Closing Keynote: Narratives Told. Narratives Lost: Reflecting on Authentic Spaces for Library Digital Decolonization Strategies and Programs Four Years Post George Floyd
Location
KIPJ Theatre
Session Type
Keynote Address
Start Date
30-4-2024 3:45 PM
End Date
30-4-2024 4:40 PM
Abstract
Implementing effective digitization strategies have long evolved around digitizing as much "research" material for patron consumption as possible. In the wake of the global pandemic and the George Floyd racial justice protests of 2020, for many predominantly white institutions (PWI) implementing effective digital decolonization strategies similarly centered around digitizing as much material for scholarly consumption as possible but with institutional focus pivoting toward intentional emphasis on elevating narratives of diverse communities and cultural identities. While such strategies were well intentioned, worthy attempts at implementing DEAI and decolonization through digital strategies and programs- in the year 2024- now four years "post George Floyd" did our efforts actually achieve the outcomes we desired? To close observers in the very diverse communities' libraries sought to give voice to, some unfortunately report continued minimal investment in leveraging digital collections to develop strong relationships between digital collections, community and storytelling. Gaps still exist between digital literacy and maximized engagement and equity of our users. Evangelestia-Dougherty will explore where the GLAM community (cultural institutions) went wrong with narrowly defined principles of decolonization work and how can we look more closely at principles core to our professional mission in LIS that are less based on PWI reflections of assumptions about decolonization work and more authentically embedded in radical community collaboration for true discovery and inclusion through digital spaces.
Closing Keynote: Narratives Told. Narratives Lost: Reflecting on Authentic Spaces for Library Digital Decolonization Strategies and Programs Four Years Post George Floyd
KIPJ Theatre
Implementing effective digitization strategies have long evolved around digitizing as much "research" material for patron consumption as possible. In the wake of the global pandemic and the George Floyd racial justice protests of 2020, for many predominantly white institutions (PWI) implementing effective digital decolonization strategies similarly centered around digitizing as much material for scholarly consumption as possible but with institutional focus pivoting toward intentional emphasis on elevating narratives of diverse communities and cultural identities. While such strategies were well intentioned, worthy attempts at implementing DEAI and decolonization through digital strategies and programs- in the year 2024- now four years "post George Floyd" did our efforts actually achieve the outcomes we desired? To close observers in the very diverse communities' libraries sought to give voice to, some unfortunately report continued minimal investment in leveraging digital collections to develop strong relationships between digital collections, community and storytelling. Gaps still exist between digital literacy and maximized engagement and equity of our users. Evangelestia-Dougherty will explore where the GLAM community (cultural institutions) went wrong with narrowly defined principles of decolonization work and how can we look more closely at principles core to our professional mission in LIS that are less based on PWI reflections of assumptions about decolonization work and more authentically embedded in radical community collaboration for true discovery and inclusion through digital spaces.
Comments
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is the director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (SLA). SLA contains nearly 3 million library volumes and over 44,000 cubic feet of archival materials chronicling the history of the Smithsonian. Evangelestia-Dougherty oversees 137 employees, a national advisory board of 20 members, an annual budget of over $16 million and 21 library research centers located in Washington, D.C., New York City, Maryland, Virginia and the Republic of Panama.
Previously, Evangelestia-Dougherty was an associate university librarian at Cornell University where she initiated Cornell RAD, a new research hub for rare and distinctive collections. She is also a faculty member of the UCLA California Rare Book School. As director of collections and services at New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 2013 to 2015, Evangelestia-Dougherty led collection and programmatic development of five curatorial divisions. At the University of Chicago’s Black Metropolis Research Consortium, she served as executive director from 2011 to 2013 and as consulting archivist from 2007 to 2011. There, she successfully led initiatives to discover and make accessible archives related to the African American diaspora.
In addition to her extensive work with rare and distinctive collections, Evangelestia-Dougherty is a published author and public speaker who has presented nationally on topics of inclusivity and equity in bibliography, administration and primary-source literacy. She currently a member of the Caxton Club and the American Antiquarian Society.
Evangelestia-Dougherty holds a Master of Science in Information Science and a Doctor of Library and Information Science, Honoris Causa from Simmons University in Boston and a bachelor’s of science degree in political science from the University of Houston.