Chicago Tribune: Embattled Evanston librarian resigns after Facebook post criticizing library diversity

By Genevieve Bookwalter
June 29, 2017

Lesley Williams has resigned from her post as head of adult services
at the Evanston Public Library. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

Embattled Evanston librarian Lesley Williams announced Thursday that she had resigned from her position as head of adult services.

The announcement follows controversy in recent weeks over her time in the job, issues that included a 15-day suspension and a termination hearing earlier this month after the 20-plus-year veteran librarian wrote a public Facebook post criticizing the diversity of the Evanston Public Library, where she worked.

"I take this step with deep regret and sorrow. I have treasured my 20 years at EPL, and the many friendships and collegial relationships formed there," Williams wrote in an emailed statement. But, she wrote, "the current hostile atmosphere and mistrust would make it impossible for me to continue to be effective."

Williams declined to comment on whether she was asked to resign by the library or city staff, the library board or the City Council. Instead, she said, "we came to a mutual agreement on what was best for everyone."

Williams will retire with severance pay, she said, but declined to specify how much.

But, she said, "I don't feel any immediate pressure to get a new job. I don't have any immediate need to do that."

Williams said her future plans include advocating for "equity, social justice and racial justice" within the library system, city of Evanston and elsewhere.

Her decision follows weeks of community protests in support of Williams, the system's only African-American librarian. Williams' supporters have included Pastor Michael Nabors with Second Baptist Church and president of the Evanston/North Shore NAACP, as well as members of Evanston community group OPAL, the Organization for Positive Action and Leadership, among others.

Williams has said she could not go into details about the personnel issue that prompted the resignation, but said it involved accusations of "gross incompetence, insubordination and not contributing to a healthy work environment."

In the past, Evanston Public Library officials have declined to comment on the case, saying it is illegal to discuss personnel matters in public. Library officials did not return calls and emails seeking comment Thursday.

Administrators introduced new assistant library director Teri Campbell at the library board meeting earlier this month. Campbell also is African American.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Government of Ontario: Ontario Increasing Access to Technology at Public Libraries

Province Helping Libraries to Improve and Expand IT and Digital Services

June 22, 2017
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports

Ontario is helping people stay connected by increasing access to technology, digital services and training opportunities at public libraries in towns, cities and Indigenous communities across the province.

Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport was at the Burlington Central Library today to announce a new investment that will give people better access to resources like Wi-Fi hot spot lending programs, computers, printers, e-readers and technology-focused training.

Improving digital resources and services in rural, remote and First Nation public libraries was one of the top three ideas selected by people during Budget Talks, the consultations for the 2017 Ontario Budget. This idea received the second highest number of votes. Ontario is expanding on what was heard during the budget consultations and extending this support to all public libraries in the province.

This investment builds on a commitment in Ontario's Culture Strategy to support Ontario's public and First Nation libraries as essential spaces for people to access cultural experiences, technology and community life.

Investing in Ontario's public libraries is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

• Ontario is investing $3 million through the Improving Library Digital Services fund and will support up to 307 libraries and library organizations across the province. This includes $1 million for rural, remote and First Nation public libraries through Budget Talks.
• Libraries will determine how their funding will be used, based on specific local needs.
• Every year, Ontario’s 1,134 library service locations receive more than 72 million in-person visits and 108 million electronic visits.
• Since 2013, the Ontario government has provided more than $136 million in funding for public and First Nation public libraries.

Source: Government of Ontario 

American Libraries: Library Websites for All Improving the experience for patrons with visual impairments

By Marcus Banks |  June 1, 2017

Screen reader software synthesizes web content
into speech for people with visual impairments.

Librarians take pride in assisting all users who come through their doors, even as these “doors” have become increasingly virtual. Although many people still visit libraries in person, it is now commonplace for users to access databases and ebooks through a library’s website or through e-readers. Some of those patrons have visual impairments and require specific support to make full use of a library’s online resources.

Providing this support in user-centered and responsive ways fulfills the librarian’s obligation to offer service to all users. However, paying attention to accessibility for visually impaired patrons is not just the right thing to do. It may also protect your library from legal trouble.

Legal precedents for access

In 2012 the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) sued the Free Library of Philadelphia on behalf of four blind patrons who were unable to use noncompliant Nook e-readers provided by the library. To settle that suit, the library agreed to purchase 10 new accessible e-readers and to ensure that all its e-readers were accessible within four years.

