Rocks in the Whirlpool

"Equity of Access" for all to the records of humanity is a key action area of the American Library Association (ALA). By 2005 the Association has declared that it will be the leading voice for equitable access to information resources in all formats for all people. Since the formal organization of the Association in 1876 its members, divisions, committees, task forces and commissions have steadily worked to develop and extend access to library services. This paper provides some of the historical context of the American Library Association’s efforts to define, extend, protect and advocate for Equity of Access. It is important to note that the paper focus is on central tendencies rather than internal debate. Analysis of division, roundtable and affiliate actions that have contributed to the larger picture and have been fundamental to the overall Association’s development of policies for equity of access are not fully addressed

Librarians and Human Rights

Public libraries in the United States have exhibited continual progress in the expansion of services since the establishment of this public good in the mid-nineteenth century. While the discourse about public library services among its practitioners has evolved along the lines of general progressive thought, this discourse has been framed in a fashion that reflects U.S. values. Even after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 U.S. public librarianship has largely refrained from describing services using a more universal language of human rights. The reasons for this have much to do with political decisions made outside of librarianship that nevertheless have affected the way U.S. librarians describe and activate services. Thus, while we assert that U. S. public libraries do provide services that embody human rights, we also recognize that the connections for front line public librarians in the U.S. to the larger global discourse have yet to be made in a clear manne

Kathleen de la Pena McCook

Kathleen de la Pena McCook, USF Distinguished Professor in the School of Library and Information Science, discusses her efforts to expand and improve the LIS program, by developing a new vision and program plan for SLIS, working with the USF Administration, teaching courses through the Internet, promoting diversity among faculty and students, preserving civil liberties, and reaching out to the community

From the One-Mule Tenant Farmer to the Hillbilly Highway: How Librarians Can Support the White Working Class

The following article presents an overview of the poverty and dispossession of the white working class in the twenty-first century. It explores the manner in which librarians’ diminished connection to labor and denigration of Trump voters are combining to erode the library mission of service to all. It concludes with suggestions for reconnection and renewal

The Role of Libraries and Archives in Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Research: Preface

These Proceedings of the XLI Conference of the Association of Caribbean University, Research, and Institutional Libraries -- The Role of Libraries and Archives in Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Research — reflect the intent of the 2010-2011 ACURIL President, Ardis Hanson, University of South Florida, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (USA) to inform librarians of best practices through the experiences of others and through research

Ethnic Diversity in Library and Information Science

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF LIBRARY SERVICE to minority populations of the United States first requires an understanding of the long struggle to include people of color among the ranks of those providing library service. This issue of Library Trends presents an overview of the efforts of African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander-Americans, Chinese Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans to develop services, identify important issues, foster leadership, and establish inclusive definitions of identity. Without these narratives, there would be insufficient philosophical, intellectual, or emotional bases on which to develop future programs and collections

Poverty, Democracy and Public Libraries

A central feature of public librarianship in the United States is that librarians have worked to develop aclimate of openness by defining library policies to create an institution where all are welcome. In 1990 the American Library Association adopted the policy, “Library Services for the Poor,” in which it is stated , “it is crucial that libraries recognize their role in enabling poor people to participate fully in a democraticsociety, by utilizing a wide variety of available resources and strategies.” ( ALA Handbook of Organization , 1999-2000, policy 61). This policy was adopted because there had been a shifting level of emphasis in the interpretation of “openness” since the establishment of the public library. Open doors are very different from proactive service. In this chapter the socio-economic context of poverty isexplored to gain an understanding of the role librarians can play today to provide opportunity for poorpeople to participate in democracy. A brief review of key writing and documents that define publiclibrary service is provided to establish the historical foundation