Dear Librarians: Analyzing Librarian Perception of Students through a Critical Lens

Abstract

How we talk about students matters in and out of the classroom, on and offline. Librarians are uniquely positioned to set an example of how to best advocate for our students, especially marginalized students. While some colleagues may view disparaging remarks as “venting” or “harmless jokes,” derogatory comments about students are often based on harmful assumptions about the “ideal” student. These assumptions tend to normalize the experiences of white, male, middle-class students, ignoring how other socioeconomic, racial, and gender backgrounds impact students’ behaviors and mindsets in the higher education setting. Critical librarianship calls upon us to recognize the ways in which systems of oppression impact student experiences and behaviors as well as faculty/staff expectations and perceptions of undergraduate students. Presenters will discuss preliminary findings from their research on librarians perceptions of first-year and undergraduate students and offer strategies to constructively challenge these comments and mindsets.