In recent years, legal challenges have expanded to include websites. Several retailers and banks have faced class-action suits because their websites were not fully accessible to individuals with visual disabilities, thus violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA, signed in 1990 and significantly amended in 2010, is the main US law that seeks to grant equal treatment of Americans with disabilities in all aspects of their lives.

The NFB lawsuit also claimed violations of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, another federal law. Section 504 of the act prevents any organization that receives federal funding from discriminating against people with disabilities. This provision was core to the NFB lawsuit, as the Free Library receives federal assistance. In addition, Section 508 ensures that federal agencies provide the same level of access to online information to all people, regardless of disability.

Neither the ADA nor the Rehabilitation Act explicitly addresses how entities should provide equal access to their websites, but other organizations have stepped up. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 is the leading document that informs organizations of the relevant standards for making websites compliant. Although these guidelines don’t have the power of law, attorneys and judges have referred to them during legal proceedings.

In 2009 the American Library Association (ALA) Council passed a resolution entitled “Purchasing of Accessible Electronic Resources.” It encourages librarians to require that their vendors provide accessible products, specifically those that meet the standards of Section 508 as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. ALA’s Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies offers a toolkit of questions that librarians can ask their vendors regarding their compliance with these standards.

Best practices in website design

As more librarians design their library’s sites with off-the-shelf content management systems, they can take several straightforward steps to improve accessibility, such as including text that describes the content of all images, avoiding tiny fonts, using simple and economical language, and developing scripts that describe the contents of videos. Many more tips are available from the University of Washington’s Alliance for Access to Computing Careers. Per the ALA resolution, librarians should also advocate that any products provided by vendors have the same level of functionality as any materials produced by the library itself.

Given the importance of providing accessibility to library resources for all patrons, as well as the availability of best practices, it is not surprising to find that librarians are meeting this challenge.

Joan Lefkowitz, web services manager for San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), emphasizes that her library strives to “meet the current version of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.” This means that, among other things, users should be able to easily navigate the SFPL site using various screen readers, that is, software specifically designed to provide web content to people with visual disabilities. Videos should be sufficiently captioned, she says, and “a user should be able to navigate our site using a keyboard and no mouse.” SFPL works toward compliance with these standards using screen reader and keyboard-only testing with both sighted and visually impaired staff members. The library also contracts with local nonprofit Center for Accessible Technology to conduct additional usability testing and provide a road map for maintaining accessible resources over time. Lefkowitz notes that SFPL staffers push vendors to meet these same standards.

Over the course of 20 years, Karen Russ, the research and community engagement librarian at University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Ottenheimer Library, has developed a strong protocol for using screen readers to evaluate the usability of the library’s own website as well as the sites of all library-subscribed databases. These tests occur in partnership with UALR’s Disability Resource Center. Russ and her colleagues regularly urge database vendors to adopt best practices for serving patrons who are visually impaired, such as those proposed by the Alliance for Access to Computing Careers. Russ often gets database vendors to fix any issues by the next release, in no small part because she says she puts up “a strong fight” to prevent the library from licensing any product that does not offer equivalent functionality to visually impaired patrons.

As a complement to her efforts, Russ has joined the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and encourages other librarians to do the same. One direct and immediate benefit of joining AHEAD is access to online webinars, including those on improving support for students with visual impairments.

Russ says her participation in AHEAD led to interesting discussions about how the disability offices can work with their libraries and spurred several service improvements at UALR, such as establishing a library liaison to the disability office and improving options for visually impaired students who want to read ebooks. At one point, hard copy books were transmitted to disk for these students, which was a time-consuming process. Today convenient and usable e-readers are readily available.

One common thread between SFPL and UALR’s experience is the connection to like-minded groups—a local nonprofit for SFPL, a professional association for UALR. Libraries looking to improve their support for patrons with visual impairments might find allies and experts to collaborate with. A wealth of information is available about simple steps libraries can take that will have a positive impact and keep your online resources accessible to all.

Source: American Libraries

Opposing Views: Opioid Epidemic Turns Librarians Into First Responders

by Michael Allen
June 23, 2017


Librarians in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco are reportedly being trained to be first responders in response to the nation's opioid epidemic.

