Raphaëlle Bats

Be my Guest! From Welcome to Hospitality in Libraries.

Introduction

Be my guest! from welcome to hospitality in libraries.. Redefine library welcoming & inclusion. This study explores hospitality concepts to enhance community literacy, knowledge legitimization, and create more inclusive library policies.

Abstract

Although inclusion and welcoming have been at the heart of French librarians' concerns for many years, the actions undertaken seem to have reached their limits. The participation of participants remains the business of informed people, the inclusion of minorities does not go as far as rethinking the modes of cultural transmission, and the ways to listen to the inhabitants are often restricted to design thinking. And if the current approach to welcoming ideas, stories and people was not sufficient to meet our expectations for inclusion and diversity? Through a theoretical study of concepts and notions, we study the relevance of the idea of hospitality, and its duality (hospitality to those who are in needs and to the foreigners) to renew the approach of welcoming in libraries. Our paper tends to show the paths that this notion opens up in terms of knowledge legitimization, community literacy and documentary hospitality. Thus, we hope to better identify the critical factors of inclusive library policies and subsequently propose directions for the renewal of welcoming practices in libraries.

Review

The paper "Be my Guest! From Welcome to Hospitality in Libraries" presents a compelling and timely argument for a conceptual shift in how libraries approach inclusion and engagement. The authors astutely identify the limitations of current "welcoming" initiatives, particularly within the French context, highlighting that they often fail to achieve genuine participation and equitable cultural transmission. By proposing "hospitality" as a more robust and nuanced framework, the abstract signals an ambitious and necessary re-evaluation of practices that, while well-intentioned, appear to have reached their effective limits in fostering true diversity and community integration. A significant strength of this work lies in its theoretical ambition to move beyond superficial inclusivity. The exploration of hospitality's duality, encompassing both those in need and 'foreigners,' offers a promising lens through which to examine library services and policies. This approach has the potential to drive deeper engagement in areas such as knowledge legitimization, community literacy, and the intriguing concept of "documentary hospitality," which suggests a more profound interaction with information resources. The paper's stated aim to identify critical factors for inclusive policies and propose concrete directions for renewing practices indicates a strong practical orientation, positioning it as a valuable contribution to both library theory and professional development. While the abstract lays out a highly promising theoretical foundation, the full paper would benefit from a detailed exposition of its methodology for translating these abstract concepts into actionable insights. Expanding on how the "duality" of hospitality might manifest in specific library programs or design choices, and how it demonstrably overcomes the limitations of current approaches like "design thinking," will be crucial. Overall, this paper offers an intellectually stimulating proposition that challenges the prevailing discourse on inclusion and provides a fresh conceptual framework with the potential to significantly advance library practices in fostering genuinely welcoming and equitable environments.

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