Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

IntroductionThe topic of this paper was literally dropped in my lap-or rather my inbox-in the form of a series of questions from a fellow student in my Information Science Master's program ethics course at the University of Wisconsin. My colleague, hoping in all earnestness to understand why organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA)-a group I had mentioned in an earlier class discussion-are "necessary" in the professional world of infor- mation science and librarianship, turned to me for answers. She did this, I was happy to realize, because she recognized my willingness to openly discuss the subject; but perhaps she also turned to me because I was the only self-identified GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender) member of our class of some 30 graduate and undergraduate students. The latter fact, in and of itself, speaks to how far, even in 2004, gays and lesbians have yet to come in our ability to fearlessly proclaim to others our di∂erence! Her questions to me included the following:...MLA [Medical Library Association] has a Gay and Lesbian Caucus and you say ALA has a round table. I have often wondered why. I am at a loss to understand why those kinds of groups are necessary. Do a person's private sexual practices or orientation come up at work? (I never noticed this in any of my jobs-but perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.) Are gays and lesbians feeling threatened at work? If so, then the groups would make sense to have. ... I think everyone should be able to have whatever orientation they want and it should not be an issue at work or school or in the community- so I just do not understand this. I hope you help me understand the need for these groups."The exchange that resulted from this honest, if perhaps troublingly naive, query served, in part, to remind me of the many ethical questions, not to mention professional and personal dilemmas, which a∂ect GLBT librarians each and every day as they strive to both live their lives and do their work as fully and as openly as is possible and/or prudent given the particular societal, local, and institutional circumstances in which they find themselves. By examining several of the questions posed to me by my colleague, I will, in this paper, consider some of those ethical issues, professional dilemmas, and attendant impacts as they relate to the following:* Are groups such as GLBTRT necessary?* What purpose(s) do such groups serve?* Is sexual orientation an issue in the library workplace?* Should orientation even be an issue in the workplace?* Are GLBT persons feeling "threatened" at work?* What should libraries do with regard to GLBT employees and issues?The Past Is Prologue?In a September i992 editor's note in American Libraries, then-editor Thomas Gaughan reflected on the backlash of librarian reaction and complaints surrounding publication of a photograph (see p. 45), of the ALA "Gay and Lesbian Task Force" marching in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, which appeared on the cover of the July/August issue of American Libraries-an episode in our professional history that I will examine in more detail below. He acknowledged a sadly-learned lesson: that even among allegedly "tolerant" and politically-correct librarians and library supporters, homophobia, the fear and hatred of homosexuals, was alive and vociferously apparent, and that it was, in e∂ect, "the last socially acceptable prejudice" (Gaughan, i992). Unfortunately, more than a decade later, this prejudice remains, to a far too significant extent, socially acceptable to many Americans. One need only recall, for example, the recent rise in anti-gay and homophobic speech surrounding the debate over gay marriage. In 2ist-century America, homophobia continues to survive and to play itself out in our culture and institutions-as it does, every day, in a variety of guises, in many of our i06,000-plus public, academic, and school libraries. …

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DEI Consulting Practice brings the LGBTQ+ Bar's unique expertise to your law firm, law school, or company in order to help you foster a most supportive, welcoming, and knowledgeable LGBTQ+-inclusive environment.

Many organizations take big actions in the realm of DEI because of something they see another company do—such as publicly declaring themselves champions of people of color or setting an ambitious top-down DEI strategy across the firm. However, these grand stances usually fizzle out, leaving leaders frustrated and saying, “DEI work is too hard. It takes too long to see results.” The fact is, DEI isn’t a short-term project, and a company making big moves before it has the right culture and structures in place is likely to fail, leaving marginalized employees and customers no better off and giving companies a reputation for hollow promises. Academic research and the author’s experience working with firms on DEI strategy suggest that companies tend to follow predictable stages on their DEI journey. In this article, Georgetown professor and organizational psychologist Ella F. Washington describes the five stages: aware, compliant, tactical, integrated, and sustainable. She also includes questions for leadership teams to ask themselves. Understanding what stage your company is in can help you decide where to focus your energies most effectively and keep you from getting stuck.

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! To mark National Indigenous Peoples Day we are pleased to announce that the CFLA-FCAB’s Indigenous Matters Committee’s – Red Team-Joint Working Group on Classifi…

CRKN has completed the first step in decolonizing Canadiana collection metadata by replacing the subject heading “Indians of North America” with “Indigenous peoples.”

"A federal judge in California on Thursday appeared poised to block parts of President Donald Trump's executive order restricting diversity training for federal contractors that covers "divisive topics" saying she was concerned that it was too broad and vague."

"House Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday aimed at improving diversity at the State Department by establishing a senior post in the agency tasked with increasing the numbers of women minorities and those with disabilities serving in the foreign and civil service."

