132nd chat, Tuesday July 19, 2022: libraries drop the I-word
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @LibFeminista
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

In November 2021, the Library of Congress announced it would update two subject headings, changing “Aliens” to “Noncitizens” and “Illegal aliens” to “Illegal immigration.”

suggested resources:

• blog post: “Library of Congress Subject Heading Change Doesn’t Address the Real Issue” by Kelly Jensen, Book Riot, November 15, 2021

discussion questions:

• Q1. What language does your library (or your local public/university library) use to describe resources about undocumented immigrants? #critlib
• Q2. Do you think LC’s changes are sufficient? Why or why not? #critlib
• Q3. How does LC’s status as a federal agency play into this situation? What are the key issues that this complication causes? #critlib
• Q4.  What barriers might stand in the way of libraries making this change in their own institution? #critlib
• Q5. What would help you convince your library (or other libraries) to make this change? What kind of support would you like to see available to people interested in starting this discussion? #critlib

130th chat, Thursday January 14 2021: transferring between library types
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @raypun101
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

discussion questions:

• Q1. Have you transitioned from one type of library to another? (i.e. public to school, academic to special, special to public, etc). If so, please share! If not, is this of interest to you? #critlib
• Q2. What do you think about the idea that library workers tend to get typecast based on their specific experience in the field? Is this an issue? #critlib
• Q3. What are transferable skills in the field that you think are important and/or largely overlooked? #critlib
• Q4. What can experienced library workers do to help job seekers with different library experiences? #critlib
• Q5. If you’ve transitioned to a different type of library, what advice do you have for those looking to work in a different type of library? If not, what’s a good advice on job hunting that you can share? #critlib

129th chat, Tuesday July 28 2020: “critical” discourse as a smokescreen
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @katkimbell & @freyjawaru
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

suggested resources:

Ferretti, J. A. (2020). Building a Critical Culture: How Critical Librarianship Falls Short in the Workplace. Communications in Information Literacy, 14 (1), 134-152. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2020.14.1.10

discussion questions:

• Q1. What are some examples of using ‘critical’ discourse as a smokescreen to support power? Feel free to pull from your own experience or from @citythatreads’ article. #critlib
• Q2. Let’s unpack the difference in the teacher/student relationship versus the library colleague relationship that @citythatreads writes about on p. 136-137. How is power constructed differently in these two sets of relationships? #critlib
• Q3. @citythatreads writes “…we aren’t focusing on empathy building, vulnerability, interrogating systems of structural inequities, and critical thinking when it comes to interacting with or working with colleagues” (p. 145). Why don’t we? What gets in the way? #critlib
• Q4. @citythatreads writes that “critical librarianship can seem performative” (p. 137) and that “it’s very possible for reputation and praxis to be in conflict with each other (p. 138). In what ways have you seen examples of this in the library Twitter community? #critlib
• Q5. How can we hold our #critlib community accountable on social media? How can we practice @mckensiemack’s “generous accountability” and ensure that #critlib is not experienced by BIPOC library workers as an exclusionary community (@citythatreads, p. 141)?

128th chat, Tuesday April 21 2020: fundraising and development
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @shhh_librarian & @evangelestia
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

discussion questions:

• Q1. How does your library define fundraising and what critical functions does it entail? Who does that type of work in your library? #critlib
• Q2. Who gets a say on who funds your library? Who doesn’t get a say? What challenges does that entail? #critlib
• Q3. In efforts to fundraise for your library, what works in creating relationships? What hasn’t worked? #critlib
• Q4. How can we adapt our fundraising efforts to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into our operations? #critlib
• Q5. How can we build structures that strengthen the future of fundraising for libraries? #critlib

127th chat, Tuesday April 14: continuing the conversation around accountability
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @MUEngLib @meganjwatson @mckensiemack
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

discussion questions:

• Q1. How is the pandemic impacting the ways you think about accountability, within your workplace, the profession, and/or your larger communities? #critlib
• Q2. How does your privilege impact the ways you think about accountability, particularly during this time of crisis? #critlib
• Q3. How can we balance compassion and care during this period of community trauma with the need to hold ourselves and others accountable for the harm we do? #critlib
• Q4. A refrain/reframing for this moment: “If we get this right, we’ll never go back to normal.” What transformations in our relationships to accountability do you hope to see emerge? #critlib
• Q5. How can we foster and facilitate an online community around developing practices of accountability? #critlib

126th chat, Tuesday April 6: intro to disabilities in LIS
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @librariankqm @GailBetz @LochNessLibro
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

