Insider Reveals Truth on Why New Hampshire Defunded American Library Association

An insider has revealed the truth on why the state of New Hampshire dropped out of the American Library Association.  I have permission to republish.  Here is the original story:

• "New Hampshire Defunds the American Library Association; A Very Newsworthy Story," by Arlene Quaratiello, No Shushing Now: Exposing Today's Woke Libraries, 20 December 2024. arlenequaratiello.substack.com/p/new-hampshire-defunds-the-american

New Hampshire Defunds the American Library Association

A Very Newsworthy Story

A recent article on the New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) website regarding Governor Sununu’s withdrawal of his state librarian nominee confirms that the previous state librarian withdrew the New Hamphire State Library (NHSL) from the American Library Association this year.  While the reason given for this withdrawal was that “the yearly dues were not worth what the association provided,” there is more to this story.

Last February, as a New Hampshire State Representative and a librarian opposed to the ALA’s agenda, I wrote the letter below to Sarah Stewart, the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources that oversees the NHSL.  This letter was co-signed by 100 other state representatives who shared my opposition.  Along with fellow Representative Mike Drago (Raymond, NH), I met with Commissioner Stewart and State Librarian Michael York at the State House.  We explained the reasons for withdrawing from the ALA as detailed in the letter that I presented to Commissioner Stewart at the end of our meeting.  It appears that our demands were heeded and that New Hampshire has joined the growing list of states that has defunded the ALA!

Here is the text of my letter:

29 February 2024

Dear Commissioner Stewart,

Recently, a bill that sought to prohibit egregiously obscene materials from being included in public school library collections (HB1419) failed on the House floor.  Rather than just trying to pass legislation to remove such books, however, perhaps we should be asking how these books get on school library shelves in the first place.  For example, how did such a notoriously inappropriate book as Gender Queer ever get into numerous school libraries in New Hampshire to begin with?  Part of the reason is likely the glowing review that appeared in the American Library Association’s publication Booklist, in which the reviewer gushed, “Highly recommended reading for those on their own journey of exploration or those supporting the explorers in their own lives.”  In addition to the ALA’s stellar review of Gender Queer, this infamous graphic novel also won the 2020 ALA Stonewall Award, which annually recognizes books on LGBTQ+ themes, as well as one of its Alex Awards which are given to adult titles that “have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.”  The ALA gives out numerous other awards each year that disproportionately honor and publicize books on racial and sexual themes, while its review source Booklist similarly celebrates such books.  Meanwhile, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the Director of ALA’s “Office for Intellectual Freedom,” who has worked for the ALA for almost a quarter century, recently admitted to carrying out a “sustained messaging” program to “reframe” and “promote” inappropriate books especially on sexual themes as “diverse materials ...that are about inclusion and fairness.”

The American Library Association is clearly a political organization far more than a professional one.  Its political agenda is further reflected in the “professional” literature it publishes for librarians and library staff.  In a recent ALA Publishing catalog, the vast majority of the books included were on topics such as EDISJ (“equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice”), “cultural humility," and so-called “book banning.”  The ALA has clearly revealed its liberal agenda that seeks to undermine parental authority and destroy the family.  To quote its own website, it “opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users.”  It promotes and defends “drag queen story hours” by providing resources on its website for librarians to use when patrons object to these events.

The American Library Association, as those who follow the news regarding this organization already know, currently has a self-proclaimed Marxist, Emily Drabinski, as a president this year.  While she will be replaced next year by a new elected leader, this will not stop the ALA from promoting its insidious agenda.  Because Drabinski is merely a symptom of the ALA agenda rather than its cause, the next president will likely espouse similar views.  The ALA also has around three hundred permanent employees, many of whom support the agenda that has been promulgated by their employer for years, most notably the aforementioned lawyer, Deborah Caldwell-Stone.  The ALA’s connections with the infamous George Soros also reveal its long-standing political agenda.  In 1997, Soros was awarded the ALA’s James Madison Award, which honors individuals “who have championed, protected and promoted public access to government information,” and in 2008, his organization, Open Society, gave the ALA a $350,000 “seed grant.”  The ALA’s egregious agenda obviously started long before Emily Drabinski became president and will continue after her departure; she merely exposed it for all to see, especially last September when she asserted at the Socialism 2023 conference that public schools and libraries need to become “sites of socialist organizing”!

The American Library Association, like many organizations, offers discounts on products and provides a variety of services to its members.  Some supporters might argue that these socalled “benefits” justify the small amount that the New Hampshire State Library pays in dues each year for membership.  In light of the organization's true agenda, however, this argument falls flat because membership is ultimately injurious rather than beneficial.  If the state library discontinues its membership with the ALA, as we believe it should, it may technically only save a few thousand dollars, but this action will send a clear message to library trustees and school boards throughout the state that they don’t need to support the ALA and that, in fact, they should not.  If New Hampshire cuts its ties with the ALA, as Montana, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina, and Florida have already done, this will send an even stronger message to the entire country that this pernicious organization needs to be defunded.

