Democratic state lawmakers back bills protecting individual freedom to read and think • Rhode Island Current
Democrat Rhode Island lawmakers on Wednesday promoted a suite of bills motivated by the Freedom to Read movement — an assertion of libraries’ right to hold controversial books, amid an ongoing culture clash over the written word.
Beyond Book Banning: Efforts to Criminally Charge Librarians
Both the Indiana and Iowa State Legislatures have introduced legislation regarding criminally charging libraries and librarians over “inappropriate” material. These bills are closely related to widespread book challenges occurring at schools and public libraries across the nation, with people trying to remove books that address certain topics relating to gender, sexuality, and race from library collections. In many cases there is already a clear process for reconsidering materials in a collection, so how do legal defenses play a role in this and what do the bills change?
We’ve documented actions taken on dozens of campuses to alter or eliminate jobs, offices, hiring practices, and programs amid mounting political pressure to end identity-conscious recruitment and retention of minority staff and students.
Project MUSE - Participatory and Ethical Strategic Planning: What Academic Libraries Can Learn from Critical Management Studies
This paper introduces a subfield of management studies, "critical management studies" (CMS) in order to rethink mainstream management practices in academic libraries, with strategic planning as an illustrative example. Mainstream management models from the corporate sector prioritize efficiency, productivity, and numerical measures for assessing impact. Academic libraries have generally borrowed uncritically from this mainstream management praxis, but how well does this serve our needs, especially when it comes to the most complex issues we face? CMS draws on critical theory to interrogate the methods and goals of mainstream management, with an emphasis on denaturalizing "taken for granted" practices and prioritizing ethics and worker equity. After providing a brief overview of the history and adoption of mainstream management in academic libraries, this paper focuses on strategic planning as an illustrative exploration of CMS principles in an academic library context. Strategic planning is a common managerial practice that has been embraced by academic libraries and generally modeled after mainstream approaches. Yet, CMS scholars contend that traditional strategic planning reproduces workplace inequities and universalizes managerial interests. In this article, I employ ideas from CMS to rethink library strategic planning by opening participation, reframing problems, and embracing our ethical agency.
Library Patron Loneliness: Strategies for Building Community and Connection
Editor’s Note: This guest post has been authored by Alejandro Marquez (Science and Engineering Librarian at the University of Denver Libraries) and Brady Niemitalo Woods (Patron Training Specialist at Jefferson County Public Library, Colorado).
The fall semester started recently, marking the begi
Creating an inclusive library : approaches for increasing engagement and use with students of color - Ngoc Yen Tran (Librarian), editor. ; Michael J. Aguilar II, editor. ; Adriana Poo editor.
Creating an inclusive library : approaches for increasing engagement and use with students of color-book
Ngoc Yen Tran (Librarian), editor. ; Michael J. Aguilar II, editor. ; Adriana Poo editor.
That librarian : the fight against book banning in America - Amanda Jones.
One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person's sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss "book content," she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing. Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Her decision to support a collection of books with diverse perspectives made her a target for extremists using book banning campaigns--funded by dark money organizations and advanced by hard right politicians--in a crusade to make America more white, straight, and "Christian." But Amanda Jones wouldn't give up without a fight: she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. Mapping the book banning crisis occurring all across the nation, That Librarian draws the battle lines in the war against equity and inclusion, calling book lovers everywhere to rise in defense of our readers.
Library Trends examines “Indigenous librarianship” in issue and webinar
The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 72 (1). This issue, "Indigenous Librarianship," examines the current state of Indigenous librarianship. Ulia Gosart and Rachel Fu served as guest editors. Library Trends, in partnership with the guest editors and select authors, will host a virtual webinar featuring lightning talks based on articles from the upcoming issue.
ALA and Sustainable Libraries Initiative Release National Climate Action Strategy | Sustainability
The American Library Association and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative have announced the new National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries and created an implementation guide to help libraries incorporate climate action locally into strategic and facility plans.
Change the subject: Making the library catalog more inclusive
Have you ever wondered how library catalogs, like Emory’s Library Search, are built and maintained? Or how library catalogers decide upon the best terms to describe the books, articles, and other m…
"As part of the profession's ongoing EDISJ efforts to redress librarianship's problematic past, practitioners from across the field are questioning long-held library authorities and standards. They're undertaking a critical and rigorous re-examination of so-called "best" practices and the decisionmakers behind them, pointing out heretofore unscrutinized injustices within our library systems of organization and making concrete steps towards progressive change. This collection from Core records the efforts of some of the many librarians who are working to improve our systems and collections, in the process inspiring those who have yet to enact change by demonstrating that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary. From this book, readers will gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning for the actions that create our history and be challenged to reconsider their perspectives; learn about the important role of the library catalog in real-world EDISJ initiatives through examples ranging from accessibility metadata and gendered information to inclusive comics cataloging and revising LC call numbers for Black people and Indigenous people; discover more than a dozen case studies drawn from a variety of contexts including archives, academic and public libraries, and research institutions; and see ways to incorporate these ideas into their own work, with a variety of sample policies, "how to" documents, and other helpful tools provided in the text"--;"This volume seeks to record the efforts of many librarians who worked to improve our systems and collections as well as inspire those who have yet to enact change that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary"--
Between the Lines: What Is Missing in the Diversity in Publishing Discourse
On Saturdays in late ’90s, my father, a taxi driver, would pool his tips for the week and take me, a child too precocious for his own good, to a local bookstore in search of my next read. Together,…
How to account for trauma and emotions in law teaching - Mallika Kaur editor. ; Lindsay M. Harris editor.
