Overcoming Poverty and Social Injustice Through Information

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September 22, 2013

"Wherever possible, we devote our intellectual and physical resources to search out the causes of poverty and social injustice and to encourage solutions, which are adaptable, effective and concrete," reads a portion of the St. John's University mission statement.

As an associate professor in the Division of Library and Information Science, Kevin Rioux advances that mission through his passion for access to information. "I am actively promoting and working on the idea that information is a tool of social, economic and spiritual development, and is thus a social justice issue that calls on us as information professionals to be active advocates of the people we serve," he says.

In his DLIS courses, Kevin encourages students to not just see their work as a job, but a vocation. "We work on behalf of all people, including the people who don't know what they don't know," he explains. "It's important to not only think about the people we're serving but also the people we're not serving, and to make a difference and be an advocate for information seekers. There are still huge chunks of the population not using the library resources and not getting the information they need."

Kevin also teaches a course entitled "Information Resources for Development Professionals" within the Global Development and Social Justice master's program. About half of the professionals in the course are from the developing world, and they learn new ways to access information, such as using databases and census data.

"Access to this enormous universe of information allows them to make better decisions and ties into the political and social justice issue of information," Kevin says. "The mission of St. John's is real, and as a department and school we have explicitly aligned ourselves with the commitment to service to our communities and the world."

Learn More
If you have an interest in learning more about the DLIS program through attending a class, lecture, symposium or lunch, please contact Susan Damiani at damianis@stjohns.edu or 718-990-7562. If you would like to support the future of programs at St. John's University through a gift in your estate plans, visit our website here.

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