Hilles, Stefanie
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/6175
Stefanie Hilles2024-03-29T07:14:44ZBeyond the Land Acknowledgement: Indigenous Language Revitalization, Student Activism, and Critical Theory in STEM Librarianship
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/6864
Beyond the Land Acknowledgement: Indigenous Language Revitalization, Student Activism, and Critical Theory in STEM Librarianship
Hilles, Stefanie; Boehme, Ginny
Throughout their history, libraries have participated in white supremacist power structures that
privilege white knowledge over that of other cultures. While humanities and social science
librarians are becoming more active in decolonization efforts, STEM librarians can often feel out
of place in these projects. However, STEM librarians are vital to include in these conversations,
as STEM disciplines are well known for perpetrating and sustaining white supremacist cultures,
especially in the historical over-representation of white men in their professional ranks and
publications. One way that STEM librarians can do social justice work and begin to dismantle
white supremacist culture is through indigenous language revitalization, which seeks to restore
and preserve the languages and cultures of indigenous peoples. Through the lens of critical
theory, this presentation will examine one such initiative at Miami University: a case study
involving a collaboration between the library, the natural history museum, and a class of
first-year student researchers. This class involved the researching and writing of museum
labels, and focused on the restoration of an existing botanical exhibit, the "Tree Walk". Aside
from ensuring factual accuracy, the students were given wide latitude in the design and creation
of the labels. As a group, they decided that the labels should incorporate, alongside the
common and scientific names, the names of the trees as used by the Miami tribe, the
indigenous peoples native to the lands upon which the university resides. The university has
developed a strong relationship with the Miami tribe and together they have created an online
dictionary of tribal words. While this dictionary was the project’s starting point, students quickly
realized that many of the trees currently on campus are not native to the land and instead come
from parts of North America that were home to other indigenous peoples. As this dictionary
focuses on one tribal language, it is insufficient for highlighting the biodiversity of the trees on
campus and the many different cultures that have traditionally relied upon them. Forced
assimilation programs and the subsequent eradication of the languages and cultures of
indigenous peoples have severely inhibited the creation of similar dictionaries, thus presenting
significant challenges for the project and revealing the lasting effects of white supremacist
culture. Using critical theory as a framework for this initiative not only illustrates the power
structures that libraries must contend with today in order to be more socially just institutions, it
also demonstrates how major gaps in the knowledge of other cultures are a serious impediment
to comprehensive and effectual research. Moreover, critical theory, through its emphasis on
power and power relationships, requires an acknowledgment of the forced assimilation of
indigenous peoples and how language suppression was an effective genocidal tool. Indigenous
language revitalization is one way that libraries can fight back. By creating programs, or
supporting existing programs, that help revitalize indigenous languages and cultures, STEM
librarians can lend their expertise to these vital and necessary undertakings.
Creative Deconstruction: Using Zines to Teach the ACRL Framework
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/6863
Creative Deconstruction: Using Zines to Teach the ACRL Framework
Hilles, Stefanie
Zines not only record the narratives of counter-cultural movements and preserve the voices of
marginalized people, their creation and history can also be used to implicitly teach students
elements of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. This presentation investigates how
one-shot zine-making workshops, where students have the opportunity to interact with the
library’s zine archive and make their own zines, can support the ACRL concepts that Authority is
Constructed and Controlled and Information Has Value by engaging students in creative
processes. Attendees will learn why the history of zines makes them an excellent medium for
examining these frames as well as specific zine-making assignments and activities they can use
in their own libraries.
Zine and Be Heard: Engaging Design Students in Social Justice through Zines
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/6862
Zine and Be Heard: Engaging Design Students in Social Justice through Zines
Hilles, Stefanie
Zine Scene: Engaging Students in Power and Resistance Narratives Through Zines
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/6861
Zine Scene: Engaging Students in Power and Resistance Narratives Through Zines
Hilles, Stefanie
Zines, from Punk and the Riot Grrrls to contemporary zines created by people of color and the
LGBTQ+ community, are inherently intertwined with social action and countercultures seeking to
subvert and resist authority. This session will begin by examining the history of zines and how
the spirit driving their creation makes them an excellent tool for teaching and engaging students
with social justice issues. Then, it will detail how the Arts and Humanities Librarian at an
academic university has collaborated with faculty and other campus departments to facilitate
dialogues about social justice, activism, power, and resistance on campus through zine
workshops, held both in and outside the classroom. During these workshops, students interact
with zines from the Art and Architecture Library’s newly established zine archive as well as
create their own zines dedicated to social justice issues. Finally, this presentation will provide
practical advice and best practices for those interested in starting social justice zine workshops
at their own institutions.