Catching Up to the Present

Jen Clark, Adam Paradis, Melissa Cardenas-Dow

Catching Up to the Present

Three Themes:• Social Justice in Our Leadership | Jen Clark

o American Libraries Association as an advocate for Social Justice

• Contemporary Social Justice Issues | Adam Paradiso Librarians on the Ground

• Moving Forward | Melissa Cardenas-Dowo The Role of the Librarian, or, Should we be

activists?

Social Justice in Our Leadership

American Libraries Association as an advocate for Social Justice

--Jen Clark

Social Justice in our Leadership:A look back at ALA’s history of “diversity”

• Beginningso 1853 or 1876?o Charter of 1879

• Major Diversity Milestones

1911 1st Woman President(Theresa West Elmendorf)

35 years after women attended the 1st conference

1921 1st African-American Speaker(Thomas Fountain Blue)

16 years after he was chosen to lead his library

1921 1st Round Table for Diversity Disbanded under pressure after 2 years

1956 1st Integrated Conference 35 years after 1st speaker

1976 1st African-American President (Clara Stanton Jones)

55 years after 1st speaker and 20 years after 1st integrated conference

Social Justice in our Leadership:A look back at ALA’s history of “diversity”

• Beginningso 1853 or 1876?o Charter of 1879

• Major Diversity Milestones

1911 1st Woman President(Theresa West Elmendorf)

35 years after women attended the 1st conference

1921 1st African-American Speaker(Thomas Fountain Blue)

16 years after he was chosen to lead his library

1921 1st Round Table for Diversity Disbanded under pressure after 2 years

1956 1st Integrated Conference 35 years after 1st speaker

1976 1st African-American President (Clara Stanton Jones)

55 years after 1st speaker and 20 years after 1st integrated conference

Social Justice in our Leadership:ALA’s current policies & missions

• Missiono “... in order to enhance

learning and ensure access to information for all.”

• Action Area of Diversityo “... reflected in its

commitment to recruiting people of color and people with disabilities to the profession ... and services for all people.”

● Workplace Discrimination

○ “Denied employment rights or discriminated against on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, age, disability, or place of national origin...”

● Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Round Table

○ “committed to serving the information needs of the GLBT professional... community, and the GLBT information and access needs of individuals at large...”

• 58 ALA-accredited MLS programso “the philosophy,

principles, and ethics of the field”

o “the role of [LIS] in a diverse...society, including ... the needs of underserved groups”

Social Justice in our Leadership:ALA’s demographics

“What is ALA doing to represent the conservative librarians who come from and practise strong Judeo-Christian moral standards, and who adhere to a positive woman (not feminist) outlook?”

“And even though most members may be atheist, agnostic, ‘New Age,’ nominally Christian or Jewish, or otherwise, there are a number of members who are religious, in a deeply committed sense... We are a minority now”

“Your cover helps with the impression that the profession is open to all types of peoples...but it doesn't further our profession as a part of mainstream America”

“I must stand with the few principled people who remain. Since ALA now supports the immoral, I must disassociate myself.”

Social Justice in our Leadership:ALA’s 1992 American Libraries Cover

Social Justice in our Leadership:Discussion

• Can an organization with the demographics and institutional history of the ALA be an effective agent of social justice? What would this top down social justice model look like?

• Is ALA doing enough? Why or why not?

• What can the ALA do to change the power dynamics?

Contemporary Social Justice Issues

Librarians on the Ground--Adam Paradis

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Contemporary Activities

• circa 1982-HIV/AIDS

• 1948-1994-Apartheid in South Africa

• 1991-Persian Gulf War

• 2001 & 2006- USA PATRIOT Act

• 2002-E-Government

• 2004-Social Media, Global & Local Community

• And so many more

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:HIV/AIDS - Librarian Advocacy

Library Journal, January 1993:

There are three things that are

absolutely true:1. AIDS is preventable

2. Access to information =

the difference between dying of AIDS vs.

living with HIV

3. Librarians can and should

provide that access

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:HIV/AIDS - Censorship

● LJ Against censorship: realize the value of the information while considering the sources (gov. docs or support groups); providing the information is key

● LJ Against censorship: because of the value of the information, avoid imposing personal beliefs, language, and standards on others.

● Reflexivity

Contemporary HIV/AIDS Advocacy

• Philadelphia FIGHT and the AIDS Library

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Apartheid in South Africa

• South African Book Ban

• The Association of American Publishers

• “The Universal Right to Free Expression”

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Institutionalization of Activism

• Nearly 20 years since the ‘end’ of South African Apartheid

• Verne Harris, Apartheid-era activists

• Activist identity crisis

• Reflexivity

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Persian Gulf War & War on Terror

• Advocacy v. Neutrality

• USA PATRIOT Act

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:USA PATRIOT ACT

• Social Justice and Inter-Governmental Information Sharing?

• ALA’s Positions & Limits to FBI

• Freedom of Association

• Chilling Effect

• ‘Terrorism’

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Independent Libraries

Case Study:• The Read/Write Library

o Community catalogingo Drupal catalogo Local/micro collection: Chicago-based collections

policyo Community Focused/Run

Whose community?o Gentrification, Neighborhoods, Serviceo Grants, Partnerships, Non-profit industrial complex

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Communities & Service

• Social Media, the Internet, and Outreacho Tumblr, pinterest, youtube and community involvemento Sharing resources (e.g. NEIU)

• Whom do we serve? o Expanded sense of communityo Gentrification and ‘community engagement’

and misalignmento Reflexivity

Contemporary Social Justice Issues:Other Important Issues

• 1988-Resolution on Access to the Use of Libraries and Information by Individuals with Physical or Mental Impairment

• Technological Literacy

• Urban Libraries Council and Curbing Youth Violence

• Neo-liberalization of public services

• Gender and Sexual Diversityo Coverage now vs. 1992 Library Journal

Questions• What new ills plague libraries?

• How do emerging technologies influence the types of activisims we can engage vis-a-vis the library?

• Provide examples of social justice issues you have faced as an information professional.

Moving Forward

The Role of the Librarian, or, Should we be activists?

--Melissa Cardenas-Dow

Moving Forward:Librarianship - Roles and Identities

Gall, E. (n.d.). Importance of action and activism. In The atlas of new librarianship: Companion Site. Retrieved from: http://www.newlibrarianship.org/wordpress/?page_id=649

Moving Forward:Library Neutrality, Professionalism, and Political

Activism

• Professionalism

• Political Activism

• Library Neutrality, Objectivity

“But once they decide to do their jobs, institutional exigencies

overwhelm personal volition.” -- Gude, S. (n.d.). The bad kind of unionism.

Jacobin, 13.

Retrieved from: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/01/the-bad-kind-of-unionism

Moving Forward:“Should we be activists?” -- Discussion

• Considering the tensions we have seen between tenets of intellectual freedom and social responsibility, what stance do we take as a profession?

• Are there trappings to activism at a professional scale? What might authentic activism look like within the library & information profession?