I appreciate how Cooke clarifies that equitable service delivery requires an attention to the particular needs and experiences of underserved populations and not simply a "be inclusive across the board" approach. Indeed I think this really succinctly describes the difference between equity and equality -- which is also beautifully demonstrated in this meme:
Source: OutFront Minnesota via Everyday Feminism. Full article here
Cooke then goes on to illustrate what attentive inclusion means for particular groups of patrons. Reading this definitely led me to reflect on working with recent immigrant communities in Saint Paul. I remember working with a Hmong father who was working hard to get his daughter into our reading tutor program (which had an unfortunately huge waiting list). We eventually were able to add his daughter to the program, but in the chaos of the scheduling process I neglected to communicate things clearly and consistently to him, which made him extremely frustrated. I didn't initially realize he was so frustrated because he was showing me a degree of respect as somebody working in a library -- but when I asked my Hmong coworker to help translate our interactions, she later told me that he was masking his frustrations and that I should instead consistently confirm with a Hmong speaker. The whole experience reminded me that while I had perceived myself as both "doing the best I can and handling mistakes with good cheer!" and "I had solved the problem of placing his daughter, so we should be good!", it wasn't until I really involved other folks with more cultural and linguistic backgrounds that I could actually provide him and his family with service that matched his expectations. To be honest I was pretty embarrassed by how much I had missed, and how much I had coasted on belief that my own approach was enough, and I've tried to really learn this lesson and express it in practice ever since.
What would it look like for a wide variety of library services - including technology in library contexts - to regularly listen to its diverse communities and incorporate their perspectives in the heart of their work? How much the insights of user research and other HCI methodologies help in this sense, or perhaps other continuous evaluation/community based research approaches?
I really appreciate that you were able to share a challenging experience that didn't turn out how you had hoped. I think we all do big or small things - on a daily basis - where we are coasting and not really activity engaging with others and challenging ourselves. None of us are perfect, nor can we get every situation right every time - but your story was a nice reminder to continue to challenge ourselves to do better whenever we are able.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience with this interaction. I know you might feel that it was less than successful, but I think that fact that you are able to acknowledge what went wrong and make attempts to learn from (instead of repeating!) your mistakes makes it a success. The truth is that we are all human and we are all going to make mistakes. I think it is how we handle those mistakes and apply what we have learned to the future that really defines the experience.
ReplyDeleteA lesson I can take from your experience is to seek the council of coworkers/translators/etc when navigating unfamiliar cultures and languages as the interaction is unfolding, instead of waiting to it has concluded to evaluate my success.
"I appreciate how Cooke clarifies that equitable service delivery requires an attention to the particular needs and experiences of underserved populations and not simply a "be inclusive across the board" approach. Indeed I think this really succinctly describes the difference between equity and equality "
ReplyDeleteI agree with this point as well and liked how Cooke clarified the distinction between equity and equality, something that I think is often overlooked for many people who claim to want equality for all...not realizing what it really means and what it looks like. It does not look the same for everyone. As librarians we should be aware of this, as evidenced by your example in this posting.