[Libs-Or] Diversity and Social Justice in Libraries - where next?

[Penny Hummel]

Hi, Robert—I just wanted to answer your question about the Social Responsibility Roundtable.  As you note, Tracie Kreighbaum was the most recent chair but she left the state last fall.  My understanding at that time was that Tracie could not find someone to replace her as chair, and that the involvement in the group was very small (I think only 1 - 2 other people).  Thus, I think the roundtable has been dormant since Tracie’s departure.   Here are the bylaws of the group from the OLA website:  ww.olaweb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=244

I think that it would be a great thing to revive/reinvigorate the SRRT roundtable to explore some of the issues that have been brought up in this libs-or thread.  What we would need at this point is an OLA member who is willing to chair it and to fulfill the other responsibilities of roundtables (for example, submitting an annual report to the OLA board).  And, of course, for people to join it!  

If anyone is interested in taking a leadership role as the chair of this roundtable, contact incoming OLA president Candice Watkins (who will be convening the 2014 retreat and is currently capturing names of incoming OLA unit chairs) or me.  Thanks!  


Penny Hummel
2013-14 President
Oregon Library Association 


On Jun 11, 2014, at 12:31 PM, Robert Schroeder <schroedr at pdx.edu> wrote:

Elizabeth Rivera was just asking if there were other places in Oregon to have these interesting and needed discussions. I'd suggest the OLA Conference for one. Perhaps folks could get some panels and presentations on topics that would take a look at our libraries form critical perspectives - I'm thinking here of critical theory, feminist theory, queer theory, critical race theory, or post-colonial theory. 

I might also suggest that the OLA's Social Responsibility Task Force might begin to organize? About a year ago Tracie Kreighbaum emailed me and said that the OLA SRTF was organizing and we were thinking of co-leading it. Unfortunately Tracie left the state for another postilion.and so we never got the task force up and running. I'd still be up for co-chairing this group - does anyone know who at OLA might know how to get this going? If so let me know.

For what it's worth nationally there is a Social Responsibility Round Table of ALA ( http://www.ala.org/srrt/home)  plus a group called the Progressive Librarians Guild ( http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/)that regularly engage with these issues. The Library Juice Press* (and Litwan press)  http://libraryjuicepress.com/ is publishing more and more books that tend to interrupt the grand, positivist narrative of librarianship.They may be of interest too. 

- Bob Schroeder 

* Full disclosure - I have a book coming out soon with them (called Critical Journeys: How 14 Librarians Came to Embrace Critical Practices). I interview 14 librarians who are engaged with social justice issues in libraries or who are using the critical theories I mention above to inform their practices. 

-- 
Sent from my iToaster Oven

 _________________________________________________________
 Robert Schroeder 
 Education Librarian,
 Associate Professor
 Portland State University
 
 503 725 4519
 schroedr at pdx.edu
 Room 280F Millar Library



  
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