The American Library Association, a political organization that clearly promotes principles that are toxic to our republic, is truly an enemy of our state, and we believe that any support of this organization with taxpayer dollars must stop immediately.  Following the withdrawal of Texas last August from the ALA, State Representative Brian Harrison wrote in a letter to all Republican governors, “By sending tax dollars to the ALA, you are forcing your constituents’ money to be weaponized against them, their values, and their children.”  To prevent our constituents’ tax dollars from being used to attack our state, we, the undersigned representatives of the General Court demand that you, as Commissioner of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which oversees the New Hampshire State Library, order the NHSL to cut all financial ties with the American Library Association.

Respectfully, Rep. Arlene Quaratiello and 100 fellow members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (some of whom agreed to sign this letter as long as their names were not made public which is why I have not included the names of the signers here).

Thanks for reading No Shushing Now: Exposing

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See also:

• "New Hampshire Dumps American Library Association Membership," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 18 December 2024.

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Right to Read Act: Written Testimony CT HB05417

Dear Connecticut Legislators Discussing HB05417 on March 11, 2024, 11AM:

Why are we here?  We are here because the American Library Association [ALA] based in Chicago, Illinois, has been working for over half a century to s-xualize and indoctrinate America’s children via the medium of its so-called "Library Bill of Rights" that half a century ago made it "age" discrimination to keep anything from children.  See, Koganzon, Rita.  “There Is No Such Thing as a Banned Book: Censorship, Authority, and the School Book Controversies of the 1970s.” American Political Thought 12, no. 1 (January 2023): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/723442 (archived: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZ2pDhKhRAtlNgR7gek_1kcdGFoskHpa/view?usp=sharing).  This has driven the faster and faster pushing of inappropriate material into school libraries causing parents to challenge such material in greater numbers and frequency, then the librarians complain about all the parents complaining, after ALA first caused the problem.  So in an effort to stop all parents anywhere from challenging materials, ALA had to come up with something.  ALA wants its "Library Bill of Rights" to be codified into state law, thereby effectively overruling the US Supreme Court case of Board of Education v. Pico ( https://reason.com/volokh/2022/08/09/removal-of-books-with-lascivious-content-from-school-libraries-likely-not-unconstitutional/ ) and blocking parents from even filing complaints in the first place.  This Chicago organization called ALA has over a third of state legislatures considering whether to codify this "Library Bill of Rights" that one court ruled means "nothing."  Such legislation has already passed into law in Illinois, ALA’s home state.  But it has been rejected in Rhode Island, a state closer to Connecticut.  Now such legislation to overrule the Pico case and the First Amendment comes to Connecticut in the form of HB 05417.  So that’s why we are here.  The question is, will Connecticut legislators pass into law what a private organization from Illinois has put forth to try to turn its nothing "Library Bill of Rights" into Connecticut law?

I’m Dan Kleinman, the Executive Director of the World Library Association based in Bee Cave, Texas.  WLA is the new alternative to ALA.  For opposing a similar law in New Jersey, also promoted by that same Illinois private organization, NJ state senator Andrew Zwicker called me a "meddling minority."  So the World Library Association from Texas is a meddling minority but the American Library Association from Illinois that essentially wrote the Connecticut legislation and that of many other states is not.  The meddling being done is by the Illinois organization trying to mislead Connecticut legislators into violating Pico with false claims of First Amendment rights, the "right to read," and the right for children to "see themselves" in the books they are reading.

This effort by ALA has encompassed about 20 states so far, almost half of the United States.  The details of exactly how and why it is so bad, along with what states are considering codifying the Illinois organization’s aspirational creed that means nothing, is written at the Right to Read Act page on World Library Association here: https://worldlibraryassociation.org/right-to-read-act/  I feel there is no better guide on the topic from the point of view of parents.  To be very clear, ALA has worked for a very long time to mislead legislators nationwide into doing what the Illinois private organization wants, namely, ensure children get access to all materials at any age per the "Library Bill of Rights."  As you consider this legislation, ask yourselves if you wish to be misled and to discard US Supreme Court precedent designed to protect children from harm, and to discard the First Amendment and likely your own state constitution.

And there it is, Connecticut Constitution, Article I (a real Article I, not the fake stuff in the Library Bill of Rights), Section 16, "The citizens have a right … to apply to those invested with the powers of government, for redress of grievances, or other proper purposes, by petition, address or remonstrance."  So if HB 05417 passes into law, it will immediately violate the Connecticut Constitution because parents will lose the right to seek redress from the school board whose hands are now tied by the law.  This is why you don’t want a private organization from Illinois writing any laws for Connecticut.  ALA simply doesn’t give a whit about the Connecticut Constitution or anything else for that matter.

