Empowering Underrepresented Students

Abstract

Higher education presents students with many opportunities for educational advancement, but not all encounter these opportunities equally. Academic organizations, rooted in structural racism, perpetuate cycles of perceived failure that can prevent students from receiving the encouragement they need, which can result in inadequate career and societal preparation. Not all students benefit from traditional education in the same ways, and when they must all meet the same criteria, then, it is difficult for some to meet their own learning needs and goals based on their own definitions of success. Innovation spaces, such as makerspaces, within academic libraries, have a particular ability to help level the playing field and add equity value to both the classroom and lifelong learning. This chapter delineates current equity issues and provides managers of innovation spaces, especially those in academic libraries, with methods for recognizing opportunities for developing and marketing spaces and services to promote success for every student, both within the classroom and outside of it.