Information Justice Institute

Abstract

The Information Justice Institute (IJI) is a project developed at Chicago State University (CSU) in collaboration with community partners. The project brings librarians and community members together to consider key topics and questions to build understanding around critical community needs. This paper reports on two key activities undertaken during the project’s initial phase. First, the preliminary results of a survey launched in 2021 aim to understand the current involvement and potential needs of librarians and other library affiliates in terms of social justice engagement, particularly those related to serving incarcerated people/recently released and their support networks. Second, a webliography developed to support librarians and other community members in growing understanding, strategies, and initiatives to serve diverse populations confronting onerous systemic challenges (e.g., incarceration, poverty, etc.), which are experienced in tandem with limited opportunities for information access and use. The IJI collaboration encouraged dialogue focused on posing questions and grappling with complex issues to grow insights and serve the needs of incarcerated/recently released people and their support networks. This work will likely interest librarians, educators, community leaders, and others working toward justice.