 2016 to 2021 are used to test three hypotheses. The findings of this study facilitate in understanding the emerging themes and interdisciplinary areas in the field of social justice.
TopMethod
This chapter will review the literature to trace the beginnings of social justice in the information service providing sector – e.g., library, archive, museum, community centers, etc. The questions that matter in this tracing are: what is the relevance of social justice in LAM? how are the practice and training? And what are the future trends? The focus is on equity, diversity, and inclusion. For example, how is equity in hiring and collection development? How is professional education interested and or involved in social empathy?
History of Civic Engagement, Social Justice, Technological and Social Turn in LAM
Going by a LAM’s survey conducted in 2018-2019, it is obvious that the evolution that had started in the 19th century is moving forward, in many small and big ways. The LAM's survey shows some clarity in terms of The Technological and Social Turn in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Hungary (Audunson, et al., 2020).
How well can one articulate the concept of civic engagement and the role of museums and libraries in the 1880s? It is not just roles to engage the external community, rather it is also to engage internally. G. Brown Goode, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Charge of the National Museum in “A paper read before the American Historical Association”, in Washington DC., December 26-28, 1888, states: “The true significance of the word museum may perhaps be brought to our apprehension by an allusion to the ages which preceded its origin … The history of museum and library run in parallel lines” (p. 497- 498).
Goode adds further details as to what it entails:
I hope that the time will come when every town shall have both its public museum and its public library, each with a staff of competent men, mutually helpful, and contributing largely to the intellectual life of the community. The museums of the future in this democratic land should be adapted to the needs of the mechanic, the factory operator, the day-laborer, the salesman, and the clerk, as much as those of the professional man and the man of the leisure. It is proper that there be laboratories and professional libraries for the development of experts who are to organize, arrange and explain the museums (p. 507).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Diversity: Presence of differences.
Equity: Using a lens of an individual, with empathy.
Digital Divide: Barriers that prevent access and use.
Social Justice: Creating opportunities for all.
Access: Barrier-free.
Social Inclusion: Equal opportunity.
Equality: Using a lens of a group, with sympathy.