Solis & Dabbour (2006) suggest that the HSI designation may be seen as an example of neoliberal multiculturalism when they state that “HSI is simply a moniker based on a Latin@ student body count used for public relations and privileged access to funding, rather than practices connected to missions and purposes” (Solis & Dabbour, 2006, p. 49). They point to the fact that institutions most often use HSI funds for activities such as upgrading infrastructure which benefits all students, not specifically Hispanics. Referring to the fact that “much of the literature that discusses Hispanic-Serving Institutions refers simplistically to student success as being dependent on being part of “the campus community” (Solis & Dabbour, 2006, p. 49), critics
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Others, such as Sonia Nieto (2005) believe that “educational attainment” and “increased economic opportunities” facilitated by HSIs are the “democratic equalizer” of U.S. society (Atasay, 2015; Nieto, 2005), which reflects the conception of social justice most academic libraries adopt. In Nieto’s view, marginalized groups are empowered through access to education, which leads to economic “prosperity” and “democratic” representation. Engin Atasay (2015) however, adopts a social epistemology framework, by questioning the socio-political cost of “prosperity” and “justice” when they are defined solely through neoliberal discourses. According to his view, this “neoliberal economic learning regime” results in the apparent eradication of social difference and thus the need for collective response and action (Atasay, 2015, p. …show more content…
Those libraries which have received funding, have used much of it for assessment purposes in keeping with the neoliberal drive toward outcomes and measurement (Solis & Dabbour, 2006, p. 49). Although both the International Federation of Libraries and the American Library Association have statements addressing social justice, librarians seem unwilling to actively engage in effecting change, even on campuses that purport to serve minority populations. Libraries content on resting on the status quo are not only failing their mission but are also likely to create a point of contention for their universities in the future. (Alire, p516). Those individual libraries or librarians who recognize that institutionalized library policies have allowed neoliberal ideology to enclose the library, and who would like to reassert the library as a democratic commons, are now constrained from doing so by neoliberal market forces. As Barbara Fister (2010) notes, libraries are at an interesting point in the transformation that higher education is experiencing. The neoliberal turn that has led to the commodification of what scholars do – teach and create knowledge – has had a profound effect on the academic library. The current financial problems that libraries face – escalating cost of subscriptions to journals and databases, a shrinking
Others, such as Sonia Nieto (2005) believe that “educational attainment” and “increased economic opportunities” facilitated by HSIs are the “democratic equalizer” of U.S. society (Atasay, 2015; Nieto, 2005), which reflects the conception of social justice most academic libraries adopt. In Nieto’s view, marginalized groups are empowered through access to education, which leads to economic “prosperity” and “democratic” representation. Engin Atasay (2015) however, adopts a social epistemology framework, by questioning the socio-political cost of “prosperity” and “justice” when they are defined solely through neoliberal discourses. According to his view, this “neoliberal economic learning regime” results in the apparent eradication of social difference and thus the need for collective response and action (Atasay, 2015, p. …show more content…
Those libraries which have received funding, have used much of it for assessment purposes in keeping with the neoliberal drive toward outcomes and measurement (Solis & Dabbour, 2006, p. 49). Although both the International Federation of Libraries and the American Library Association have statements addressing social justice, librarians seem unwilling to actively engage in effecting change, even on campuses that purport to serve minority populations. Libraries content on resting on the status quo are not only failing their mission but are also likely to create a point of contention for their universities in the future. (Alire, p516). Those individual libraries or librarians who recognize that institutionalized library policies have allowed neoliberal ideology to enclose the library, and who would like to reassert the library as a democratic commons, are now constrained from doing so by neoliberal market forces. As Barbara Fister (2010) notes, libraries are at an interesting point in the transformation that higher education is experiencing. The neoliberal turn that has led to the commodification of what scholars do – teach and create knowledge – has had a profound effect on the academic library. The current financial problems that libraries face – escalating cost of subscriptions to journals and databases, a shrinking