History of critical/radical/progressive librarianship #critlib chat-- October 11th, 2016

Below you will find tweets from the history of critical/radical/progressive librarianship #critlib chat, which was moderated by @violetbfox and @ClaireB_LIS. Feel free to reach out to me-- @KristynMC-- with comments or feedback! Enjoy!

  1. First, some build up to the chat!
  2. Feel like you're undereducated about history of librarianship? Me too. Let's talk tonight & learn together!  http://critlib.org/history-of-critical-librarianship/  #critlib
  3. Onto the chat and a sample of participant introductions!
  4. Hi #critlib James here. Ref & Inst lab in Wisconsin. I work with the history department mainly where I am at. Excited about tonight's talk.
  5. Hi yall! Archives/history grad student, zine library intern, i'll be popping my head in to #critlib 2night
  6. Question 1: What are the similarities or differences in current approaches to bringing social justince into libraries versus previous efforts? #critlib
  7. Q1. What are similarities or differences in current approaches to bringing social justice into libraries vs. previous efforts? #critlib
  8. A1: Think we have similar goals, but trying new approaches because past efforts were only partially successful. Continuing the work #critlib
  9. A1 Racial & ethnic & interest rd tables, task forces, etc. working w/in lib'ship & beyond. #EJJosey! #GLBTRT @reformanational #critlib 3/n
  10. If we want 2 talk about the history of #critlib & librarianship we need 2 start w/ segregation & librarians participation/resistance 2 it
  11. A1: I would think if nothing else. We have more visibility on these issues then we did in the past. #critlib
  12. @modbrarian Do you think so? I meet a lot of people who have never heard of #critlib, so I wonder...
  13. A1 From the reading, seems like some previous efforts focused on bringing library TO social justice organizations (and journos) #critlib
  14. A1 Seems like now there's added emphasis on social justice ~within~ librarianship/LIS. Not primarily helping outward. #critlib @maggiehm
  15. A1. Not an answer, but a related question: How much do the differences track, or not, with differences in broader social movements? #critlib
  16. @aboutness imho, it tracks a lot with protests/activism in general: a lack of patience with old-school organizing & organizations. #critlib
  17. @violetbfox @aboutness Samesies: I'd say initiatives in Aus LIS historically track with broader social movements esp. during 1970s #critlib
  18. Question 2: How is the work of previous critical librarians evident in lib practices today? Is it more evident in some areas of practice? Question 2 only elicited a few responses. Perhaps people were still thinking about question 1?
  19. Q2. How is the work of previous critical librarians evident in lib practices today? Is it more evident in some areas of practice? #critlib
  20. A2. This might be a little wonky, but SRRT has had a lot of influence on the ALA Policy Manual. #critlib
  21. A2. As far as real library practice, like the way people do their jobs, really hard question to answer. #critlib
  22. Question 3: What do the critical theory-focused elements of #critlib bring to the critical librarian conversation? How do they detract?
  23. Q3. What do the critical theory-focused elements of #critlib bring to the critical librarian conversation? How do they detract?
  24. A3 it's very easy to participate in a #critlib now and pat yourself on the back. your actions offline still matter.
  25. you can tweet all you want, but slipping up and saying a sexist/classist/racist thing elsewhere means you still don't get it #critlib
  26. our behavior in the library matters! our patrons are watching and don't know how much we may have tweeted. #critlib
  27. @violetbfox @beeewrites what really matters is how you respond when called out, even if it is only yourself who notices the slip. #critlib
  28. @violetbfox @beeewrites Agreed. Part of doing The Work means you're going to make mistakes. It's ok, as long as your learn from it. #critlib
  29. A3: BPP & Young Lords organizers had an internationalist perspective cuz they incorporated theory in organizing #critlib
  30. A3 Tho I'm not a theory person myself, I don't mind if others use specialized vocab to talk to each other. We all have our own jam. #critlib
  31. A3. mentioned this before, but I do think critical theory lingo can deter public/other types of libs from participating 1/ #critlib
  32. A3. this is not just a problem with #critlib - there are certain words, workflows, competencies etc that act as demarcation lines 2/2
  33. A3 Theory can bring useful ways to communicate about or perceive the problems we experience, plus potential tools to intervene. 1/2 #critlib
  34. Question 4: What do we lose if we aren't aware of our critical librarianship history?
  35. Q4. What do we lose if we aren’t aware of our critical librarianship history? #critlib
  36. A4. Don't know if I'm flogging a horse, but I wish critical history were taught in LIS, because *of course* #critlib didn't invent this.
  37. Agreed- i think programs are struggling with the red herring of "balancing theory and practice" at this moment #critlib  https://twitter.com/violetbfox/status/786020565664477184 
  38. A4: I think it's impt to know what's gone before, I I also think each generation has to learn from it's own (or the same) mistakes. #critlib
  39. @zinelib We have just as much to learn from our failures as our successes #critlib
  40. A4: Having the same conversations again and again. Of course, how many times will conf keynotes emphasize "X is not neutral"? #critlib
  41. @metageeky Until everyone in the room believes it and lives it--I think we're far from there, to be honest. #critlib
  42. @metageeky That's often to offset the continued assertion that we are neutral. It's still taught in LIS programs, still in the lit. #critlib
  43. I pulled together something today that I want to share: More further readings on history of #critlib  http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=5389 
  44. The chat ended with a series of pitches, using the #critpitch hashtag. Critical pitches are essentially calls for action.
  45. #critpitch: Think #critlib is all talk and no action? Suggest some action! Make it happen with your critlib pals! Let's do it together!
  46. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly is reviving its interview series & I'm going to be interviewing Sandy Berman. #critlib #critpitch
  47. If there's anything you'd like to ask Sandy or hear his opinion on, please let me know. DM or email me. Thanks! #critlib #critpitch
  48. The next 60th #critlib chat is scheduled for Monday, October 17, 2016 on the topic of diversity/inclusion/anti-oppression at public service points and will be moderated by @gnomadlibrarian. Time: 11am Pacific / noon Mountain / 1pm Central / 2pm Eastern. For more info, check out the site here:  http://critlib.org/public-service-points/ .