The National Associations of Librarians of Color (NALCo) presented several dynamic programs during #alavirtual20. NALCo members also co-presented and served as panelists for other programs throughout the duration of the Virtual Event. Programs included but were not limited to: AILA President’s Program: Honouring and Respecting Relationship: Rethinking Library Praxis Behind the Wires: American Concentration Camps Then and Now (APALA LIVE) E. J. Josey’s 1964 Charge: ‘Keep on Pushing’ (BCALA LIVE) Treasure Hunters at Libraries? Why Not!! (CALA LIVE) Juntos: Latinx Family Engagement at Your Library ALA President, Julius C. Jefferson, Jr , recently released a statement: ALA takes responsibility for past racism, pledges a more equitable association. As libraries work to become more intentional about improving internal and external relationships, reexamine outreach efforts, and reevaluate services provided to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, they can look to the work of NALCo for examples of best practices, positive…
Author: Amalia E. Butler
#alavirtual20 Poster Gallery
The #alavirtual20 Poster Gallery provides an opportunity for the face-to-face poster sessions (that usually take place at ALA Annual) to move online. There are 66 posters on display from 141 contributors representing institutions worldwide. The gallery is “open”for the duration of the conference as opposed to a specific time slot. The posters are categorized by topic and can be browsed by collection, title, or presenter. The collections include: Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Women and Gender Studies Section Poster Session; Connections Poster Session; Global Solutions Poster Session; Infrastructure Poster Session; Outreach Poster Session; The Collectors Poster Session; and The Educators Poster Session. The topics are robust and include reflections and summaries of programs; social concerns within libraries; critical librarianship practice; library staffing issues; community engagement; student support; use of technology; and much more. The breadth of topics; representation of different types of libraries and library staff; and presentation…
#alavirtual20 Tracie D. Hall, ALA Executive Director, calls for a “legacy of justice”
During the #alavirtual20 Opening Session, ALA Executive Director, Tracie D. Hall, called upon libraries to “Let our legacy be justice.” Attendees were invited to “ explore the constructs of the library as both the vehicle and driver of justice as both a means to justice and an arbitrator.” Hall stated, “There is something about justice that demands that we take sides; that we make intentional decisions about whether we were at the side of justice or opposite.” She asked, “What is our responsibility to justice when we consider that literacy and educational attainment are two of the key contributors to economic self-sufficiency, and that their absence contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, high unemployment, and cyclical poverty?” She went on to share and reflect upon her personal professional journey to librarianship as well as the historical contexts of the role of justice within the library field and ALA. Hall then outlined…