For at least five decades, archival scholars and archivists have illuminated a significant problem with the American historical record: routinely missing from it are the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented communities.
This is a collection of resources that works to build awareness of and skills related to building a community archive. It includes resources from other public libraries and community organizations that have built community archives and other more general resources. The full toolkit is on this website. You can view or print a PDF version of the Community Archives Toolkit here.
Libraries and Incarceration is a resource guide that provides information on providing library services within correctional institutions, including ALA policies and standards, a select bibliography, directories of organizations that support library services and intellectual freedom for justice-involved individuals, along with resources for libraries to provide justice-involved individuals upon reentry into their communities.
In 2021, a task force of correctional library workers and other institutional stakeholders headed by the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services began work on a massive reimagining of the American Library Association’s 1992 Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions.
Revisioning Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated and Detained will be forward looking and expand the scope of the standards to be as inclusive as possible. The new Standards will heed the current phenomenon of mass incarceration, the inequitable incarceration rates of BIPOC individuals, and the rising rates of incarceration of women (especially women of color) and pay special attention to the incarceration of LGBTQIA+ individuals, undocumented individuals, and youth in jails, prisons, and other detention facilities, as well as to the information needs of returning individuals.
Since 2018, SFPL’s Jail and Reentry Services program has been providing dedicated library service to incarcerated adults. Through a partnership with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, JARS offers in-jail library service. JARS librarians also provide reference by mail and reentry support, and have been serving youth at the Juvenile Justice Center for almost 20 years.
Twenty-five years! It calls for a celebration, and so this edition of my column and the next are devoted to what has been written about LIASA, both here and internationally. It comes in two parts. In Part 1 I deal with LIASA’s “prehistory”, the processes that led to its founding in 1997, and its first annual conference in 1998. Part 2 deals with LIASA’s development after 1998, and will follow in the next issue of LIASA-in-Touch.
This is more than a literature review, for I also share some personal recollections and reflections on a hectic period of my life, when I was deeply involved in what became LIASA. To compile it, I searched my own database, followed up references, and (not having access currently to any of the specialist bibliographic databases) searched in Google Scholar. If any important sources have eluded me, I will be happy to receive the…
In the face of shifting circumstances and an ever-widening constellation of challenges, plotting a sustainable way forward for libraries depends upon recommitting ourselves to our underlying values, such as customer service and community-building, while fostering the improvements that change makes possible.
In their new book, published the the American Library Association, 2021 noted speakers and library consultants Callan Bignoli and Lauren Stara argue that plotting a sustainable way forward for libraries depends upon recommitting ourselves to our underlying values, such as customer service and community-building, while fostering the improvements that change makes possible. Interview with Rob Chistopher.
Rural Libraries Across America Continue to Expand Programs and Resources
Public libraries across the country play a critical role in connecting community members to vital resources and programs, now more than ever. The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today the release of new data on the many thousands of rural public libraries in the United States and how they function in American society.
At the 2020 Midwinter Meeting, the ALA Executive Board charged the ODLOS Advisory Committee with creating an Equity, Diversity,
and Inclusion Assembly.
The purpose of this EDI Assembly is to provide a forum for all groups
within ALA and ALA-affiliated organizations working on initiatives
related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to discuss their activities,
identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination,
and explore new initiatives related to the association’s strategic
direction for equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Who’s invited?
All groups within ALA and ALA-affiliated organizations working on
initiatives related to equity, diversity, and inclusion are invited
to send representatives. Individuals interested in equity, diversity,
and inclusion are also welcomed to attend and participate.
Volunteers will serve two-year terms on the assembly,
with flexibility as needed.
How will it work?
The EDI Assembly will meet quarterly, starting with its inaugural
meeting on August 4th from 12-1:30pm PDT / 1pm-2:30pm MDT / 2pm-3:30pm CDT / 3pm-4:30pm EDT. We will use the the principles
outlined in the ALA EDI Implementation Working Group’s final report
as a framework for our discussions, so that as we share the work
we’re doing, we will map those principles to our work and identify
gaps in what’s being worked on so that we can move towards a
holistic culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
What are those ten principles again?
The ten principles are:
Communication
Courage
Centralization
Cultural competency/humility
Consistency
Cooperation & Collaboration
Coordination
Commitment
Change
Caring
How do I sign up?
You’ll join the EDI Assembly through the ALA Volunteer Form
-stay tuned for more information. You’ll then be added to the ALA Connect group for the Assembly.
I still have questions!
Please contact Elizabeth Brumfield,
incoming chair of the ODLOS Advisory Committee and convener
of the EDI Assembly, at ejbrumfield@pvamu.edu.
The Executive Committee of your Library History Round Table proudly announces, and invites you to attend, this year’s timely 2020 Holley Lecture celebrating the centennial passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States granting women the right to vote.
Librarians Build Communities 