As political polarization has continued to grow within and beyond the United States in past decades, the challenges of engaging in open and constructive dialogue have become increasingly apparent. The effects of this tension are evident in numerous aspects of library work, including interactions and relationships in our local contexts and in our larger professional community, as well as all areas of the library—classrooms, collections, technology, management, programming, LIS programs, and library spaces. Reflective dialogue asks us to pause before reacting, to ground ourselves in a sense of compassion for ourselves and others, and to use that grounding to open a space to listen and to speak with the goal of recognizing a shared humanity and appreciating difference. In four sections, Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization explores the various ways in which librarians experience and respond to political polarization and its effects, both in our everyday work and in our professional communities: Libraries as Dialogic Spaces: Limits and Possibilities Dialogue amid Polarization and Extreme Skepticism: Challenges and Opportunities Special Collections and Archives: Past and Present in Conversation The Information Literacy Classroom: Uneasy Questions, Creative Responses Divisive times can spark positive social change with more intentional reflection, listening, and empathy across social groups and identities. Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization can be a catalyst and a resource for reflective and constructive dialogue, and a prompt for asking hard and sometimes uncomfortable questions about what reflective dialogue is, what forms it might take and in what contexts, who it does or does not include, and what its possibilities and limitations are.

Table of Contents:
Foreword — Jonathan Cope Introduction — Andrea Baer, Ellysa Stern Cahoy, and Robert Schroeder Chapter 1. Creating Meaningful Engagement in Academic Libraries Using Principles of Intergroup Dialogue — Ione T. Damasco Chapter 2. Reflective Dialogue across Differences in Libraries — Kelly McElroy and Lindsay Marlow Chapter 3. Confronting the Limits of Dialogue: Charlottesville, 2017 — Abby Flanigan, Dave Ghamandi, Phylissa Mitchell, and Erin Pappas Chapter 4. What It Means to Be Out: Queer, Trans, and Gender Nonconforming Identities in Library Work — Zoe Fisher, Stephen Krueger, Robin Goodfellow Malamud, and Ericka Patillo Chapter 5. “You Shall Listen to All Sides and Filter Them from Yourself”: Information Literacy and “Post-truth” Skepticism — Christopher A. Sweet, Jeremy L. Shermak, and Troy A. Swanson Chapter 6. Sociology of Information Disorder: An Annotated Syllabus for Informed Citizens — Hailey Mooney Chapter 7. Climate Change Conversations in Libraries (A Sabbatical Training Adventure) — Madeleine Charney Chapter 8. Not Tolerating Intolerance: Unpacking Critical Pedagogy in Classrooms and Conferences — Spencer Brayton and Natasha Casey Chapter 9. “TRUTH Always Wins”: Dispatches from the Information War — Sarah Hartman-Caverly Chapter 10. Between Accession and Secession: Political Mayhem and Archival Transparency in Charleston, South Carolina — Aaisha Haykal, Barrye Brown, and Mary Jo Fairchild Chapter 11. Red Shirts and Citizens’ Councils: Special Collections and Information Literacy in the College Classroom — Nathan Saunders Chapter 12. “The Earth Is Flat” and Other Thresholds: A Critically Reflective Cross-disciplinary Conversation in the Post-truth Era — Sara D. Miller, Gabriel J. Ording, Eric D. Tans, and Claudia E. Vergara Chapter 13. The John Oliver Effect: Using Political Satire to Encourage Critical-Thinking Skills in Information Literacy Instruction — Sebastian Krutkowski Chapter 14. Indignation in Political Discourse: Thoughts toward an Information Literacy Curriculum — Mark Lenker Chapter 15. No Such Thing as Neutral: Rethinking Undergraduate Instruction and Outreach in a Time of “Post-truth” — Holly Luetkenhaus, Cristina Colquhoun, and Matt Upson Chapter 16. Open Educational Practices and Reflective Dialogue: The Role of the Framework for Information Literacy — Craig Gibson and Trudi E. Jacobson About the Authors