Chera Kowalski, a librarian in Philadelphia, recently revived a heroin and methamphetamine overdose victim with a double dose of Narcan, notes CNN.

Sterling Davis, a security guard, told the cable channel: "She's not a paramedic. She's just a teen-adult librarian -- and saved six people since April. That's a lot for a librarian."

"I understand the things the kids are seeing ... It's not normal," Kowalski said. "It's unfortunately their normal."

She explained how every second counts when treating an overdose with Narcan:

You're under a time limit. It's how fast can I do this ... I understand where [heroin users are] coming from and why they're doing it. I just keep faith and hope that one day they get the chance and the opportunity to get clean. A lot of things have to line up perfectly for people to enter recovery long-term.

Since 2015, there have also been overdoses in libraries in Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and Reading, Pennsylvania. In many cities, libraries have become shelters for those who are homeless, drug addicts and impoverished.

Julie Todaro, president of the American Library Association, told CNN: "We have to figure out quickly the critical steps that people have to take so we can be partners in the solution of this problem."

Todaro said the association is creating a guide for "the role of the library in stepping in on this opiate addiction."

The library where Kowalski works is in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, which is a destination for "drug tourists" from around the country because of its reputation for heroin.

Judith Moore, a children's librarian and branch manager, said almost a half-dozen people have overdosed in the library's bathroom during the past 18 months.

Marion Parkinson, who oversees the Philadelphia library, said people now have to show identification to use the bathroom, which has a five-minute time limit that is monitored by paid staff.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said: "It is among the worst public health problems we've ever seen, and it's continuing to get worse. We have not seen the worst of it yet."

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has reportedly created a task force to deal with the city's opioid epidemic, and the city's health department created a "Don't Take the Risk" ad campaign to warn people about the addiction dangers of prescription drugs.

The Federal Drug Administration, which approves opioid prescription medications, also warns about addiction.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also warns people of opioid addiction, notes on its website that 91 Americans die daily from an opioid (prescription or heroin) overdose.

The CDC says that of the 52,404 deaths from drug overdoses in 2015, a staggering 33,091 involved an opioid.

Source: Opposing Views

Book Riot: "Thriteen Reason's Why" censorship will not help

May 30th, 2017
by Amy Diegelman

At the end of April, a Colorado high school official very briefly ordered that the YA novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher be pulled from circulation for review. The school was dealing with a recent rash of student suicides, and the administrator was concerned over the graphic suicide depicted in the Netflix adaptation. Overall, the move was mild. Librarians at the school raised concerns about censorship, assured the administrator that the book was not graphic, and the order was rescinded within hours. 

When I heard this piece of news, something unusual happened. I had a momentary surge of satisfaction, rather than the instant outrage these kinds of stories usually inspire in me. I am a librarian, I’ve worked with teenagers for years, and I’m an avid opponent of the idea that we need to ‘protect’ children from books. I’ve also always been extremely uncomfortable with the book Thirteen Reasons Why. 

Asher’s book is built around tapes a girl recorded just before her suicide. She sent the tapes to people who influenced her decision and in them she details the events that led up to her suicide. The novel was an instant hit. Readers of all ages were moved. I have heard from many people that they or their children or students were inspired to live more thoughtfully, that they grew in kindness and understanding after reading it, or that they themselves felt understood. I don’t discount these experiences. I even tried to read the book, but my concerns were just too unsettling. 

There are many reasons that young people take their own lives. Mental illness, bullying, abuse, identity – they can all contribute to this choice. What troubles me about Thirteen Reasons Why is that it takes a toxic suicidal thought and confirms it: They’ll be sorry when I’m gone. Especially when mistreatment comes into play, suicidal youth can develop the perception that their suicide will teach their abusers a lesson or reveal their wrongdoing. Their suicide becomes not only an escape, but a punishment that no one else could or would deliver. In my opinion, Thirteen Reasons Why embraces and romanticizes this idea. Through the tapes, this young woman is finally able to tell her own story. 

So, yes, a little part of me understood and even felt a little vindicated when I heard this news.

But. 

There is something just as destructive in reacting to youth suicides by pulling this book, and I don’t just mean censorship. What I realized when I stopped to think about my reaction was that pulling this book wasn’t just censorship, it was a distraction. A band-aid. 

