Volume 5, Issue 1 of The Political Librarian Now Online - 2021

The Political Librarian is the only journal focused exclusively on the intersection of politics and libraries. We are proud to announce that Volume 5, Issue 1, 2021 is now available at the Open Scholarship platform at Washington University for your download and review. 

As we close in on the end of the second year of Covid, the resilience of libraries remains one of society’s most compelling (and surely needed) examples of institutional response to community need in the face of financial constraints, political noise, and seemingly deepening cultural divides. While articles in this issue cover a range of topics, the common themes of advocacy and action run through them.

The Big Opportunities of Little Free Libraries: The Trend That’s Serving Community Needs and Promoting Literacy (link)
Paige Harris provides some intriguing insights on the role public libraries can play in partnering with stewards of Little Free Libraries (LFLs). Harris’s suggestions are intriguing, especially as they concern leveraging public library-LFL partnerships in underserved areas.

Understanding Barriers and Experiences of Library Advocacy Work by Library Workers of Color: An Exploratory Study (link)
Pun and Bustos’s exploratory study of barriers and experiences in library advocacy by library workers of color outlines first steps in filling this wide research gap in the field. Their study provides a CRT based framework based on the direct experiences and counter-narratives of librarians of color engaged in advocacy work and is an invaluable resource for the profession.

Public Libraries, Immigration, and Asylum Seekers: Remembering the Most Vulnerable Amid Xenophobia and Pandemic (link)
Dickenson and Jaeger’s timely piece reminds us of libraries’ history of activism, political engagement, and social justice. It is a solid primer, and one that compels us to live our legacy in response to an increasingly restrictive and often cruel immigration climate.

Participatory Budgeting: A Librarian’s Experience (link)
DeLooper’s analysis provides a detailed and useful account of the challenges and opportunities for libraries in the participatory budgeting (PB) process. DeLooper’s discussion of the library’s role in supporting the information needs of PB initiative organizers is particularly instructive.

Campaigning for a Library Funding Referendum: A Detailed Success Story (link)
Celic and Delwhiche’s detailed review of a successful library finding referendum provides a toolbox of strategies and steps for the process. Their focus on managing the message in social media environments, securing endorsements, and responding to naysayers is especially relevant in these politically divisive times.

Thanks to all of our contributors to Volume 5, Issue 1, 2021 of The Political Librarian:

• Paige Harris
• John DeLooper
• Michael Celec and Jeanine Delwiche
• Amy Dickenson and Paul Jager
• Raymond Pun

Special thanks to Andrew Sulavik for editorial services for this issue.

If you are interested in contributing to the Spring/Summer 2022 issue, consider this a call-for-submissions. Please contact Christopher Stewart, Series Editor, at [email protected] or through the Open Scholarship platform at https://journals.library.wustl.edu/pollib. Editorial guidelines are available for your consideration at https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/publishing.

Previous issues of The Political Librarian are always available for free and open access.