#critlib chat, August 26, 2014

Tonight&apocritlibitlib about libs in social justice actions, 8 Central ledRachelMFleminge http://tinyurl.com/critlibx NnFergusonguson

Gettin' ready for tonigcritlibitlib! Hoping for a good conversation about what librar*s can and should do in social justice actions.

Are you excited for #critlib? I'm excited critlibitlib. We're talking about lib*s in quickly developing social justice actions.

Hey Everyone, I'll be your moderator critlibitlib tonight! I'm rachel, an acquisitions librarian in NC. Let's start introductions!

the #critlib moderators were kind enough to adjust their schedule so we could have a Ferguson-inspired chat. Here's some background:

#Ferguson has shown that SJ events can happen anywhere. Tonight&#x2critlibcritlib discussion is on how critical library practitioners can prepare.

Local, national, & international organizers, news media, & politicians were suddenly looking somewhere they’d never looked becritlibcritlib

I hope to ponder broadly how #critlib can/should act during such events, and what can we do as media turn their focus elsewhere.

#critlib I’m using “social justice actions” to broadly define these types of events. If you’ve got something better, please help me out.

Our #critlib discussion will be informed by Ferguson, but it doesn’t need be ABOUT Ferguson. Something could happen in your town next week.

#critlib Something did happen in my town, too!

Remember to use the #critlib tag and the question number (iQ1) to identify your answers. But don’t let my questions limit your discussion!

Apropos that many of us are mad busy bc injustices like #Ferguson don't wait for a lull. How do we respond when stressed ourselvcritlibitlib

Absolutely. Something is always happening. RT @ibeilin #critlib Something did happen in my town, too!

Keep those introductions rolling in, and we'll get started with the prompt questiocritlibitlib

Q1: How can we prepare for social justice events? What do we need to provide critical service to communities & outside media/SJW? #critlib

&#BattleLibraryLibrary: "Ferguson Libraries Step Up to Serve Community  http://feedly.com/e/-Ut-1JzF //tcritlibz4r9Nal” #critlib article I posted earlier

A1: Maybe prepare resources to help frame incidents in larger social/historical picture? i.e. how #FergusonSyllabus developed #critlib

#critlib Q1: I think it's critical to know your patrons & community so that it's on the forefront of your mind...proactive vs reactive

#critlib Q1: One thing is to be rigorous fact checkers/info shares & creators and not feed hysteria.

A1 I think one of the best ways we can prepare for social justice events is having a comprehesive collection. #critlib @RachelMFleming

#critlib A1- A big part of preparing students for SJ events is making them aware that they are always happening, almost always out of sight

#critlib Q1: as we saw in #Ferguson a library served its community by staying open & being a safe place to go. Do we need policies for that?

Maybe I'm naïve, but can libraries build into their action plans? Readiness for radical reference, emergency serviccritlib? #critlib

Q1 I got to thinking about how comprehensive lists of clergy, social organizations, etc, with contacts and detail would be useful #critlib

#critlib Q1 For academic libraries, many of our students are great resources for education and insight at such times.

(q1) most importantly, stay aware of quality real time info sources. Ex: good stuff from @pewresearch  http://www.people-press.org/2014/08/18/stark-racial-divisions-in-reactions-to-ferguson-police-shooting/ … #critlib

Hi #critlib My name is Regina Renee I'm a public librarian in Denver

@foureyedsoul +1, and work to help students frame the way that these events are covered and processed by the media #critlib

#critlib A1: also, building community and rapport and a reputation as a place of safety for the community.

#critlib Many of our students have much more experience with certain types of injustices than we (largely, generally) privileged librarians.

@barnlib I think that kind of (awesome) behavior is enshrined in the profession's past and code of ethics. Better than a policritlibitlib

@aszingarelli sigh, that would be glorious, huh? We've got a long way to go for this work to be an institutional priorcritlibitlib

@JessicaCritten Absolutely. Sad but powerful to see how students & others critiqued media representation with #IfTheyGunnedMeDown #critlib

Q1: Identifying and building relationships with allies in the community. #critlib

@ibeilin Exactly. Which is why our pedagogy should put them in charge of what happens in class. #critlib

We'll be coming back to this in more detail, but it's https://twitter.com/ibeilin/status/504437255709024256 …lwcritlibV #critlib

@ibeilin This is so right-on; privilege their experiences to help them conceive of themselves as worthwhile contrib. to this convo #critlib

Q1 One other random thing I thought about was having services ready to scale: for instance, with media attention come donations! #critlib

#critlib A1: as teacher librarians it's imperative that we show students how to question and critically think about information we encounter

@JessicaCritten And necessary contriubutors - for us just as much as anyone else. #critlib

#critlib A1: as teacher librarians it's imperative that we show students how to question and critically think about information we encounter

@JessicaCritten @ibeilin Overcome our impostor syndrome in order to overcome their impostor syndrome. #meta #critlib

@JessicaCritten So maybe we need to be talking about librarians & their professional core values setting institutional priority #critlib

#critlib provide resources about rights of protestors/media; have a written policy..

#critlib RT @TLT16 @RachelMFleming @pumpedlibrarian Know local resources so you can network and refer

@parody_bit @barnlib (Respectfully) not sure I agree. I think ethics supercede policies. Policies get rewritten. Ethics go deeper. #critlib

A1 A stellar resource on teaching #Ferguson, good framework for teaching events (via @johnedwinmason):  http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/ABOUT%20DCPS/Press/Brown%20Discussion%20Teachers%20Guide.pdf … #critlib

@aszingarelli Such an important, but difficult convo given current focus on assessment regimes. Have to think there's common grocritlibitlib

In my area, cultural institutions have a communal disaster-supply cache; maybe something similar for protest response? #critlib

@JessicaCritten @aszingarelli use "assessment regime" - i.e. goal "library enables students to engage w contemporary icritlibf xyz" #critlib

#critlib For those of us who are organized, we have our union's resources and network to respond to SJ events.

