Reference Librarianship & Justice: History, Practice & Praxis. Kate Adler, Ian Beilin, and Eamon Tewell, eds. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 2018. 322p. Paper, $35.00 (ISBN: 978-1-63400-051-2).

Abstract

Social justice and critical information literacy have become a recognized part of academic librarianship; so far, much of the scholarship has focused on instruction services. This text extends these same practices and pedagogies to reference services. The preface begins to look at how social justice factors into reference work and makes an argument for supporting our most vulnerable patrons through reference work. The author of the preface sees reference as being able to support vulnerable people through positive affirming experiences with librarians. In the introduction, the editors recognize reference as a valuable service and the role that it can play in social justice and critical practice while preparing the reader for the chapters that follow. The editors of this text have collected chapters from a diverse group of librarians and academics that fit into three themes: history, practice, and praxis. Each section leads into the next with a short introduction from one of the editors, who links the chapters in the section together and explains what the reader should expect from the next section of the text.