Section Overview Technology and Equity in School Libraries: An Issue of Social Justice Dian Walster ABSTRACT This chapter addresses the relationships among technologies and equity in school libraries. An autoethnographic approach is used to examine issues that school libraries and school librarians face in the age of big data, equity concerns, and attacks on how schools support reading. It explores three specific technologies related to accessibility, reading, and online searching. Different methodologies suitable to each area inform the discussions. Social and cultural aspects of equity are presented, and examples are provided. By applying the evaluative methods discussed, school librarians can assess areas of equity concern, propose changes, and judge how technology programs fare in regard to equity. INTRODUCTION Some years ago I wrote a chapter on technology in school libraries that looked at historical issues and perspectives (Walster, 1998). This chapter is an extension and enlargement of those ideas particularly as regards new technologies. Our conceptuali- zations of how technologies interact with social and cultural concerns are complex and have significant implications for students, their families, and society. This chapter uses an autoethnographic approach to examine issues that school libraries and school librarians face in the age of big data, social equity concerns, and attacks on how schools support reading. It is done through the lens of technologies in school libraries toward supporting accessibility, reading, and online searching. Autoethnography is a type of ethnographic research (Jones, Adams, & Ellis, 2013). It looks at how culture works through the reflection of a single individual. Throughout the chapter I use my own experiences, educational background, field notes, remembran- ces, and reading to examine the culture of technology and equity in school libraries. In
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