Practicing Map and Geospatial Information Librarianship through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

Abstract

“Librarians and library-based geographic information professionals have the ability and responsibility to address issues around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in our professional practice and through engagement with our varied user communities.” So began the call for papers for what has become this special (double) issue on the topic of “Practicing Map and Geospatial Information Librarianship through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.” It was a belief in this idea, rather than any specific claim to authority on this topic, that led to the conception of this special issue and the work of the authors included within that led us to this point of publication. The last several years have seen a wave of social justice demonstrations and conversations that have brought the ongoing effects of systemic racism and inequity to the forefront, including in libraries. Many of our libraries and academic institutions issued statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and committing to anti-racism, reflected on how DEIA-focused learning and activities could be prioritized in our organizations, and hopefully dedicated resources to advance and sustain these efforts. Nevertheless, we still find ourselves at what may seem like only the beginning of a necessary and overdue reckoning with the structures and practices that perpetuate inequities across our institutions and profession, requiring continued acknowledgement, reflection, conversation, and action to rectify. It is within this environment that our guest-editorial team has operated, bringing with us varying personal experiences and professional expertise as current and former map, geospatial, and data professionals in academic libraries. We chose to revise the terminology used in the title of this issue compared to the original call for papers to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) to better reflect the content of the articles that follow. To consider the scope of DEIJ as it relates to this special issue and to librarianship more broadly, we draw upon definitions provided in the indispensable work of Bussmann and colleagues in their recent series of columns in Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship: