The activist health sciences librarian

Abstract

At the remove of 2019, it is hard for many to imagine the sense of apocalypse that was palpable throughout the gay community during the 1980s and much of the 1990s. My professional career was launched at the height of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic, and at the time, saving lives through librarianship was my mission. This Janet Doe Lecture presents my personal story of activism and advocacy as a lens through which to consider the larger story of activism around social justice issues for the Medical Library Association, by groups such as the Relevant Issues Section, now the Social Justice Section, and by the work of past Doe Lecturers Rachael K. Anderson, AHIP, FMLA, and Gerald Oppenheimer. It is also the story of an association that has at times been deeply conflicted about the role of such activism in our niche of librarianship. With anchors in poetry and prose, this is a story of hope through justice, conveying a message of the essentialness of our work as librarians and health information professionals to the mission of saving lives.

Democratic librarianship: the role of the medical library in promoting democracy and social justice

“…If medical libraries are to fulfill their civic and health mission in the information age, medical librarians must become activist librarians and practice democratic librarianship [9]. Such collective professional action will result in a revitalized role for the academic medical librarian as “the connective tissue that binds the community together” and result in “better communities and improved lives” [21].…”

“…Therefore, it is time for medical librarians to move from passivity to activism with respect to addressing the injustices in health care [9]. It is our professional responsibility to go beyond recognizing the health information and health care needs of the underserved and disadvantaged and work toward improving their health.…”

Tribal and rural digital inclusivity: An examination of broadband access in two neighboring Great Plains states

“…After a review of the Oklahoma Library Association's Web site, it appears that the organization did not address digital inclusion, at least as it pertains to Internet access in rural communities, until 2020. Contrarily, the Kansas Library Association addressed that issue in 2014 at an annual conference (Perry, 2014). Considering that ALA has treated this topic for 30 years, OLA's perceived lack of action is alarming, illustrating another element of digital inclusivity issues in the state.…”

The move to open: medical library leadership in scholarly communication

“…Thank you for the gracious introduction, Gerald (Jerry) Perry, AHIP, FMLA. As a queer librarian living in San Francisco, it was very gratifying to learn more about the work that you did to support the communities and individuals who suffered during the HIV/AIDS pandemic in your lecture, "The Activist Health Sciences Librarian" [1]. As a child of the 1960s and 1970s who grew up listening to the protest songs of folk music, I was inspired by my mentor Elaine Russo Martin, FMLA, who called us to embrace social justice medical librarianship in her Janet Doe Lecture at the 2018 annual meeting [2].…”