Beyond Silos: Justice-Minded Conversations and Collaborations Across Contexts and Spaces - 3

• In Event: Beyond Silos: Justice-Minded Conversations and Collaborations Across Contexts and Spaces

Abstract

Panelist3 is a former language teacher and school librarian who is currently an associate professor of library and information science at a university in Illinois. Panelist3 brings over 30 years of experience working in classroom and library settings, focusing on critical consideration of multiliteracy development and the importance of community collaboration in fostering growth. Panelist3 has led multiple grant-funded research projects to explore and address challenges facing diverse information seekers.

Panelist3’s work has often focused on literary and community justice for queer youth. Panelist3 has led a community-based youth-focused project where teens have a safe space to unpack their intersectionalities and emerging identity constructs (Panelist3, 2017). Panelist3’s research calls on school librarians to play an impactful role in establishing welcoming spaces for queer students to access relevant materials and engage in inquiry-based actions in their libraries.

Panelist3 advocates for having a school librarian in every school and augmenting effective policies and practices to ensure students and other library users have access to culturally relevant information. Panelist3 trains librarians and educators to develop collections, curricula, and programs that align with community realities and meet user needs. Panelist3’s participation on this panel is to share insights from their research focused on community-based approaches to expanding literacies and overcoming censorship. (207 words)

Author

• Rae-Anne Montague, Chicago State University