I'm thinking a cache of very basic protest needs like wireless hotspots and chargers, fliers w/ resources, even voter reg incritlibitlib

@JessicaCritten @aszingarelli identify inputs, outputs, and impacts. report it as assessment data of value of lib. #critlib

Q2: During events, what actions can we take as libraries, what actions can we take as librarians? Are these the same/different? #critlib

@kevinseeber @barnlib Well-written policies can give us freedom to live up to our ethics. Maybe this is a semantic disagreement? #critlib

@JessicaCritten @aszingarelli Not all assessment is neoliberal crap, though. I think there's a way to do bocritlibitlib

Also being a safe place when times are good. Trust needs to be there already to be a safe place in times of crisis. #critlib

On the #critlib policy vs. ethics discussion, best results may vary by institution, administration, trustees. @parody_bit @kevinseeber

A1 @RadReference has done gr8 things that cld serve as examps-libraries providing community resource info, protestors' rights, ecritlibitlib

Absolutely voter registration info. Others great too, especially chargers. Saw many tweets about backup batteries&#x2aszingarelligacritlibcritlib

There are a lot of things to talk about under all of our topics, so feel free to keep discussions going even as we move along! #critlib

Always makes me happy to see the phrase &qneoliberalberal crap&critlibn #critlib diskevinseeberevinseeber

actions as librarians can be hard, because we're affected personally if the crisis is in our community. We also need a safe plcritlibitlib

@barnlib @parody_bit @kevinseeber wouldn't ethics inform policy, and policy is what gets followcritlibitlib

I feel like we should be providing device chargers even in good times. #critlib

#critlib Acting as a library may be more difficult, depending on the issue at hand: all of us in the library not always on the same page.

#critlib A2- Library = safe place; Librarians = advocates.

Q2 (corollary): What actions can we take as critical practitioners from _outside_ the immediate area of the event? #critlib

@kevinseeber @aszingarelli @lisalibrarian oh, for sure. Thinking this is harder to get buy-in in the professional discourse, tho. #critlib

#critlib MT @bfister Q2 - promoting campus conversations about issues is a natural role for libraries/librarians

@RachelMFleming #critlib We co-sponsored a teach-in about Katrina, for instance. it was needed. We couldn't ignore it.

A1 also when crisis happens, "what do we do?" is issue, so also provide resources, info, support for community to organcritlibf #critlib

We have a role in helping find reliable sources of breaking news as well as background information #critlib

@JessicaCritten why? seriously curious bc I dont see it that way. but, my experience may differ. @kevinseeber @aszingarelli #critlib

@JessicaCritten @kevinseeber @aszingarelli @lisalibrarian So #critlib can try to reframe asmnt culture => social needs, not just individual?

@lisalibrarian @kevinseeber @aszingarelli Assess. is more your focus, would love to hear how this plays out in your experience #critlib +

Q2 I think it's important to balance the "refuge" idea with the "resource" idea. Peoplcritlibboth in a crisis #critlib

Q2: I feel like if your community is watching from a distance, libraries are a safe space to have hard conversations about issues. #critlib

@foureyedsoul @JessicaCritten @kevinseeber @aszingarelli absolutely. #critlib

#critlib A2 (corollary) Again, in acad. lib. we work with faculty who share our critical standpoint; est. relationships w/them.

@JessicaCritten @kevinseeber @aszingarelli Seems to me libs are v able to frame their values-based efforts in light of outcomes + #critlib

concern for neutrality may prevent libraries from taking action #critlib

#critlib Taking a more active, critical role in a crisis involves some risks: we need partners and allies within and beyond the institution.

@JessicaCritten @kevinseeber @aszingarelli related to global awareness, diversity, etc. Almost all institutions have these. #critlib

@JessicaCritten @kevinseeber @aszingarelli IL can be much more than "how to search&qcritlib) #critlib

From a distance we can also help organize help/relief to affected area. #critlib

@ibeilin #critlib Also, we often know people's expertise, Can draw in scholars who can comment knowledgeably about issues.

Q3: Where should library services be located on a range from palliative to transformative during and after events? #critlib

@kevinseeber @foureyedsoul @JessicaCritten @aszingarelli exactly #critlib

I'm concerned about the "library=neutrality" concept because... well, nothing is neutral. If we do nothing, that&acritlibot neutral. #critlib

is the role of the library to make things better? or to raise critical awareness? what's the sweet spcritlibitlib

Here's the big one: Q4: Does the position of the library within an institution of authority limit our ability to act? How critlibitlib

#critlib MT @constancezaber: such a difference between being neutral&being accessible to all (partic. pub libs)&we confuse acc. for neut.

Q3: I feel like a library's greatest strength in times of crisis is creating networks to get people plugged into what they necritlibitlib

Administrators. Defend staff publicly, chastise privately. RT @bfister @barnlib #critlib This is really important: have each other's backs.

It's the Tim Wise effect. Critical change more palatable from Tim Wise than bell hooks. Everyone not in same boat with risk/rewacritlibitlib

@RachelMFleming #critlib I think libraries have lots to gain by being activist about issues. More gain than risk.

As per request, my critical thinking rubric for campus, incorporating #critlib & #acrlilrevisions  http://pumpedlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-short-post-on-critlib-outcomes-and.html … (cc @lisalibrarian)

Most important thing to take away from tonight&apocritlibitlib is that apathy is its own kind of violence. May not be much but must do something.

A short post on #critlib outcomes and assessment  http://pumpedlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-short-post-on-critlib-outcomes-and.html?spref=tw … via @pumpedlibrarian #libraries