A parting challenge from Dr. Slone

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dr. Slone herself had something to add to finish out our big week here at the Library Advocacy Lounge. She has posed the following challenge to the entire class, and would like us all to weigh in with our own thoughts.

Advocacy Challenge

(Disclaimer: This is a made-up story based verrrry loosely on a real life situation. It is more fiction than fact.)

There once was an elementary school, called Oasis, located in a middle-class, culturally diverse neighborhood that was a "Mecca" for politically savvy, progressive people. The staff at the local library was heavily involved in activities at Oasis and the surrounding community.

One day, a new library needed to be built. The librarians at the branch near Oasis found an ideal spot and developed an initial plan. The plan began with putting together an advocacy group and attending an upcoming commissioners meeting.

At the meeting, when time came to discuss the relocation plan, the head of the county commission announced that the plan to build the library at the new site should be thrown out because Oasis was built on an earthquake fault and needed the spot. Attendees were invited to give their opinions about the developments.

To the librarians' dismay, most people wanted Oasis to stay where it was. They argued that the school was only 12 years old, and that their property values would go down if there was no school in the immediate vicinity.

The advocacy group did not wish to oppose the plans to rebuild Oasis. They felt that the school should have priority for the new spot; so, they set out to find another one. The site they found, however, would cost $67,000 more to buy. The city commissioners and Friends of the Library balked at the cost. The library board reminded the advocacy group that even if the library turned down the disputed spot, there was no guarantee that the school would be rebuilt there. The group was also informed that the issue was outside the realm of library advocacy. The group disagreed. They felt that, as part of the community, the library should not stand in the way of the safety of their patrons. They set the following priorities:

1). develop a new advocacy plan;
2). raise the money for the new site;
3). support and advocate for the rebuilding of Oasis on the coveted site.

Is this real library advocacy, or is the issue none of the librarian's business?

--Debra J. Slone, Assistant Professor

This is not a rebel song.

I'd like to play a rousing number for you fine people tonight, something to get your toes tapping, your hearts pumping, your minds racing. A rhythmic walking bassline in a minor key, some nice smoky sax and muted trumpet playing in unison, a twangy lead-line on a reverb-drenched vintage guitar, like something out of a modern day film noir soundtrack. It's dark, and it commands your attention.

This one goes out to all of you. It's a little about intellectual freedom, a little about privacy, a little about government intrusion, and a lot about what we, as the librarians of the future, can do to stand up for ourselves and our patrons. They might have the USA PATRIOT Act, but we've got ourselves one hot lounge act!

As most of you know from this week's assigned reading, the USA PATRIOT Act is actually an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act" (Kranich, 2004). Passed by a Republican-controlled Congress after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, the Act allowed for government agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to obtain records of books checked out by library patrons, among other things, as part of investigating terrorist activities. Needless to say, this flies in the face of the American Library Association's well-publicized stances on not only privacy, but also freedom of information for all.

The ALA has several subdivisions devoted to upholding the Bill of Rights, particularly the First Amendment: the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC), the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), and many others (Kranich, 2004). When I encouraged all of you to join the ALA and get involved, I had many of these subdivisions in mind, where we can join the good fight and protect the values we cherish most as Americans, and based our civilization on. The ALA has been politically active ever since its inception, and mostly throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st. The article by former ALA President Nancy Kranich recounts many of the ALA's triumphs for library advocacy over the decades, and it was a fascinating read. Now more than ever, there is great cause for librarians to play a role in national politics, as local opinion leaders and crusaders with very loud voices. Good thing every night is open mic night here at the Library Advocacy Lounge, huh, kids?

In his 2003 article, Albanese wrote about all the attacks on librarians by the political right:
In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal mocked librarians by calling them "'former collectors of fines' involved in an array of 'loony firefights'."
The conservative National Review accused the ALA of having an "ideology you expect to find among naive college students and destitute Latin American peasants."
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, while drumming up support for the Patriot Act in 2003, mockingly referred to librarians as "hysterical" and claimed that the ALA was "duped by the American Civil Liberties Union."
Former Attorney General Ed Meese told a national audience that librarians were "more interested in allowing pornography to go to children than they are fighting terrorism," referring to the Children's Internet Protection Act (controversial legislation that the ALA was not successful in having the Supreme Court overturn) and the Patriot Act.

So we have our work cut out for us, true believers. There's a lot of misinformation floating around out there about librarians and their values, and there are many politicians and pundits who would dare paint us as "unpatriotic" or "un-American," when in fact, librarians and the ALA represent the purest core ideals America was founded on. As advocates, we need to continue to fight the good fight: defending the First Amendment, combatting ignorance in all its forms, and speaking out against hypocrisy and injustice when we find it. We can take the slings and barbs and taunts (we know they're wrong, and it's not like they're even funny), but by becoming aware and active, we can truly stand up against those who would seek to censor our information and curtail our intellectual freedom. Don't be afraid to take a stand for what you know is right. Left or right, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, we're all on our way to becoming librarians, so we all have to be in this together.

The band builds to a crescendo, and we fade out -- but we're not done. Does anyone have any first-hand experiences dealing with the ramifications of the Patriot Act in your libraries? Any anecdotes or articles to share? Any ideas for getting involved on a local or national level, or links to relevant information online? I know we have our big papers coming up, but I'm just speaking in general terms tonight. I certainly hope I haven't offended anyone, but I'd be surprised if I did. As we become professionals, we really are going to be in for the fight of our lives, so it never hurts to start thinking about how to stand up for ourselves.

