Chappell, B. (2022, March 9). Ukraine's libraries are offering bomb shelters, camouflage classes, and, yes, books. NPR. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085220209/ukraine-libraries-bomb-shelters
When I was looking for an article for this course I wanted to find one that showed how libraries can adapt and evolve. This article from NPR shows how the Ukrainian libraries have become the only safe place for those in their community. The libraries are being used as bomb shelters and having programs on how to weave camouflage nets and house care. This shows that the libraries are aware of the current needs of their patrons related to the war going on around them, and are adapting their services and programming to help their patrons through this national emergency. Everyone in this world deserves to be helped and libraries are working to provide that space, even in times of war and destruction.
These types of articles need to be brought up in graduate school classes, because it illustrates how we, as librarians, can make an impact. Our impact might not always be as big of a deal as what is going on in Ukraine, but social justice and educating the community through collection development and programming is a great place to start. Yes, the weight of what is going on around us in our community or country shouldn’t have to fall on libraries and librarians, but it, unfortunately, often does. If libraries and librarians in Ukraine had decided to remain neutral in this conflict by closing down completely and not offering shelter and services during this time, then a lot more people and collections would have been killed or destroyed. In class, we have discussed neutrality and if libraries and librarians should remain “neutral”. Neutrality is something that needs to be talked about; however, not in the sense that we should agree with the status quo, but in the fact that we should challenge it as Professor Knox talked about in "Are Libraries Neutral?".
No comments:
Post a Comment