One way ALA plans to manipulate legislators is with "long-term inoculation."  This is in training from EveryLibrary, a crypto ALA affiliate.  As part of long-term inoculation, ALA (via EveryLibrary) specifically states, "Get to know your legislators and local leaders," in the context of "identifying and activating others who care."  Have any Connecticut legislators been "identified and activated" to "care" about ensuring children have unlimited access to anything whatsoever?  Have any librarians or library associations gotten to "know their legislators"?  See this for yourselves here: https://tinyurl.com/IntellectualFreedomAndBooks.  And the crypto nature of EveryLibrary being a part of American Library Association is detailed here, as well as details on its "long-term inoculation": https://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2023/06/library-boards-trained-to-lie-by-ala.html

A second way ALA plans to manipulate legislators is via training ALA’s top lawyer gave to librarians, that before legislation is written, because that’s the goal they are after, before legislation is written, there needs to be "sustained messaging" that takes away the idea that certain materials are s-xually inappropriate for children and "reframes" the issue as one of diversity, inclusion, and the right for kids to "see themselves" in the materials they are provided.  This statement was surfaced and reported by me, after which Utah Senator Mike Lee discussed it at a recent "Banned Books" hearing on Capitol Hill.  He played the recording then afterwords said ALA’s lawyer was "saying the quiet part out loud," that ALA is gr—ming and s-xualizing children.  His words.  As Utah Senator Mike Lee put it, “the goal is to s-xualize children, to provide minors with s-xually explicit material, and then hide this content from the parents.”  Watch Senate Mike Lee display then discuss this video World Library Association surfaced and listen to his discussion of the issues regarding the contents of supposed "banned books": https://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?c5085234/user-clip-sen-lee-comments.  So ALA has decades ago made it age discrimination to keep kids from materials, the Pico cases allows for the removal of inappropriate material, books like Gender Queer have been successfully removed from many schools under the Pico case, and ALA couldn’t stand for that.  So it created "Unite Against Book Bans," one of the goals of which was to get legislation passed nationwide that would prevent parents from applying the Pico case and prevent parents from exercising their First Amendment rights to seek redress of the government from governmental actions.  And here you are in Connecticut discussing this very legislation that has been the subject of "long-term inoculation" and "sustained messaging" that "reframes" known inappropriate material as diversity, equity, and inclusion.

And along comes HB 05417.  It would make the following the law of Connecticut: “No board shall remove or restrict access to library material for any of the following: (1) Partisan approval or disapproval of any library material by the board; (2) An author’s race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation or political or religious views; (3) Personal discomfort, morality or political or religious views of a member or members of the board; (4) An author’s points of view concerning current events, whether international, national or local; (5) The race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation or political or religious views of a protagonist or other characters or as otherwise represented in the library material; or (6) The content of the library material is related to sexual health and addresses physical, mental, emotional or social dimensions of human sexuality, including, but not limited to, puberty, sex and relationships.”  Now compare that with the "Library Bill of Rights" that the Berry v. Yosemite Community College District court case ruled means "nothing" ( https://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2019/08/library-bill-of-rights-means-nothing.html ).

"No board shall remove or restrict access to library material for any of the following: (1) Partisan approval or disapproval of any library material by the board…" says HB 05417.  Article II of the Library Bill of Rights, they call it an "Article" to make it sound official, maintains that "Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."  Do you see the slight word change from the Illinois version to the Connecticut version?  Much of the rest of HB 05417 is based on the Library Bill of Rights with some word changes.  But at least that language comports generally with the Pico case.

As you get further into HB 05417, it simply defies the Pico case.  That case allows schools to immediately remove materials that are educationally unsuitable or pervasively vulgar.  HB 05417, on the other hand, eliminates those concerns by saying, "(6) The content of the library material is related to sexual health and addresses physical, mental, emotional or social dimensions of human sexuality, including, but not limited to, puberty, sex and relationships."  Gender Queer was removed from many schools as it violated the Pico case.  However, under HB 05417, Gender Queer would never be removed because it is "related to sexual health and addresses physical, mental, emotional or social dimensions of human sexuality, including, but not limited to, puberty, sex and relationships."  Pervasive vulgarity or educational unsuitability and the Pico case goes right out the window when the words of HB 05417 are applied.  Not only does HB 05417 eliminate the US Supreme Court Pico case, it also eliminates the First Amendment’s and Connecticut Constitution’s grant of right of redress.  If the school board is constrained by law from removing Gender Queer and similar books, then parent’s rights to seek redress of the government are eliminated, gone, this is the goal of ALA.  Under HB 05417, there is no longer a right to ask a school board to remove a book from the school.  Those rights are gone.  HB 05417 takes those rights away.  Under the wording of HB 05417, there is not a single book in the library now or ever that may be challenged by a parent and removed by a school board.  This is the goal of the Illinois based private organization called ALA.  I feel certain no parents want this legislation HB 05417 to pass into law in Connecticut except those few who support that Illinois organization more than they support the law, community standards, and common sense, and except those few legislators who have been successfully coopted by the "long-term inoculation" and the "sustained messaging" from the Illinois based private association of librarians.

