Abstract

This article positions equitable access to information as a matter of social justice and questions how the library and information science sector might work more intentionally and systemically to close the pervasive information retrieval and navigation gaps that disproportionately disenfranchize lower-income and/or majority Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Though much attention since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has rightfully been paid to the need for more robust broadband infrastructure in the United States, this article links the persistent disparities in digital literacy instruction, possession of digital devices, and access to consistent wireless internet technology as critical and profoundly race and class-biased components of connectivity. Hall describes the intentional/unintentional lack of recognition or inaction regarding whole groups of people being denied this access as “information redlining,” and suggests that not only can libraries play a leading role in disrupting it, but also that libraries are the essential link in any comprehensive national response.

摘要

本文将公平获取信息作为社会正义的问题，并质疑图书馆和信息科学部门如何更有目的地和系统地工作，以弥合普遍存在的信息检索和导航空白，从而极大地剥夺了低收入和/或大多数黑人，土著居民的权利以及有色人种（BIPOC）社区。尽管自2020年冠状病毒大流行以来就引起了人们的广泛关注，理所当然地引起了对美国更健壮的宽带基础设施的需求，但本文将数字素养指导，数字设备的拥有以及持续使用无线技术的持续差距联系在一起。互联网技术是至关重要的，并且是种族和阶级偏见的连通性组成部分。