On the Outside Looking In

Librarians and Social Change

Abstract

While social change is usually brought by enormous events or occurrences, individuals, in their own ways and through their profession, can contribute to society to make a difference (Ferris & Stein, 2008). The intersection of biography and history of C. Wright Mills explicates that while society shapes individuals, the individuals also shape the society, thereby being able to bring about social change.  With librarians’ relevance continuously questioned and doubted in this age of information and the internet, making a difference in society, be it big or small, will demonstrate as to why libraries and librarians primarily and should unceasingly exist, (Banks, 2017; Holmes, 2018).  This study aims to answer the question, how do librarians affect social change, from the perspectives of the student applicants of the Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) program of the University of the Philippines School of Library and Information Studies (UP SLIS).  Through a survey administered to the students, results showed that students perceived librarians to be agents of social change, through their provision of information and library services.  Librarians are believed to bridge information and society and have a significant role in educating the people and building nations.