Hi Jacqueline,<\/p>\n
First off, I have a confession to make. I have never watched an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey<\/a>, nor have I watched any of the Real Housewife series or spin offs.\u00a0 It’s just not my cup of tea. In fact, there are probably many other librarians out there who share my opinion. And that’s perfectly okay because that’s not why I’m writing this open letter to you today.<\/p>\n This is not the first time a children’s librarian used this blog before to broadcast their message to a celebrity. In 2012, I fangirled my adoration for Glee’s Chris Colfer<\/a>\u00a0for writing a book and encouraging children to read.\u00a0 That same year, Susan Baeir penned an open letter to Kourtney Kardashian<\/a>\u00a0about how she admired Kourtney’s commitment to reading and literacy in raising her son. I’m not sure if you, Chris Colfer<\/a>, and Kourtney Kardashian<\/a> share many things in common, but I do notice you all share one important trait: you use your celebrity platform to advocate for what’s important to you.<\/p>\n Public libraries don’t make the front page of a magazine or a newspaper all that often.\u00a0 It’s practically unheard of for a media outlet such as NBC New York<\/a> or Bravo TV<\/a> to feature a story about a parent<\/a> who had a negative experience at their public library.\u00a0 But on that inevitable day when a public library makes the news, you can bet librarians are listening.<\/p>\n I am one of those librarians who is listening. And while my platform is not nearly as large as yours–although the ALSC blog did receive an Honorable Mention by PRNews in the category of “Best Blog!<\/a>“–I hope my message makes its way to you, Jacqueline, and that you are able to take a moment to listen as well. Thank you, in advance.<\/p>\n Librarians–this is for you, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n When I read the story of you and your son’s\u00a0experience getting kicked out of your public library<\/a>\u00a0my heart broke into a million pieces. For you. For your son. For your family members and friends. For other children and individuals with autism who read this story. For other parent advocates who, all too often, have had similar experiences.\u00a0 For librarian parent advocates, who understand what it means to be a librarian and what it means to be a cheerleader for their child with autism.\u00a0 My heart broke for the entire library community.<\/p>\n What you experienced does not uphold the core values of librarianship<\/a>, nor does it speak to the core competencies that ALSC has developed<\/a> for librarians serving children in public libraries. Time and time again, libraries are cited in research<\/a> as one of the most\u00a0valued<\/a>\u00a0and trusted<\/a>\u00a0institutions. But in this case, Jacqueline, the research doesn’t matter. In this case, libraries lost your trust. And for that, I am deeply sorry.<\/p>\n If there’s one thing I want you to know, it’s this: there are librarians who are dedicated to ensuring an experience like this does not happen at their libraries. I myself train librarians<\/a>\u00a0across the country how to make their library a more welcoming place to those with autism and other disabilities.\u00a0 One of the things I say in these presentations is to validate people’s experiences and acknowledge their stories.\u00a0 With open ears<\/a> and an\u00a0open heart,<\/a>\u00a0libraries can receive input to address positive change and make our libraries more welcoming for all.<\/p>\n But it’s not just me. There are many, many librarians whose hearts broke when they read your story.\u00a0 These are librarians who have been working for years to make their library communities more inclusive. They would want you to know that there is admirable work happening across the country, so as to ensure that people with autism and other disabilities are authentically welcomed into their spaces.\u00a0 Here are just a few of those libraries:<\/p>\n Librarians know that public libraries have not always been a welcoming place<\/a>, and librarians themselves have not always had the best reputation<\/a>. What we librarians can and should focus on is how to improve our service and do better going forward.\u00a0 And there is no better person to advocate for a child’s right to access and be welcome at a public library than his or her own parent.<\/p>\n So, thank you, Jacqueline. Thank you for using your voice and sharing your family’s experience with your local public library, as difficult as it may have been.<\/p>\n\n