Centering or Empowering—Shifting Power to the Library Members

Abstract

Libraries are activated by our community members and our staff. Libraries use a variety of words to describe the people that frequent them. The words are often used habitually, rather than after a critical review of their origin and impacts. If libraries are not neutral, how might this translate into the language that we use, the way we make decisions, and how we engage with our community members? This column will explore the growth of public services, the language we use to refer to the people we serve, and how to empower our community members as well as partners in ways that advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion. This column discusses several tools that can be used in decision making to empower community members.

Keywords:

• Asset-framing
• empowerment
• equity
• equity lens
• inclusion
• interactions
• libraries
• user experience
• user focus
• user services