Using Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Confront Implicit Bias in Academic Libraries

Posted on May 13, 2025 in Blog Posts

In the evolving landscape of academic librarianship, equity and inclusion should be more than just buzzwords; they should be essential practices. Yet even the most well-intentioned library workers are not immune to implicit bias. These unconscious attitudes and stereotypes influence how we interact with students, faculty, colleagues, and the resources we choose to highlight or ignore.

To effectively confront these biases, academic library workers can use a powerful and often underutilized framework: Social Emotional Learning (SEL). As a parent, I came across this framework about two years ago, and I have been fascinated by it ever since. I believe the competencies of SEL can help librarians grapple with implicit bias.

Rooted in education and psychology, SEL helps individuals develop the skills to understand and manage emotions, build healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions. It offers practical tools for self-awareness, empathy, and meaningful action for library workers navigating the complexity of implicit bias. This blog post will define implicit bias so that readers can clearly utilize SEL to encourage self-reflection and action.

What is Implicit Bias?

Implicit bias encompasses attitudes, stereotypes, or assumptions that influence how we perceive and interact with others, often without our awareness. These biases operate automatically and can contradict our expressed beliefs or values. We might not realize they exist or recognize how they affect our behavior. Implicit bias is shaped by personal experiences, cultural influences, and learned associations and can relate to characteristics such as race, gender, age, or other social categories. Even individuals committed to fairness and equality can be affected by these unconscious influences.

When you attend an implicit bias training, you will likely take the Implicit Association Test. This test is a way of making you conscious of your unconscious bias, as once you are aware of it, you can begin to deal with the assumptions you make about people. On the website, the researchers state that “the mission of Project Implicit is to educate the public about bias and to provide a ‘virtual laboratory’ for collecting data on the internet.” Taking the test is a great way to begin checking your implicit biases.

What is Social Emotional Learning?

SEL was developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Therefore, SEL plays a vital role in education and overall human development. It involves the process by which individuals of all ages learn and apply essential knowledge, skills, and mindsets to build a strong sense of self, regulate emotions, set and reach meaningful goals, show empathy, build supportive relationships, and make thoughtful, compassionate choices. SEL supports educational equity and excellence by fostering genuine collaboration among schools, families, and communities. CASEL outlines five core competencies of SEL:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-management
3. Social awareness
4. Relationship skills
5. Responsible decision-making

Each area provides a lens through which we can examine how our internal experiences and unconscious biases affect our external behaviors and choices. Below are some ideas on supporting SEL to encourage dealing with your implicit biases.

1. Self-Awareness: Recognizing Internal Bias

The first step in any work related to equity and inclusion is acknowledging that bias exists. This includes bias within systems, as well as within ourselves. SEL encourages self-awareness by prompting us to identify our emotions, values, and beliefs.

For academic librarians, this might involve reflecting on questions such as:

• Do I feel more comfortable assisting certain students over others?
• Have I unconsciously devalued certain sources of knowledge, such as oral histories, zines, or community-authored works?
• Are there times when I make assumptions based on a student’s or colleague’s appearance, accent, or field of study?

Practicing self-awareness allows library workers to recognize these internal patterns without judgment. The goal is not to feel shame but to better understand the dominant societal messages we have absorbed and how they show up in our professional practice.

2. Self-Management: Cultivating Emotional Regulation

Once we become aware of our biases, SEL helps us manage the emotions and reactions that may arise. It also equips us with tools to regulate our behavior and maintain professionalism, especially during difficult conversations. For example, a library worker may feel defensive when a colleague points out a microaggression. Instead of reacting impulsively, SEL encourages a moment of reflection. Taking a deep breath, pausing before responding, or journaling afterward can support emotional regulation and ongoing learning.

This competency also fosters long-term engagement. Addressing bias is not a one-time event. It requires ongoing attention and a willingness to continue the work, even when it feels uncomfortable. SEL provides strategies to sustain that effort over time.

3. Social Awareness: Building Empathy and Understanding

Social awareness involves recognizing the perspectives and experiences of others, especially those from different backgrounds. This is particularly relevant in academic libraries that serve diverse populations.

Developing this skill helps library workers:

• Understand the barriers that students of color, LGBTQ+ students, international students, and others may face in accessing library services
• Acknowledge the limitations and cultural assumptions within traditional cataloging systems
• Avoid viewing all students through a single lens or dominant narrative

Empathy allows us to recognize the gap between our good intentions and the actual impact of our behaviors or decisions. It invites us to step into another person’s reality, which is a necessary foundation for inclusive and equitable practice.

4. Relationship Skills: Strengthening Human Connections

Academic libraries are not only spaces for information access but also places where meaningful relationships are built. SEL can help to enhance this as it emphasizes the importance of trust, communication, and collaboration.

Library workers can apply these skills by:

• Listening actively during student and faculty interactions
• Creating spaces where staff can discuss equity concerns openly and respectfully
• Partnering with cultural centers, student groups, or academic departments to ensure programming and resources reflect the needs of diverse communities

Strong relationships create a culture of belonging. People who feel seen and heard are more likely to engage with the library and its services. Relationship-building is the foundation for both individual and institutional transformation.

5. Responsible Decision-Making: Turning Reflection into Action

SEL encourages thoughtful and ethical decision-making that considers the well-being of others once we have built awareness and empathy to take action based on what we have learned.

For academic library workers, this might include:

• Revisiting hiring practices to remove unnecessary barriers and increase diversity
• Examining collection development policies to ensure representation of marginalized voices
• Rethinking instructional strategies to make learning experiences more inclusive

Every decision we make, whether selecting a new book for the collection or designing a library workshop, can either reinforce or challenge existing inequities. SEL helps us choose the latter.

Conclusion: A Compassionate Path Forward

Implicit bias is not just a personal matter; it has professional implications that shape the library’s culture and community impact. SEL offers a compassionate yet rigorous approach to examining those biases. It encourages us to grow our self-awareness, build empathy, develop meaningful relationships, and make decisions that honor our shared humanity.

By incorporating SEL into professional development and daily practices, academic library workers can begin to transform not only their own mindsets but also the environment in which they work. This is how we create libraries that are not only centers of knowledge but also spaces of inclusion, care, and collective empowerment.

About the author:

Jamia Williams (she/her) is a health sciences librarian. She is also the co-creator and co-host of the podcast LibVoices and the founder of The Diversity Fellow’s blog.

Sign up for Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) new post notifications and updates.

Interested in contributing to TIE? Send an email to Fatima at Choice (fmohie-eldin@ala.org) with your topic idea.

---

Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.

Related Posts