I further feel certain that should HB 05417 pass into law, it will be challenged in court for First Amendment violations, among other things, then eventually struck down.  Will that out-of-state private organization fund all that legal footwork to protect Connecticut’s children?  Of course not.  HB 05417 should never become law in the first place, and it should never be reworded because it is fatally flawed.  It comes from an out-of-state organization as part of a half century effort to "long-term inoculate" adults so they drop their guard and allow children to be s-xualized and indoctrinated in school despite that being against the law, community standards, and common sense. When the ALA lawyer says to "reframe" inappropriate material as DEI so kids can "see themselves," anyone can see for him or herself what’s going on, and Senator Lee’s words make it crystal clear.

Do not pass Chicago ALA’s HB 05417 into law.

—

URL of this page: 

safelibraries.blogspot.com/2024/03/right-to-read-act-written-testimony.html

On Twitter: 

Follow @SafeLibraries Follow @SexHarassed Follow @WLibraryA

Join World Library Association:

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MLIS Degrees Are Woke; New ALA Accreditation Rules Require DEI 'Infusion' Into All Subjects

MLIS degrees now require an "infusion" of diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] into every subject.  Every subject.  MLIS degrees are now principally DEI degrees.

MLIS (or MLS, the older name) is the acronym for Master in Library and Information Studies (or Sciences, it depends on who you ask).  Such degrees are required for many jobs such as library director and in various laws that requires MLIS degrees.  

The American Library Association [ALA] provides accreditation to library schools that grant MLIS degrees.  It even has its accreditation double trademarked:

• "AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION" Serial No. 76382091: Goods and services: IC 042: Accreditation and standard setting for master's programs in library and information studies; association services, namely, promoting the interests of librarians.
• "ALA ACCREDITED COMMITTEE ON ACCREDITATION" Serial No. 77102993.  Interestingly, the graphic top right is a registered trademark but not for accreditation!  Instead it's for "Educational services in the field of library and information studies."

So ALA is "standard setting for master's programs in library and information studies."  And  how have those standards changed?

How ALA Has Made DEI/EDI Required for MLIS Degrees:

Here's how ALA words it, highlighting mine:

The American Library Association Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce that the 2023 ALA Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies have been passed by the Council of the American Library Association.

This is the culmination of a three-year process of revising the 2015 standards, seeking feedback from the library and information studies and professional community, educators, students, and the public through surveys, conference presentations, and individual responses. In 2023, the Committee also worked with the ALA/Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Working Group to further refine the proposed revisions.

The Committee has responded to input from the Library and Information community to eliminate redundancies, improve clarity, and infuse concepts of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout the standards. The collaborative process that supported this work will ensure that these revised standards support a responsive, 21st century library and information education rooted in the fundamental principles of the profession as espoused by the American Library Association.

The endorsement of the Council of the American Library Association means that schools and programs may begin using the 2023 standards immediately. As in the past, the Committee on Accreditation will work with schools and programs to ensure both success and compliance as they navigate various institutional, state, and regional governing bodies.

Stoll, Susana. “COA Announces 2023 ALA Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies.” Text. American Library Association, December 1, 2023. https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2023/12/coa-announces-2023-ala-standards-accreditation-master-s-programs-library-and.

So American Library Association has "infused" DEI into all training "throughout the standards" for a librarian's MLIS degree.  

And it will "ensure compliance" by "governing bodies"!  My goodness.  They really think they are special.

"Freedom to Read Act" Legislation Pushed by ALA Will Force MLIS Requirement:

Using "Freedom to Read Act" legislation, ALA is pushing dozens of states to force the requirement for MLIS degrees.  This is truly scary now that we know the MLIS degree has become the woke DEI/MLIS degree.  

Here is language from NJ S2421: "4(a)(7): 'acknowledge that a school library media specialist is professionally trained.'"  This essentially requires librarians to be "professionally trained."  "Professionally trained" means obtaining the DEI/MLIS degree from an ALA accredited school.  ALA accreditation means diversity, equity, and inclusion get pushed in every subject.  This is yet another reason the "Freedom to Read Act" will harm states nationwide.

Read more here:

• World Library Association. “Right to Read Act.” World Library Association, February 8, 2024. https://worldlibraryassociation.org/right-to-read-act/.

Legislatures are Moving to Eliminate Requirements for MLIS Degrees:

Already legislators are moving to remove MLIS degrees from requirements for librarian jobs, highlighting mine:

R.S. 25:222(A) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:

§222. ....  There is created a State Board of Library Examiners.... (2) The board may require, as a condition for certification or permit to practice the profession of librarian, that applicants possess a graduate degree; however, the board may not require applicants to possess a graduate degree in any particular field or fields of study. 

Louisiana Legislature. “LA HB168; Provides Relative to Qualifications for Certified Librarians.” BillTrack50, February 26, 2024. https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1713244.