When we experience something like a high number of suicides, even just one suicide, especially when it is a young person, we feel helpless. The kids are gone, we cannot save them. We don’t know if we missed their pain or ignored, and we don’t know if we’ll do it again. We are in pain. We are angry and confused and even guilty. In response, we become desperate to do something. That’s good. The trouble, though, is that we want something to do now and there are no fast or easy answers. 

Something caused each of these kids to kill themselves, and it wasn’t this book. This book has been out for years, these suicides began before the Netflix show aired. There has been media about suicide available to children for a long, long time. These were not the first, nor will they be the last, high school suicides. 

We need to respond to these wounds in our communities, but banning a book is a cop out. It lets us off the hook too easily. If you go to the doctor with a broken leg, they’ll give you a pain killer, but they still have to reset the bone. Blaming a piece of media or a celebrity or some other ‘bad influence’ numbs the pain for us. It makes it easier to look away before facing the deeper problems. 

The solutions for those problems are complicated and require time and work and resources. Mental health support, investigations into abuse, community building, poverty assessments, and more than anything, deep, honest examination of the cracks in our systems. Banning or pulling a book, any book, is not going to solve our problems, we have to do that ourselves. 

Source: Book Riot 

NYPL Blog: Announcing #SubwayLibrary: Free E-Books for Your Commute

We're excited to announce the launch of Subway Library, a new initiative between The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Library, the MTA, and Transit Wireless that provides subway riders in New York City with free access to hundreds of e-books, excerpts, and short stories—all ready to read on the train.

As part of the Subway Library celebration, don't miss the specially wrapped "Library Train," with the interior designed to look like NYPL's Rose Main Reading Room! The train will alternate running on the E and F lines, running through Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.

How to Access the Subway Library

To access the Subway Library, MTA customers in underground subway stations can connect to the free TransitWirelessWiFi through their network settings and click on the SubwayLibrary.com prompt to start reading from a large selection of titles for all ages. The site was developed with the same technology we used to create our free SimplyE e-reader app.

Take a Photo with the Library Train and Win a Prize

Transit Wireless is giving riders a chance to win prizes—just post a photo with the Library Train or a Subway Library poster using the hashtag #SubwayLibrary and tag @TWWiFi on Instagram or Twitter, and you will be automatically entered to win an Amazon Kindle Voyager or a special prize from the NYPL Shop. Share a photo of yourself either near the Subway Library posters— which will appear throughout the system—or while riding the one-of-a-kind wrapped Subway Library train. Two winners will be randomly selected every other week and will be notified via direct message on the social media platform on which they posted. They will also be announced by @TWWiFi across social media. Learn more about the contest from Transit Wireless.

Book Recommendations

So, what's available via the Subway Library?

We have the first chapters of popular books—enough for a train trip or two. If you'd like to read on, download NYPL's SimplyE app to check out the full book. We also have the complete texts of dozens of classics and a great range of short stories you can read in a single sitting.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Eat the City by Robin Shulman

While underground, read about the city's history with food, production, and the culture at large.

Excerpt; a half-hour read. Part of our New York Stories section.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

A New York Times bestseller getting a ton of well-deserved attention right now. The story of two lovers in a country on the brink of civil war, and their decisions about where, how, and when to leave.

Excerpt; a half-hour read. Part of our New & Noteworthy section.

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell

Read a full essay—"Awkward Thoughts About Superheroes and Doc McStuffins"—from Bell's hilarious new collection.

Full essay; an hour read. Part of our Selected Short Reads section.

Little Black Lies by Sandra Block

Scare yourself silly with this tale of madness and memory. Our extensive collection of thrillers to read underground also includes heavy hitters like James Patterson, Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, Douglas Preston, and more.

Excerpt; an hour read. Part of our Thrillers section.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Does Subway Library also have books for kids and teens? Indeed it does. Hand your phone over to your kid or read it again yourself, and remind yourself why getting stuck in the Met overnight would be the coolest thing that could ever happen to you.

Excerpt; a half-hour read. Part of our Children's section.


Source: NYPL.org

Infinite Text: Book Review: This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

This Is What a Libarian Looks Like
Book Review by

“‘What do we need libraries for? We’ve got the Internet now!’ FACEPALM” – Cory Doctorow

“Wherever you are in America, there is a librarian fighting to get YOU something."

