Ayoola White (Simmons College) has written a post on the Hack Library School blog regarding the recent Design 4 Diversity Forum, noting that the event was a welcome departure from the usual, “predictable” conversations around diversity in libraries.
The two-day event, which took place Oct. 16-17 at Northeastern University and used the Twitter hashtag #d4d, was part of a larger IMLS-funded project that focuses on “the ways in which information systems embody and reinforce cultural norms.” The forum featured presentations by a stellar roster of scholars and practitioners in digital humanities, libraries, and archives; those following the discussion online may also be interested in the annotated bibliography of foundational readings created by the project.
White’s post demonstrates the value of student participation in such events, and ends with a reflection on the difficulties of creating solutions to problems in the LIS field:
Along these lines, an activity of the D4D Forum that I appreciated was a small group discussion session in which participants were asked to brainstorm ways of teaching the concepts highlighted in the case studies to those who design our information systems. Aside from being an engaging way to get to know other attendees, this segment of the Forum was very much in line with the stated goal of finding practical applications for the ideas brought up in the case studies.