Joint chat with #CripLib: introducing #CripLib and life as library and archives workers with disabilities. Find info about #CripLib at criplib.wordpress.com.

suggested resources:

• Brown, R. & Sheidlower, S. (2019). Claiming our space: A quantitative and qualitative picture of disabled librarians. Library Trends, 67(3). https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bm_pubs/115/ – Available Open Access
• Kimbier, A. & Starkey, J. (2016). Access is not problem solving: Disability justice and libraries. Library Trends, 64(3). https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2016.0004
• Pionke, J.J. (2019). The impact of disbelief: On being a library employee with a disability. Library Trends, 67(3). https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2019.0004

discussion questions:

• Q1. What are your lived experiences with disability in the library or archival workplace? For the purposes of our discussions, we’re using Kumbier & Starkey (2016) definition of disability as an experience that is “shaped by social, cultural, historic, political, and economic factors…[that] impact people’s lived experience of impairment” #CripLib #CritLib
• Q2. How has disability informed your work in libraries and archives? #CripLib #CritLib
• Q3. How can we build and foster a community of library and archives workers with disabilities? #CripLib #CritLib
• Q4. What sort of support are you looking for out of a community dedicated to disability in library and archives? #CripLib #CritLib
• Q5. How can all library and archives workers contribute to an accessible profession? #CripLib #CritLib

124th chat, Tuesday January 21 2019: generous accountability in libraries
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @itsuhLEEsuh @alwaysreed @A_meeksie
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

The first critlib chat from members of the ACRL 2020 President’s Program Planning Committee. The committee is looking for feedback to inform the directions the program will take at the ALA Annual conference in June 2020.

All library workers and LIS folks are invited to participate in this chat!

suggested resources:

• Mingus, Mia. “Dreaming Accountability.” Leaving Evidence (blog), May 5, 2019. https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/dreaming-accountability-dreaming-a-returning-to-ourselves-and-each-other/.
• Barnard Center for Research on Women. “How to Support Harm Doers in Being Accountable.” Oct. 10, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&amp=&v=AhANo6wzBAA&amp=&feature=youtu.be

discussion questions:

• Q1. How do you interpret or define “generous accountability”? How does the use of the word “generous” change the connotation of the term “accountability,” and why? #critlib
• Q2. What does generous accountability, to ourselves and our communities, look like as a daily practice? #critlib
• Q3. How can we build and foster a culture of accountability into our workspaces? What conditions need to be in place to build this? #critlib
• Q4. When we hold ourselves or each other accountable, how do we balance intentions and impact with care and generosity? #critlib
• Q5. How do we decenter whiteness in the process of setting up systems of accountability? #critlib

123rd chat, Tuesday December 10 2019: toxic work environments
6 pm Pacific / 7 pm Mountain / 8 pm Central / 9 pm Eastern

moderated by @GingerReads
Wakelet (compilation of tweets) (pdf) by @violetbfox

discussion questions:

• Q1. What is a toxic work environment? Is that a useful term? Why or why not?
• Q2. How do toxic work environments impact efforts to dismantle oppression in libraries?
• Q3. How can individuals cope with a toxic work environment?
• Q4. If you could offer advice to administrators/leaders/managers trying to shift a toxic work culture to a positive one, what would you say?
• Q5. If you could offer advice to non-managerial workers trying to shift a toxic work culture to a positive one, what would you say?
• Q6. What fundamental changes could be made to librarianship to prevent toxic work cultures from forming?

122nd chat, Wednesday December 4 2019: school counselors and library workers collaboration
5:30 pm Pacific / 6:30 pm Mountain / 7:30 pm Central / 8:30 pm Eastern

moderated by @AngCleveland @lieberrian @kiddcounselor15

Collaborative chat with #scchat focusing on how librarians and school counselors can partner to support future-ready students. Please use the #scchat hashtag to collocate tweets during this chat!

discussion questions:

Q1. Let’s kick off #SCCHAT by sharing your favorite book OR a book you are reading right now!
Q2. What are school counselors and librarians doing to support college or career readiness?
Q3. How are the roles of school counselors and librarians similar?
Q4. Describe ways that school counselors and librarians can collaborate.
Q5. How can school counselors and librarians foster positive relationships between educators, families, and students?
Q6. Share a resource for social emotional learning.
Q7. School counselors, what advice do you have for librarians?
Q8. Librarians, what advice do you have for school counselors?
Q9. School counselors and librarians are often supporting others. Share your best self-care tips.