This book is not a history book, but a celebration of libraries, and librarians, accomplished by a collaboration between photographers, librarians, publishers, and authors. By comparison to last week’s recommendations, this book is much more accessible. Kyle Cassidy published a photo essay on Slate in 2014 called “This is What A Librarian Looks Like,” a montage of portraits and a tribute to librarians. The essay had success and spread widely through social media. Cassidy expanded this project into what is now This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information.

The book has three components:

1. Brief essays on the history of the American Library

2. Photographs of contemporary American Librarians

3. Essays by writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Jeff VanderMeer, and others who discuss what the library means to them now, and what memories they have of the library from their childhood and/or youth.

The three sections are woven beautifully combining the history, interviews, and photographs according to historical periods and American geographical regions. Cassidy opens with an introduction to this book on the ideal of the library by discussing the Library of Alexandria. He writes:

What made the Library of Alexandria great wasn’t just the collection of books, but rather, its intellectual raison d’être: the insatiable pursuit, creation, and dissemination of knowledge as a force to drive civilization.

While discussing the leap across the digital divide and community service provided by librarians, this book urges readers not to look away while the Government is taking funds away from libraries. One such initiative is called Send Librarians to Congress, where the goal is to put a copy of this book in the hands of each member of Congress before Federal funding for libraries is eliminated as proposed in the “Skinny Budget” from President Trump. Cassidy writes:

Libraries in America today are at a crossroads, facing dangers not unlike those of the Great Library [of Alexandria] as well as an evolving technology that has the power either to make libraries exponentially more valuable or to erode their foundation if we are not careful.

The book then focuses a chapter on America’s First Lending Library: The Lending Company of Philadelphia which was opened in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin. The second history-based chapter is on artifacts and tablets interviewing Sumerologist Steve Tinney at the Tablet Room at the University of Pennsylvania, who focuses on the tablets similar to those which got us the Epic of Gilgamesh (British Museum) and Cuneiform writing.

Cassidy then turns his attention to individual library histories like the chapter “The Little Library That Tried” on M.N. Spear Memorial Library in Shutesbury, Massachusetts and “History you can Hold” focusing on the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library. There are also insights to libraries collecting non-texts like the Franklin Public Library which collects ‘The American Girl’ dolls instead. The book closes with “Archiving the Past” at University libraries in Texas and Iowa with a conversation between Cassidy and George R.R. Martin.

I really enjoyed this book with all its components, however, as a reader and librarian I was much more interested in the essays written by authors and the history parts. I wish they were longer. Some author interviews were only a paragraph long. For 220 images of librarians to fit in this large book, expect a coffee-table-style book. I understand the political undertones, specifically the one I mentioned above, where this book aims to put a face to the community of librarians in America for Congress, but as a physical codex, the book will become immediately dated because of the abundance of contemporary photographs. On the other hand, the same component makes it somewhat unique to preserving the ‘here and now.’ I would urge the reader to look at this book first and foremost as an art/photography book, where the histories and author essays are the supplements for the images, not the other way around as is usually the case. Nonetheless, the book advertises itself as a celebration of libraries and librarians, and in that respect, it has succeeded.

In terms of librarians photographed, this book is America-centric. Though the librarians are multicultural and diverse, the workplaces of the librarians photographed are mostly in the United States covering an array of public libraries, special collections, school libraries, and academic libraries. The authors interviewed are American, Canadian, and British. Overall this book focuses on the Western experience of the library.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in libraries, photography, and who has enjoyed blogs/books like Humans of New York which focus on individuals with an excerpt on what they do, and what they enjoy. I especially recommend this book to Congress.

I will leave you now with this excellent quotation on the importance of librarians taken from the introduction to the book.

Being a bibliophile does not make one a reader of books. Jorge Luis Borges presents us with a library of nonsense where most of the books are gibberish. Collecting books is not necessarily helpful. What changes a collection of books into something more useful is a librarian: a curator, an indexer, a manager, a gardener who knows what to cut back, what to add, what to highlight, and, most of all, what the community around them needs to grow as a society.

