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ABSTRACT
This article presents a conceptual framework of social justice for library and information science (LIS) and services responsive to their core concerns and drawing from the disciplinary literatures in both philosophy and LIS. The framework is introduced in terms of the multifaceted concept of informational justice, defined as the just treatment of persons as seekers, sources, and subjects of information. The article also expands on the central aspect of informational justice, namely iDistributive justice, defined as the equitable distribution of access to information. An iDistributively just system is one that ensures all persons have sufficient access to information, where access is understood as a capability sensitive resource.
Introduction
The profession of librarianship has long had a social ideal at its core. At the founding meeting of the American Librar y Association (ALA) in 1876, the librar y was praised as an "instrument always working in the direction of moral and social development" (Garrison, 1979, p. 35). With the ALA's adoption of the "Librar y Bill of Rights" in 1939, protecting intellectual freedom and fighting censorship developed into a "professional imperative" (Wiegand, 1999, p. 11). More recently, the profession has expanded its scope beyond the confines of the librar y itself. In 1990 the ALA adopted the "Policy on Librar y Ser vices to Poor People" (Holt & Holt, 2010, p. 14), calling for, among other things, promoting equitable access, public awareness, and public policies to aid those who are poor (ALA, 2014). These social ideals are encompassed and extended in current discussions of social justice within the LIS professions (Britz & Blignaut, 2001; Dadlani & Ross, 2014; de la Peña McCook, 2001; Duff, Flinn, Suurtamm, & Wallace, 2013; Gilliland, 2011; McMenemy, 2012; Mehra, Rioux, & Albright, 2010; Pateman & Vincent, 2012; Usher wood, 2011). In order for this trend in LIS to have its promised impact, however, there is a strong need for LIS to develop its own understanding of social justice. This article addresses this challenge by developing a practical account of social justice for LIS that is relevant in the twenty-first centur y.
The term social justice is resonant with a number of positive associations-e.g., fairness, equality, inclusion, and diversity. The concept itself, however, remains undertheorized. As Rioux (2010) points out,...