Every librarian is a philosopher, and librarians have a worldview: a philosophy through which life is viewed. Philosophy propels lifestyles.
If philosophy drives all components of life, including professional endeavors, what does it look like if we desire to love our neighbor? Is it possible to develop a philosophy of professional activities such as cataloging or acquisitions so that librarians display love through them? Developing philosophies is critical for the profession and specifically for individuals aiming to love one another through librarianship.
If librarians are philosophers, should librarians develop their philosophy? A personal philosophy is an individual's thoughts, beliefs, concepts, and attitudes about everything. As God created each one uniquely, one's philosophy will be unique. A personal philosophy does not presume that no one will agree with your premises; it assumes that their application will be distinct based on context, experience, preferences, and other components. Taking this assumption, the presenter explores what a personal philosophy of reference may look like. To do this, one must ask: has any work been done in this area?
Examples of personal reference philosophies are nonexistent in LIS and works discussing a general philosophy of reference are limited. This gap needs to be addressed. This presentation provides a brief overview of the literature displaying that gap. It then develops three fundamental premises for creating a personal philosophy of reference: how one views knowledge, relationships, and people. While the literature touches upon these, their lack of development leaves more questions than answers. A philosophy of reference may further empower a librarian to use reference interviews to display love for their neighbor. The presentation will close with the presenter's philosophy of reference, arguing that this is critical for loving one’s neighbor through a reference interview.
The basis of this presentaion is a recently published article:
Radcliffe, B., & Trott, G. (2024) Reflecting Deeply: Why a Philosophy of Reference Services Should Direct Every RI. Library Philosophy & Practice, 8078. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/8078.
Politics and religion: two topics we’ve been taught to avoid discussing at the dinner table. And they are certainly fraught with risk in educational settings, as well. New headlines break daily on the consequences of educators saying the right thing (or the wrong thing); too much (or too little) around these subjects. This supercharged environment leads those who are paying attention to steer clear of such topics. Ironically, the continued avoidance of these matters helps to ensure a future that is just as fraught and supercharged, as yet another generation of college students is left to navigate these topics on their own without guidance from the very faculty to whom they’ve entrusted so many other areas of their personal and professional development.
Religion continues to hold a central role in American society despite the academy’s efforts to render it peripheral in American higher education. Furthermore, college campuses have seen religion resurge, with campus student religious associations enjoying higher numbers and more diversity than ever before. Students are integrating their beliefs into their college experience outside of the classroom; why should they not be invited to do so in the classroom, as well?
Growing evidence points to an opportunity lost when faculty fail to harness closely held epistemologies that can potentially lead students to higher-level thought work and academic performance. This paper strives to bolster the efforts made by teaching and library faculty to make the most of this opportunity.