Source: Infinite Text

Jes Scheinpflug blog: Emails Confirm Contempt for Community Concerns As Nearly 100 Rally Again For Evanston’s Only Black Librarian

Emails Confirm Contempt for Community Concerns As Nearly 100 Rally Again For Evanston’s Only Black Librarian
Community members call on Mayor Hagerty to intervene.

by Jes Scheinpflug
June 2, 2017

Supporters of Lesley Williams gathered as she faced possible termination over a critical Facebook post she wrote questioning the library’s commitment to racial equity. This is the second time in two months large numbers of Evanston and area residents demonstrate to defend Lesley against a pattern of persecution over her steadfastness in challenging library leadership on racially equitable distribution of resources including library branch locations; building a collection that fully represents all Evanston communities; and staff management.

The day before the rally, emails obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request confirmed suspicions that Library Director Karen Danczak Lyons; Library Board President Michael Tannen; and other board members including Vice President Margaret Lurie had long been waiting for a pretext to push Lesley out.

In one email dated March 10, before the last disciplinary hearing Lesley faced, Lurie wrote to Danczak-Lyons that “LW is clearly the thorn in our sides, but at this point, unless she really oversteps her role, we are stuck, Agreed?” Danczak-Lyons replied, “Agreed.”

At Friday’s rally, supporters of Williams held roses and carried signs reading “Lesley Williams: Thorn for Racial Equity Evanston Library Needs” and “We Stand With Lesley!”

Other FOIA’d emails underlined contempt for increasing calls for a racial equity audit of the Evanston Library. In an email dated May 7, 2017, Library Board Chair Michael Tannen wrote “I am vehemently opposed to an equity audit.... Margaret [Lurie] is opposed, too--so much so that she says she will leave the Board if we go down that path. (I may join her.)” The full FOIA'd emails are available here.

“The Library’s attempt to silence Lesley suggests that, in addition to resisting sharing library resources more equitably with all parts of the Evanston community, the Library Director is afraid of words. I would have thought the Library, of all institutions, would protect freedom of expression and recognize it as an inalienable right," said Joshua Karsh, Williams' attorney. “The EPL Board President’s statement that equity and diversity are ‘embedded’ in the library’s ‘DNA’ is both impeached by the facts and incredibly tone deaf.”

A number of Evanston-based community leaders and organizations have long been calling for an outside party to conduct such an audit to evaluate whether Evanston Library’s distribution of resources and location of branches, composition of leadership, decision-making process, collection and other characteristics align with values of racial equity.

Friday’s disciplinary hearing concerned a Facebook post Williams posted on May 24, 2017 after returning from her suspension. On her return to work, Williams noticed new signs on the library bulletin boards, proudly stating, “Free and Equal Access for All.” Angered after weeks of board inaction and stonewalling on community demands for an equity audit and plan, she photographed the signs and posted them on her Facebook page with the caption: “Some organizations are true leaders in practicing equity and inclusion. And some prefer to post signs on their bulletin boards.”

"When authorities ignore feedback through 'proper' channels, they leave no choice but for folks to use any means they have to raise their voice," said Williams.

In the context of the library’s history of disregarding specific recommendations for changes on racial equity for years, and complete unresponsiveness to concerns raised from the community during the library’s last attempt to terminate her, Williams felt she had no recourse to express her frustration through other means.

The Evanston Public Library has received feedback about addressing issues of racial equity from Williams and from Evanston’s Black community for years. Examples:

-- Tiff Rice, head of the Dajae Coleman Foundation wrote a letter in March 2016 pointing out multiple incidents of the library board and administration ignoring or minimizing African American concerns.

-- The Organization for Positive Action and Leadership (OPAL) has noted the lack of African American employees and pushed for more spending on library services in non-white areas.

-- Michele Hays, an Evanston resident, started a "Close the Branches” campaign to draw attention the disproportionate resources going to library locations in white, affluent areas.

-- Rev. Michael Nabors, Senior Pastor at Evanston’s Second Baptist Church and President of the Evanston/NorthShore Branch of the NAACP, published an open letter in the wake of Williams's last disciplinary hearing.

-- Rev. Nabors and Roger Williams of OPAL published a joint letter on behalf of the NAACP and OPAL on May 1.

Lesley Williams, in her capacity as head of adult services and the only black librarian, has attempted numerous times over years through internal channels to address these inequities.

Library leadership has disregarded this feedback as demonstrated in emails above as well as in their response to recent coverage.