"Subverting the narrative that the legal profession must be austere and controlled, this prescient how to guide addresses the crucial need for holistic, trauma-centred law teaching. It advocates for a healthier, more inclusive profession by identifying strategies to engage, and even encourage, emotions within legal education."-- Publisher's website.
Cancel wars : how universities can foster free speech, promote inclusion, and renew democracy. Sigal R. Ben-Porath.
An even-handed exploration of the polarized state of campus politics that suggests ways for schools and universities to encourage discourse across difference.
College campuses have become flashpoints of the current culture war and, consequently, much ink has been spilled over the relationship between universities and the cultivation or coddling of young American minds. Philosopher Sigal R. Ben-Porath takes head-on arguments that infantilize students who speak out against violent and racist discourse on campus or rehash interpretations of the First Amendment. Ben-Porath sets out to demonstrate the role of the university in American society and, specifically, how it can model free speech in ways that promote democratic ideals.
In Cancel Wars, she argues that the escalating struggles over “cancel culture,” “safe spaces,” and free speech on campus are a manifestation of broader democratic erosion in the United States. At the same time, she takes a nuanced approach to the legitimate claims of harm put forward by those who are targeted by hate speech. Ben-Porath’s focus on the boundaries of acceptable speech (and on the disproportional impact that hate speech has on marginalized groups) sheds light on the responsibility of institutions to respond to extreme speech in ways that proactively establish conversations across difference. Establishing these conversations has profound implications for political discourse beyond the boundaries of collegiate institutions. If we can draw on the truth, expertise, and reliable sources of information that are within the work of academic institutions, we might harness the shared construction of knowledge that takes place at schools, colleges, and universities against truth decay. Of interest to teachers and school leaders, this book shows that by expanding and disseminating knowledge, universities can help rekindle the civic trust that is necessary for revitalizing democracy.
Decolonisation, anti-racism, and legal pedagogy : strategies, successes, and challenges - Foluke I. Adebisi (Editor), Suhraiya Jivraj (Editor), Ntina Tzouvala (Editor)
"This book offers an international breadth of historical and theoretical insights into recent efforts to 'decolonise' legal education across the world. With a specific focus on post/decolonial thought and anti-racist methods in pedagogy, this edited collection provides an accessible illustration of pedagogical innovation in teaching and learning law. Chapters cover civil and common law legal systems, incorporate cases from non-state Indigenous legal systems, and critically examine key topics such as decolonization and anti-racism in criminology, colonialism and the British Empire, and court process and indigenous justice. The book demonstrates how teaching can be modified and adapted to address long-standing injustice in the curriculum. Offering a systematic collection of theorical and practical examples of antiracist and decolonial legal pedagogy, this volume will appeal to curriculum designers and law educators as well as at undergraduate and post-graduate law level teaching and research"--
Decentering whiteness in libraries : a framework for inclusive collection management practices - Andrea Jamison
"The book will serve as a "how to" guide for evaluating and crafting collection development policies that will help create equity in library collections. The book will not only help contextualize the need for inclusive collection development policies but will feature user-friendly tables, guides, and sample policies"--
DEI deconstructed : your no-nonsense guide to doing the work and doing it right - Lily Zheng
"LinkedIn's most popular DEIJ expert offers compassionate and practical advice for stressed leaders under pressure from staff, customers, and partners to avoid diversity screw-ups. Centering the marginalized is the future of your business. You have what it takes to navigate beyond murky waters of purity and disposability"--
Reconstructing DEI : a practitioner's workbook - Lily Zheng
"Practical workbook companion to the bestselling DEI Deconstructed, the definitive comprehensive and foundational text for critically analyzing and applying actionable DEI techniques and strategies, written by one of LinkedIn's most popular experts on DEI. The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace cannot be understated. But when half-baked and under-developed strategies are implemented, they often do more harm than good, leading the very constituents they aim to support to dismiss DEI entirely"--
Nonviolent communication : a language of life - Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD.
"Most of us have been educated from birth to compete, judge, demand, and diagnose--to think and communicate in terms of what is 'right' and 'wrong' with people. At best, communicating and thinking this way can create misunderstanding and frustration. At its worst, it can lead to anger, depression, and even emotional or physical violence. [This book] uses stories, role-plays, and real-world examples to introduce the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) process. Far more than simple techniques, you'll learn to transform the thinking, language, and moralistic judgments that prevent the quality of relationships you've always wanted. Start to more easily resolve conflicts, get what you want without demands, hear the needs of others, strengthen your personal and professional relationships, and live your fullest potential. With Nonviolent Communication, you'll learn to: significantly improve your relationships with family, friends, and co-workers; stay peaceful in the face of judgment, criticism, and anger; speak, think, and listen in ways that inspire compassion and understanding; break patterns of thinking that lead to stress, depression, guilt, and shame; discover common ground with anyone, anytime, anywhere."--Book cover.
How DEI rollbacks at colleges and universities set back learning
DEI programs bolster college students’ sense of identity and belonging. Without these programs, they stand to miss out on crucial learning and career opportunities.
Integrating Tribal Law into the Legal Research and Writing Curriculum: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies - Amber Madole, Bonnie J. Shucha, and Rebecca Plevel
In the United States, the Constitution recognizes three types of sovereigns: federal, state, and tribal. Each of these sovereign entities possesses the inherent
Integrating Tribal Law into the Legal Research and Writing Curriculum: Benefits, Challenges, and
The Long History of Discrimination in Job Hiring Assessments | ACLU
Job hiring assessments can unfairly discriminate against individuals based on their protected characteristics. We outline how to strive for a future where skills and potential, not bias, determines our opportunities.