“Maybe She’s Just Strict to Everybody”: Race, Belonging, and Surveillance in the Library

Abstract

Despite the increasing public and professional perception that libraries promote learning and community, mounting evidence suggests that public and school libraries are often unwelcoming places for youth who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Using data from eight focus groups with 50 BIPOC youths ages 12–18, we discovered varying degrees of belonging in public and school libraries. We also found that behavioral norms, policies, and frameworks of social belonging in libraries result in many BIPOC youths rejecting or being excluded from library spaces. These frameworks and policies are enforced through a system of surveillance and policing that many youths accept as necessary to create quiet library spaces. This combination of social and institutional practices sets the stage for persistent marginalization of many BIPOC youths and teaches them to accept and replicate social inequities.

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