"Law schools would have to train students in bias racism and crosscultural competency under a proposal before the American Bar Association's policymaking body this month."

"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged President Trump to withdraw his executive order that extended his administration's ban on race- and sex-based discrimination training to include federal contractors."

Max Macias writes: “It is with great excitement and honor that the Oregon Library Association’s Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism present the OLA EDI Antiracism Toolkit! You can download a copy at the Oregon Library Association Web Site, or the State Library of Oregon website. A paper copy of this toolkit will be distributed to every library in Oregon. They will also receive a digital copy to print and share with staff.”

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The information provided in this Toolkit is designed to help you recognize some of the biases that we all have, including, specifically, the implicit biases of judges, prosecutors, and public defenders.

By Valentina Iturbe-LaGrave, Ph.D., Director for Inclusive Teaching Practices In the last few days, many of us have seen or read about the gruesome and violent videos of young Black men being forcibly restrained, hunted down, and killed in broad daylight and read the stories of a black woman being killed in her own home. Violence against Black and Brown bodies has been a horrific and longstanding trope of the American experience. While it has always impacted us, the recent demonstrations and riots eclipsing COVID19 news and media coverage challenge our courage at a time of immeasurable community and individual trauma. To help you navigate these complex and challenging times, we offer a brief summary of trauma-informed critical pedagogy as a way to consider how trauma may be impacting you and your students. We also invite you to check-in with students, and teach in a way that does not re-traumatize students but instead supports healing the mental and emotional effects of the trauma. Below are some critical trauma-informed pedagogy considerations, suggested readings, and resources to help you on this journey. As always, contact the Director for Inclusive Teaching Practices for one-on-one consultations on Zoom, email, or over the phone.

Many libraries have put together LibGuides or other resources in support of diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, antiracism, etc. On … "Antiracism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Social Justice Resources"

AALL stands against racism and we fully support the Black Lives Matter movement. AALL is striving to do better as an Association to bring more awareness to the biases in the legal information profession, and to help others understand the impact of racism. This guide was created to provide resources on anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, and equity for members and their organizations.

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Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists is North America's oldest and largest national professional association dedicated to the needs and interests of archives and archivists. SAA represents more than 6,200 professional archivists employed by governments, universities, businesses, libraries, and historical organizations nationally.

The field of information and library science has long struggled with the lack of diversity in the workforce. In response, a number of programs have been created to encourage students of color to pursue careers within the library and information sciences. Despite this, the number of diverse individuals working in the field is still low. This paper explores instances of discrimination towards library and information science students of color and how these experiences shape their academic career and their outlook on the profession overall. Qualitative interviews were conducted with five students of color currently pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science and will be transcribed and analyzed for overarching themes. This paper intends to identify ways students of color in LIS master’s programs can be better supported.

Bias in library systems directly affects patrons’ experiences in the library. This ALA Editions excerpt looks at implicit bias -- how it can be identified and how it can be reduced.

"In September 2020, President Trump issued an executive order excluding from federal contracts any diversity and inclusion training interpreted as containing Divisive Concepts, Race or Sex Stereotyping, and Race or Sex Scapegoating."

Let me tell you about someone I met a couple of years ago in 2019. Her name was Judge Deborah A. Batts. The Honorable Judge Batts was the first openly gay person to be appointed as an Article III federal judge. She held this position for over 25 years in the Southern District of New York. As part of the library team in my previous position, we commemorated her 25 years of service with a candid interview during Pride month with her fellow openly gay judges also at the US Courts for the Second Circuit: Judge Alison J. Nathan, Judge J. Paul Oetken and Judge Pamela K. Chen. If you watch this interview as many times as I have, you can’t escape the gravitas of Judge Batts words when she describes herself as a “trifecta” and says “it’s important to pass it on…” As a librarian, and particularly someone working with the law, I believe the responsibility of pass it on should be a major tenet in our profession And despite that altruistic goal and the best of intentions, I oftentimes find myself in situations where we have failed to do just that. Why is that? What is missing? Who is missing? Whose voices we are missing? I don’t presume to have any of the answers. However, I’ve decided to create this platform and hear from my esteemed friends on the notes we pass to each other. By now, we all know the concepts, or at least we can find a new libguide with further reading. Let’s now dismantle and create. Let’s now more forward and be intentional. Let’s create the space and pass it on. Notes Between Us (NBU) is a blog about conversations and topics of interest to the writers. The writers are expressing their personal opinions solely. Their essays represent their personal beliefs and not that of their workplaces or any organization they are associated with. By Marcelo Rodríguez

A publication of the Black Law Librarians Special Interest Section (BLL-SIS) of the American Association of Law Libraries

After the tragic police murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, there has been a sudden groundswell of interest in beginning the monumental task of tackling the racial injustice and systemic racism…

Diversity, Leadership and Education Workshops, Training and Keynotes.