Recent Events Show DEI is Dying:

Recent events show people are becoming aware of the harm done by DEI and the fake standards that it sets, such as where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calls DEI "Discrimination, Exclusion, and Indoctrination":

They say it’s "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." In practice, it has been "Discrimination, Exclusion, and Indoctrination." That has no place in American society, and it certainly doesn’t have a place in our publicly funded universities. pic.twitter.com/VxsEV4RQgy

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 7, 2024

I’m fired up! Just spoke at our @PWCSNews school board meeting about the fallacy of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and how those words have been hijacked to militantly divide. 10 seconds in and a board member walks out and I called her on it. This is my elected board. I… pic.twitter.com/0O2KTkUsDA

— Merianne Jensen (@MerianneJensen) March 7, 2024

That’s why Louisiana’s HB168 eliminates the MLIS degree requirement for the library director.

— Michael Lunsford (@michaellunsford) March 7, 2024

Even Librarians Know the MLIS or MLS Degree is Worthless:

Even some librarians can't stand the MLIS degree: "The debate boils down to this: the skills that an individual uses on the librarian job are not ones that are taught in the pursuit of an MLS and, in fact, the skills that are used are best learned on the job.  Therefore, there’s no sense in requiring librarians to have an MLS."  "I had to admit: Any of this, particularly paired with a passion for customer service, could be learned on the job or with professional development opportunities (which ought to be covered by the workplace)."

Hargreaves, Abby. “How I Got Over My MLS.” Book Riot (blog), September 14, 2020. https://bookriot.com/how-i-got-over-my-mls/.

Conclusion—Do Not Hire MLIS Degree Recipients and Remove Legal Requirements for MLIS Degrees:

DEI/MLIS degrees, now requiring a dying ideology of conformity because of American Library Association's grip over library school accreditation, should no longer be required.  Anyone having a recently minted MLIS will have been schooled predominantly in unAmerican ideology as applied to all library school subjects.  Truly breathtaking.  Do not hire such people with MLIS/DEI degrees, and change any laws to remove any requirement for such degrees.

End Note:

Note that I will be speaking on this topic and others tomorrow in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

Check it out, @SexHarassed will be speaking at our “secret lunch” in Baton Rouge on Friday. You all should come. Everyone’s welcome, even 🍌@abmack33https://t.co/GAiGVmLhL1

— Michael Lunsford (@michaellunsford) March 4, 2024

NOTE ADDED 5 MAY 2024:

In a job posted 5 April 2024, ALA is advertising for "DIRECTOR, OFFICE FOR ACCREDITATION (OA)."  Job responsibilities include:

• Ensures consistency and thereby equitability for all programs.
• Ensures activities align with ALA core values including equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Develops recruitment and training to ensure a diverse pipeline of volunteers.
• Liaises with the Association of Library and Information Science Educators (ALISE) and supports a strong collaboration between LIS Faculty and ALA.
• ALA currently requires that employees be fully vaccinated as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Proof of vaccination will be required on or before start date.
• All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check and proof of your eligibility to work in the United States.

"Required Education and Experience" for the OA Director doesn't include having an MLS/MLIS degree!

• Master’s degree required. Master’s in library and information science preferred.

This was new to me.  I knew of the Washington DC office (that's not listed) but not these others:

• Our main headquarters in Chicago is located on the Magnificent Mile, Michigan Ave, with other satellite offices in Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. 

Here are archived links to the ALA's job recruiting effort for the Director of the Office for Accreditation:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20240505192054/https://recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1043ALA/JobBoard/dfe6e811-9bc3-4dec-9055-a545370be9fa/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=1ca4665d-b206-4684-a396-c61150e9bf3b
• https://archive.ph/1ZISY

—

URL of this page: 

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On Twitter: 

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Join World Library Association:

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What Librarians Learn: Marxism; Inclusive Cataloging and Reparative Approaches

What do librarians learn?  Marxism.  For example, here's a book published and sold by American Library Association.  It's Marxism, only done by librarians working within government positions and funded by the government.  One more reason to defund ALA.  What needs to be repaired?  Capitalism and America.  See for yourself:

Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches

by Amber Billey, Elizabeth Nelson, Rebecca Uhl, ALA Core

NOTE:  This title will be available Summer 2024. You may place an order and the item will be shipped when it becomes available. 

Filling a gap in the literature, this volume provides librarians and catalogers with practical approaches to reparative cataloging as well as a broader understanding of the topic and its place in the technical services landscape.

