Accessibility and Librarianship
The American Library Association’s Core Values of Librarianship , reaffirmed in January 2024 , are Access, Equity, Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Public Good, and Sustainability. The Core Values are just one of a few foundational documents of the profession and they are taken very seriously. The ALA (American Library Association) writes: “Access provides opportunities for everyone in the community to obtain library resources and services with minimal disruption. Library workers create systems that ensure members of their community can freely access the information they need for learning, growth, and empowerment regardless of technology, format, or delivery methods.” In my day-to-day work in the two libraries I work at, accessibility comes up very often. There is not much point in a library providing materials if the patrons and public cannot access them so behind the scenes a lot of the work is making sure that resources are accessible and searchable. This i...