Community not Commodity: Moving Beyond a Capitalist Model of Library Communication
Panel | Wednesday, May 19, 2021 | 11:00am – 12:30pm EST
As one of the last community spaces where individuals are invited to exist without spending money, libraries are institutions that are naturally positioned to resist capitalism. Yet, as challenges to library funding intensify with each passing year, libraries have increasingly turned to capitalist language and techniques as central elements of their communication strategies. This presentation will explore the impact of capitalist structures on libraries’ position in society, and ways librarians can make simple-but-consistent changes to their communication strategies to reinforce their value as builders of community, not providers of commodities.
Learning Objectives for this Session:
Attendees will be able to (1) define capitalism and recognize the impact it has on library communities, (2) reflect on the influence capitalism has had on their libraries’ communication strategies, and (3) identify strategies for moving beyond capitalist approaches to communication.
Presenter: Hale Polebaum-Freeman
Hale Polebaum-Freeman (they/them) is a white, queer, and trans practitioner of critical librarianship and pedagogy who works as First-Year Outreach and Reference Librarian at Williams College in the Berkshires. Hale is also one of the primary instigators behind WIlliams’ circulating zine collection, which recently celebrated its first anniversary.