As part of the profession's ongoing EDISJ efforts to redress librarianship’s problematic past, practitioners from across the field are questioning long-held library authorities and standards. They’re undertaking a critical and rigorous re-examination of so-called “best” practices and the decisionmakers behind them, pointing out heretofore unscrutinized injustices within our library systems of organization and making concrete steps towards progressive change. This collection from Core records the efforts of some of the many librarians who are working to improve our systems and collections, in the process inspiring those who have yet to enact change by demonstrating that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary. From this book, readers will

• gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning for the actions that create our history and be challenged to reconsider their perspectives;
• learn about the important role of the library catalog in real-world EDISJ initiatives through examples ranging from accessibility metadata and gendered information to inclusive comics cataloging and revising LC call numbers for Black people and Indigenous people;
• discover more than a dozen case studies drawn from a variety of contexts including archives, academic and public libraries, and research institutions; and
• see ways to incorporate these ideas into their own work, with a variety of sample policies, “how to” documents, and other helpful tools provided in the text.    

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I. History & Theory

Chapter 1. Ways of Knowing: The Worlds Words Create / Amanda Belantara and Emily Drabinski

Chapter 2. This Is the Work: A Short History of the Long Tradition of Inclusive Cataloging Critiquing and Action / Violet Fox and Tina Gross 

Chapter 3. Describing Themselves: Diverse Library Cataloging, 1930-1970 / Sasha Frizzell

Chapter 4. A (Very) Select History of Inclusive Cataloging / Karl Pettitt

Chapter 5. Did Libraries “Change the Subject”? What Happened, What Didn’t and What’s Ahead / Jill E. Baron, Violet B. Fox and Tina Gross 

Chapter 6. Accessibility Metadata and Library Catalogs: Current Outlook and Initiatives / Christopher Carr, Teressa Keenan, Chris Oliver

Chapter 7. Gendered Information and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging / Matthew Haugen and Michael L. Stewart

Chapter 8. From “Afrofuturist comics” to “Zombies in comics”: Inclusive Comics Cataloging from A to Z / Allison Bailund, Steven W. Holloway, Carole Sussman, Deborah Tomaras 

Chapter 9. Critical Cataloging Beyond the Core / Brian M. Watson 

Part II. Case Studies

Chapter 10. Words Matter: Creating a Harmful Content Statement for Your Public Library / Rachel Newlin and Aaron Bock

Chapter 11. Coming to Terms: Enacting Reparative Change in and Urban Public Library OPAC / Miriam Gloger and Amy Mikel

Chapter 12. Enhancing Subject Access to LGBTQ+ Materials: It's Not Just About the (Rainbow) Crosswalk / Jawahir Javaid and Becker Parkhurst-Strout 

Chapter 13. Access, Identity, and Context: Inclusive Cataloging in the Hayes Research Library at Perkins School for the Blind / Jennifer Arnott

Chapter 14. Reparative Description for Collection-Level Archival Records: A Case Study / Allison McCormack

Chapter 15. Reparative Cataloging as a Solo Librarian: a Special Library Case Study / Katie Yeo

Chapter 16. Representing Gender-Diverse Creators in Indiana University Cook Music Library's Online Catalogs / Laikin Dantchenko

Chapter 17. Promoting Inclusivity and Cultural Humility Through Cataloging: A Digitization Project / Elyse Fox, Lynn Sanborn and Pachia L. Vang

Chapter 18. A Place to Think About Inclusive Cataloging / Bronwen Bitetti, Vic Panata and Sebastian Moya

Chapter 19. Retrospective Cataloging Project for Respectful and Inclusive Metadata: Revising LC Call Numbers for Black People / Yuji Tosaka

Chapter 20. The Trans* Collections Project: Conducting a Diversity Audit to Assess, Grow, and Make a Collection More Discoverable / Brittany O'Neill, David Comeaux, Marty Miller, Michael F. Russo, Zachary Tompkins

Chapter 21. "It Isn't Part of Our Language": Engaging Indigenous Peoples to Facilitate Self-Naming in Subject Headings / Steven Folsom and Laura E. Daniels

Chapter 22. Out of Many, One: A Unified Approach to Inclusive Description at Clemson University / Jessica L Serrao, James E. Cross, Scott M. Dutkiewicz, Charlotte Grubbs, William D. Hiott, and Shannon Willis 

Chapter 23. Subject Heading Enhancement: A Reparative and Inclusive Practice at the University of Virginia Library / Jeremy Bartczak, Veronica Fu, and Carmelita Pickett

Chapter 24. Canceling “Primitive”: A Subject Heading Revision Fifty Years in the Making / Jamie Carlstone 

Chapter 25. One Step at a Time: Using Targeted Pilot Projects to Achieve Meaningful and Scalable Metadata Reparation / Savannah Lake, Joseph Nicholson and Jenn Brosek

Chapter 26. Automating Inclusivity: A Case Study Detailing how to Automate Inclusive Cataloging in Alma / Rachel Turner, Maggie McGee, Brian Morse, Leslie Feldballe, and Maria Planansky

Chapter 27. Inclusive Cataloging in an Academic Library Consortium / Allison Bailund, Anamika Megwalu, Julie Renee Moore, Yoko Okunishi and Israel Yanez

Chapter 28. Reparative Cataloging at The Washington Research Library Consortium: Moving Ideas into Action in the Shared Environment / Matthew Bright, Yoko Ferguson, David Heilbrun and Jacqueline Saavedra

About the Editors 

Amber Billey

Amber Billey is the Associate Director for Bibliographic Services at Bard College. Billey served as the Chair of the Leadership Team for the Core Metadata & Collection Section and Co-Chair of the Core Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the PCC Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and was Chair of the PCC Ad Hoc Task Group on Gender in Name Authority Records. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Digital Transgender Archive, and the editorial board for the Homosaurus – a linked data thesaurus for the LGBTQ+ community.

