Note: Some of these questions may be difficult to answer candidly in a public forum like Twitter. Participants are encouraged to tweet anonymously if it seems prudent.
discussion questions:
Q1. What kind of organizational barriers are in place in libraries you’ve worked at? #critlib
Q2. How are difficult conversations or controversies handled at libraries you’ve worked at? #critlib
Q3. What are examples of effective workplace practices you’d like to see more in more libraries? #critlib
Q4. How do you build allies and networks within and outside of your organization to foster positive changes? #critlib
Q5. How do you encourage/develop/support leadership at every level/staff to lead from where they are? #critlib
From Biggle pet book : a collection of information for old and young whose natural instincts teach them to be kind to all living creatures / by Jacob Biggle (1900)
110th chat, Tuesday July 31: responding to ALA
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern
On June 26, ALA Council voted to accept proposed revisions to the meeting room policy with little discussion. These revisions added language saying the “hate speech” and “hate groups” cannot be excluded if libraries provide meeting space for other religious, civic, or social groups. On July 8, Tyler Vachon discovered this addition and posted concerns about it on twitter. An outcry arose, and on July 9 the hashtag #NoHateALA was created to organize opposition. In response, James LaRue of OIF (ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom) posted an explanation and later, due to confusion about when this addition was made, added a timeline of events. After hearing continued member concerns, IFC (ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee) created a working group to begin drafting new revisions. Meanwhile, some Councilors began work to call for a vote to rescind the June 26 changes and revert to the 1991 language while IFC works on revisions. On July 20, the Executive Committee voted to authorize a vote to rescind the June 26 revision. ALA Council currently is debating this proposal, with a vote scheduled for August 9-16.
Q1. How does citation work as a performative and reproductive technology of power? (i.e., how does it reproduce and embody existing power structures?)
Q2. How do our personal citational practices reproduce or upend existing exclusionary practices in teaching and research?
Q3. How can we address/redress the unequal politics of citation in our instructional work? (In research consultations? In institutional policy? In our own projects?)
Q4. What role can movements for open access play in redressing the unequal politics of citation? What are its strengths and limitations?
Q5. Can we/should we/do we challenge the use of citation counts as an academic performance metric? What does that look like? Are there existing alternatives?
Mammals of other lands / Charles J. Cornish [and others] (1917)108th chat, Monday June 18: reflective teaching practice
11 am Pacific / noon Mountain / 1 pm Central / 2 pm Eastern
Q1. What does it mean to have a reflective teaching practice? #critlib
Q2. Can critical pedagogy and reflective practice coexist? What does this look like? #critlib
Q3. Can we help promote critical reflectiveness in students through our own pedagogy/praxis? Is this important? #critlib
Q4. What have you done to be a critically reflective library professional? To help students critically reflect? #critlib
Q5. Do the phrases “Growth Mindset” and “Reflective Practice” go together? Why/Why not? #critlib
Q6. On page 19 of their book Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning Char writes, “To exercise reflective practice, you have to maintain the desire to learn more about yourself as an educator and the intent to commit to iterative improvement.” What does this statement mean to you? #critlib
Q1. Public librarians engage in critical librarianship all the time, even if it’s not called #critlib. What does that look like in the public library? Where does it happen (in person and online)?
Q2. What topics of critical librarianship are public librarians discussing? #critlib
Q3. How can other (public, academic, school) librarians encourage public librarians/library staff to participate in the #critlib conversation? What might be some barriers for participation?
Q4. How can #critlib become a more all encompassing LIS conversation to include all types of librarianship (academic, law, school, public, etc)?
Braun, Linda W., Maureen L. Hartman, Sandra Hughes-Hassell, and Kafi Kumasi with contributions from Beth Yoke (2017). “Section IV: How Will We Get There? What Do Libraries Need to Do?” The Future of Library Services, For and With Teens: A Call to Action. IMLS and YALSA. http://www.ala.org/yaforum/future-library-services-and-teens-project-report
Students are under enormous pressure to perform well in college. In addition, systemic injustice is playing out on college campuses through income inequality, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other –isms that directly and indirectly impact students. Given that libraries are not neutral, what obligation does the library have to address the secondary symptoms of trauma and injustice—anxiety, depression, stress, and feeling overwhelmed or hopeless? This #critlib chat will focus on student wellness in the academic library.
For this conversation, we are adapting the World Health Organization’s definition of health to define student wellness. Student wellness is defined as both freedom from physical, mental, and emotional malaise, and the capacity to take appropriate measures to address the challenges of being a student in this current sociocultural, economic and political moment.
ATALM (Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums) @tribalalm: non-profit, Native-led organization that provides culturally relevant training and services to the nation’s 519 tribal libraries, archives, and museums. ATALM was established in 2010 with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
E-rate: the nickname for the Federal Communications Commission’s universal service Schools and Libraries Program, which provides discounts to help eligible schools and libraries in the United States obtain affordable telecommunications and internet access
Tribal Connect Act: bill introduced in December 2017 that aims to improve broadband connectivity in Indian Country by increasing access to E-rate program #TribalConnect
Thanks to @EamonTewell for this list of critlib-related sessions at the American Library Association annual conference in New Orleans from June 22-25 2018. Feel free to add sessions you think would be valuable for critical library workers!