Sources:
Albanese, A.R. (2003). The public's lobby. Library Journal 128 (19), 32. Retrieved March 6, 2006, from Wilson Library Literature and Information Science Index online database.
Kranich, N. (2004). ALA and political action: Ensuring the public's right to know in the digital age. Argus 33 (3), 17-23. Retrieved March 6, 2006, from Wilson Library Literature and Information Science Index online database.

Who watches the watchmen?

The Roman satirist Juvenal first wrote "Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", which translates to "Who watches the watchmen?" It's a fascinating phrase that seems applicable to the authority figures of any era throughout history: politicians, government agencies, the police, the military. To keep authority figures honest and safely in check, people need to be aware of their rights and ready to stand up for them. They must be willing to ask the hard questions and direct public scrutiny onto things that aren't right, to put them right. Thomas Jefferson said that "a democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry." And who makes all this possible?

Our V.I.P.s for the week, the librarians (and future librarians in this class)! Give yourselves a big hand, ladies and gentlemen. We're the watchers of the watchmen, and whether we end up in public, academic, school, or even special libraries, we are guardians of knowledge, and as such, we empower the people to watch out for themselves. Our libraries provide all the information in the world, for free, to anyone who wants it -- that is an honor, and a very powerful thing. And as another very wise man, Stan Lee, once said, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Advocacy is our responsibility. The 2004-2005 American Library Association President Carol Brey-Casiano wrote extensively on the subject of library advocacy in her article from our assigned reading, "Stand Up and Speak Out," and outlined her platform on her website, http://www.carolbrey.com/platform.htm, which I encourage you all to check out (no pun intended, librarians). She encourages everyone to just TALK about libraries to their friends, their family, their neighbors. Make everyone aware of the good that libraries do for communities and individuals, all the great resources available within, and how important they are in general. In Ms Brey-Casiano's own words, "Once you've become comfortable with that process, it is only a small stretch to talk about libraries to your coworkers, board members, city council representatives, county commissioners, and legislators." (Brey-Casiano, 2004).

Everyone needs to know, now more than ever. I don't want to get into politics and ruin a perfectly good party, but in today's political climate, it is more important than ever that libraries continue to operate freely -- free from censorship and intrusions into privacy, free from government intervention, and keeping the free flow of information free for the public. That's a lot of freedom at stake, and you can help.

Speak.

Spread the word.

Tell everyone you know.

Here's one for ya: Join the American Library Association! Do it now, while you're still students. It's cheap -- only $25. That ain't a lot of cabbage, guys and dolls. You'll be supporting a benevolent and powerful organization that looks out for our best interests, not only as librarians, but as citizens who deserve to be free. Check out http://www.ala.org, and while you're enjoying the wealth of information on the website, go through the motions and get your own swanky little ALA Membership Card to laminate for your wallet and impress your friends. And chime in here, grab the microphone and let us know that you did!

Libraries lead to Jefferson's "informed and educated citizenry." That makes us powerful as individuals and as a society. And that power gives us the added responsibility to be the watchers of the watchmen. Are you up for the job?

Let's have an open-mic jam session, cats and kittens. What would YOU say to spread the word about the importance of libraries? Go ahead, take the stage and give us your best sales pitch. Let us know who you'd be talking to -- a friend, a neighbor, a teenager, someone with children of their own, maybe even your own children. You set the scene, take us away, and be an advocate. Dazzle us, educate us, win us over. You're such a great audience, we at the Library Advocacy Lounge know you have it in you!

Good night, folks.

SOURCE: Brey-Casiano, C. (2004). Stand up and speak out. American Libraries 35(7), 5.

Hey everyone, and welcome to the Library Advocacy Lounge!

How's it going tonight, hep cats and kittens? Welcome to the Library Advocacy Lounge, the mythical library of your dreams where we have every book ever written or even imagined on the shelves, to say nothing of all your favorite foods on the menu, the swankiest, sexiest, swingin'est music on stage, and of course, an open bar. I'm your host, Big Bad Voodoo Lou Rosen, and together with the loveliest ladies of the library, Sandra Furey and Melissa Parker, we'll be your tour guides through the terrific, toe-tappin' topic of Library Advocacy. So belly up to the bar, try the veal, and tip your waitresses, because we're here all week, dames and daddy-o's! At the Library Advocacy Lounge, you can eat, drink, listen to, or read anything you want, and "quiet in the library" is more of a guideline than a rule.

Broward County's Tanya Simons-Oparah, a true library advocate

I would like to post a great profile from this past Sunday's Miami Herald, but unfortunately, the article is not online, and I would prefer not to retype the whole thing. Therefore, I present to you the actual article, scanned straight from the newspaper, and I think it is a fascinating read. Tanya Simons-Oparah, the outreach services director for the Broward County Library in South Florida, is a woman who definitely exemplifies the role of "library advocate."


Please click on this image, and it should take you to a larger image of the same article, big enough to actually read. If your browser automatically resizes images to fit on the screen, hold your mouse in the bottom right hand corner, and a button should appear that can expand the article to full size.

Source: McNeal, N.P. (2006, February 12). Making the library an open book. The Miami Herald, pp. 17.