Investigating the Role of Library and Information Science (LIS) Professionals in Promoting Information Equity: A Review

Abstract

This study investigated the role of Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in promoting information equity: A Systematic Descriptive Review. The research was guided by five research questions aligned with its objectives, focusing on the conceptual foundations of information equity and its relationship to the professional values and mandate of LIS professionals, populations most affected by information inequity and the specific barriers they face in accessing and using information, the strategies and programmes through which LIS professionals promote information equity in academic, public, and special library contexts, the challenges and barriers that constrain LIS professionals in their efforts to advance information equity and the emerging approaches and policy frameworks through which LIS professionals and institutions are addressing information equity in the context of the digital transformation of information provision. A descriptive research design was adopted relying on systematic documentary review and thematic description of the existing literature. Drawing on a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2020 and 2025.The literature reviewed for this study was sourced from open-access databases including Google Scholar, JSTOR, Emerald Insight, ScienceDirect, PubMed Central, and others. The findings revealed that LIS professionals play multifaceted roles as community connectors, digital equity advocates, cultural brokers, collection diversifiers, outreach workers, and information literacy educators in the pursuit of information equity. The results suggest that LIS Professionals significantly promote information equity to connect communities, advocates for digital equity, cultural brokers, diversifiers of collection, outreach workers and information literacy educators. The paper concludes that with evidence-informed recommendations for strengthening the capacity of LIS professionals to advance information equity in increasingly diverse and digitally stratified societies. The paper recommends that LIS schools revise their curricula to centre information equity, social justice, and culturally responsive practice as core professional competencies.