Elizabeth Nelson

Elizabeth Nelson is the Cataloging and Collection Development Librarian and Library Department Chair at McHenry County College, where she has worked since 2008. Prior to working in academic libraries, she started her career in public libraries and then spent seven years in special libraries. She is also the current editor of Library Leadership & Management.

Rebecca Uhl

Rebecca Uhl has over 30 years’ experience as a catalog and authority control librarian at Arizona State University. Currently serving as the Principal on the Acquisitions and Metadata Services team, she has experience as a manager, supervisor and department head, in addition to copy and original cataloging in all formats.

Core

The former Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), the Library Information Technology Association (LITA), and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) are now Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, a new division of ALA. Its mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy, and learning.

Source:  https://alastore.ala.org/inclusivecat #critlib

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School Librarians Admit Past Racism, Endorse State-Sponsored Reverse Racism

School librarians are all in on state-sponsored racism.  Read this posted a few days ago from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division within American Library Association (ALA):

ALA Resolution 52 from AASL:

Because we so often run out of time to discuss the other resolutions, I wanted to share my 3 minute explanation of resolution 52 which we should be discussing and voting on today.

Why did AASL bring this resolution? This resolution is not solely an apology for inaction and for harm to others regarding past actions that were brought to our attention by author Wayne Wiegand. While looking at the actions, inactions and the silence of the past, we looked at ALA and AASL today to see how well we are working together on current EDI initiatives. We discovered that AASL has taken some beginning steps that others in ALA are unaware:

AASL has created documents and initiatives to support equity, diversity and inclusion and we listed these in the resolution in case you haven't seen them.

AASL has sponsored Spectrum Scholars program since its inception – our current president Kathy Carroll is a Spectrum Scholar.

Equity, diversity & inclusion are core values of our profession; EDI is at the forefront of AASL policies, our strategic, and our operational plans; and within every area of school librarian practice.

We acknowledge and we apologize for past actions and inactions that have harmed members of the profession and for the part AASL and ALA has played in historical racism and segregation in the library profession.

We commit to promoting diversity at the beginning of their careers, in leadership opportunities and in the greater work of AASL and ALA through an EDI lens in a sustainable manner.

We see the need for better communication throughout ALA so all are aware of EDI initiatives. One of the problems historically has not been that nothing was done, but that nothing was written or communicated to others within our profession about our work and opportunities.

AASL stands ready to lead loudly while creating opportunities and resources for collaboration with ALA divisions, ALA chapters, AASL chapters, ALA Roundtables and Ethnic Caucuses to create a stronger voice for our profession.

At a time when school and youth librarians are being targeted in our society for our intellectual freedom and social justice efforts; at a time when our BIPOC students are losing equitable access to school librarians and their libraries; at a time when we need to be standing together, taking action and communicating to others, this is when ALA needs to join with us to acknowledge the past, commit to doing better, and sharing our message of power and hope to promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts in ALA while addressing historical effects of racism.

------------------------------

Diane R. Chen

School Librarian @ Stratford STEM Magnet School

AASL Division Councilor

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2021-2022 ALA CD#52 

2022 ALA Virtual January Council Meeting

Resolution to Promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Efforts in AASL

While Addressing Historical Effects of Racism

Whereas the American Library Association (ALA) Council adopted resolution CD#41-7618 “Resolution to Honor African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation” stating that the American Library Association participated both passively and actively, in the disenfranchisement of African American librarians, depriving them of the resources of a professional association;

Whereas between 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education decision through 1968, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) took no action to publicly support Brown or to oppose segregated public school libraries;

Whereas Koch wrote in 1975 “from their late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century origins, southern state library and education associations to which school librarians belonged had been segregated. AASL not only said nothing and took no public position against these racist practices, it continued to accept delegates from segregated school library associations as AASL representatives until the mid-1960s. In 1951, AASL quietly decided that in its state-member Assembly, segregated black and white state library associations could each appoint one representative, but those representatives would each get only half a vote” ;

Whereas AASL acknowledges the racist experiences suffered by Black school librarians including Ernestine Denham Talbert, Jurl Portee Watkins, Carrie Coleman Robinson, and many others who did not have the voice of the association advocating on their behalf;

Whereas the inactions of AASL also caused harm to Black and Indigenous People Of Color (BIPOC) members of the school library profession;

Whereas AASL acknowledges harm done to fellow BIPOC colleagues and offers a sincere apology as an important and necessary first step in the process of reconciliation;

Whereas AASL must communicate how the association has worked to create documents and

initiatives to support equity, diversity and inclusion such as “Developing Inclusive Learners and  Citizens Activity Guide”, “Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Material in School Libraries" Toolkit, Mary Keeling’s 2019-2020 Presidential Initiative, Office Hours, and Increasing Representation Mentoring Program (IRMP), and the Knowledge Quest March/April 2021 issue Black School Librarianship: Navigating Race and Creating Change;

Whereas, AASL has and continues to be a sponsor of the Spectrum Scholars program since its inception;

Whereas AASL affirms the importance of equity, diversity & inclusion as core values of our profession;

Whereas equity, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of AASL policies, our strategic, and our operational plans;

Whereas equity, diversity and inclusion are within every area of school librarian practice including collection development, professional development, recruiting, mentoring, and instruction through our National School Library Standards and opens opportunities for future members to see themselves as an integral part of AASL; and

Whereas the inclusion of all perspectives enriches and builds understanding which in turn impacts our school library profession, our learners, and our community; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the American Library Association (ALA), on behalf of its members

1. Acknowledges the American Association of School Librarians’ past actions and inactions that have harmed members of the profession;
2. Apologizes to Black school librarians for wrongs committed against them and for AASL’s inactions on behalf of segregated school libraries and school library state associations;
3. Apologizes to all Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) school librarians for AASL’s part in historical racism and segregation in the school librarian profession;
4. Commits to promoting diversity in school librarianship in undergraduate and graduate programs and at school recruitment fairs;
5. Commits to ensuring a diverse and inclusive membership by recruiting, welcoming and encouraging BIPOC school librarians to consider leadership opportunities within ALA and AASL;
6. Commits to applying and prioritizing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) lens in all aspects of the greater work of AASL and ALA;
7. Commits to sustaining a more diverse and inclusive leadership within ALA and AASL in terms of ethnicity, gender, and ability representation;
8. Communicates all EDI initiatives throughout AASL, ALA and the profession;
9. Creates opportunities and resources for collaboration with ALA divisions, ALA chapters, AASL chapters, ALA Roundtables and Ethnic Caucuses to create a stronger voice for our profession.

Mover: Diane R. Chen, AASL Division Councilor 

Seconder: Erika Long, Chapter Councilor

Kathy Carroll, Councilor-at-Large

Kathy Lester, Councilor-at-Large

Brenda Pruitt-Annisette, MLS, Ed.D., Chair, Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee 

Dorcas Hand, Councilor-at-Large

Joyce Kasman Valenza, PhD, Councilor-at-Large

Dr. Daniella Smith, Councilor-at-Large

Sara Dallas, Councilor at Large

Amy Lappin, Councilor-at-Large

Sara Kelly Johns, Councilor-at-Large

Version 11/07/2021

References:

American Association of School Librarians. 2018. “Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Material in School Libraries.” https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslissues/toolkits/LGBTQ%2BResource%20Guide_FINAL-180709.pdf

American Association of School Librarians. 2019. “Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens Activity Guide.”

https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2019/07/aasl-releases-guide-develop-inclusive-learners-and-citizens

 

American Association of School Librarians. 2021, March/April. ”Black School Librarianship: Navigating Race and Creating Change.” Knowledge Quest vol. 49, no. 4.

https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/explore-the-experiences-of-black-school-librarians-in-the-mar-apr-issue/

Koch, Charles William. 1975. “A History of the Association of American School Librarians, 1950- 1971.” PhD diss. Southern Illinois University.

Wiegand, Wayne A. 2021. “Race and School Librarianship in the Jim Crow South, 1954-1970: The Untold Story of Carrie Coleman Robinson as a Case Study.” Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, vol. 91, no. 3, pp. 254-269. 2021 by the University of Chicago.

Wiegand, Wayne A., and Shirley A. Wiegand. 2018. The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South: Civil Rights and Local Activism. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.

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Spectrum Scholars, by the way, is a grant program for people who do not have "white" skin color.  It's racist.  It's reverse racism, just like everything else coming from school librarians today.  "The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA."

To me, the above "Resolution" tells me the so-called "National School Library Standards" are racist and anything a school librarian says in furtherance of such "Standards" will be racist.  To me, the above shows me school librarians are all in on state-sponsored racism also known as Critical Race Theory.  What does it tell you?

As an aside, these same racist school librarians are calling it "freadom" for school kids to have school access to graphic child p r n—so why should we believe these racist groomers?  At least some people are no longer blindly accepting school librarian grooming, like Larry Sanger of Wikipedia and Knowledge Standards Foundation fame:

Should we disallow obscene material in libraries for *school children*?

Being strongly opposed to censorship (and that includes ideological censorship/filtering of library content) does not require that we give up all age standards, of course—never did.

What's changed? https://t.co/tYy532s59L

— Larry Sanger (@lsanger) March 12, 2022

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