Tannen said equity audits are “almost exclusively” used for public schools and rarely used for libraries. In fact, many libraries do use equity impact tools and implement equity plans, to correct exactly the sort of inequities Williams, Rice and others have pointed out.

The nearly 100 participants in today's rally closed the program by leaving a collective voicemail with Evanston Mayor Hagerty's office, calling on him to intervene and stop the persecution of Lesley Williams at Evanston Library, and to appoint new board members who pledge to champion racial equity. Today's events took place in a context of increasing controversy around institutional racism in Evanston, including an ongoing lawsuit targeting the city's public works department for racial discrimination.

[Ed note: for more information, videos, and how you can get involved, see the original post here.]

Source: Jes Scheinpflug

The Interior News: Smithers Public Library hosting truth and reconciliation event

Smithers Public Library hosting truth and reconciliation event
The event will explore truth and reconciliation in the community Saturday.

by Marisca Bakker
June 5, 2017

An event that will explore truth and reconciliation in the community will be held at the Smithers Public Library on June 10. It will be an afternoon of learning, stories, songs, drumming and dancing as people discover what reconciliation means for Smithers and the surrounding area.

Library director Wendy Wright said the event will be held at the library because it is a safe place and everyone owns it.

“It is a trusted source of information and a place for independent education. So this is a space where people can come to learn new things,” she said. “Also, everyone uses the library and it is a neutral and safe feeling place to have what can be an uncomfortable conversation. It can be a difficult and emotional conversation. We hope that everyone can feel at home here.”

The event will be divided into four parts: a welcome and introduction, reconciling the past, acknowledging the present and moving forward together.

The welcome will come from Chief Timber Wolf, and an elder from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en will speak on the topic of reconciliation and what it means to the First Nation. Then, there will be a look at the past with a timeline and some Wet’suwet’en history from this region and a residential school survivor will tell her story followed by music and drumming for healing. There will also be someone to speak about the process of unlearning.

“It is something that has to happen perhaps to make room for growth, we have to unlearn some of the false beliefs about ourselves and each other to make room for new beliefs and new knowledge,” said Wright.

Then, there will be a look at the current Wet’suwet’en experience in this community today and recent times. It will be followed by some reflection on how to move towards reconciliation together. Wright added the conversation will be very specific to the area.

“The overall purpose of the afternoon is to plant seeds within the community to give community members knowledge about each other and to start reconciliation within each one of us, asking what can we do to help all of us come together,” she said.

Organizing the event started in October and Wright wanted as many organizations as possible to be involved in the process. The library is hosting it along with 14 partners, including the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, Moricetown Band council, Dze L K’ant Friendship, Smithers Bridging Committee, School District 54 Aboriginal Education Council, the Town of Smithers, the Village of Telkwa, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, Northwest Community College, Smithers Community Services Association, Smithers and District Chamber of Commerce, Bulkley Valley Museum, Northwest Library Federation and the Wetzinkwa Community Forest Corporation.

“I’m so so pleased to see all of theses organizations come together to work on the event,” she said. “It sends a very powerful message to the community that reconciliation is something that a lot of people see the need for.”

The event will run from 2-4 p.m. on June 10 and it is open for everyone. There is no cost to attend. The library will close for the entire day to set up and take down.

A memorial walk for Ramona Wilson will be held on the same day. It starts an hour before and people attending the walk are welcome to join in the library event afterwards.

Source: The Interior News

CBC.ca: Saskatoon Public Library laying off 20 workers

Library says province restoring grants doesn't make up for City of Saskatoon restraints

CBC.ca
Posted: May 31, 2017

 

Twenty library workers will get layoff notices, according to the director of the Saskatoon Public Library. (CBC)  

Layoff notices have gone out to workers at the Saskatoon Public Library and more cuts are expected to come soon.

On Tuesday, 14 workers received layoff notices, with another six to come in the near future.

"It was a very difficult day for us at the library yesterday," said library director Carol Cooley. "And it will be for the coming months as we work through our bumping process."

In this year's provincial budget. the entire $1.3 million provincial grant to libraries in Regina and Saskatoon was cut, along with $3.5 million in cuts to other library systems.

After widespread protests, the province reversed its decision. However, a $9 million shortfall from the city of Saskatoon, created after cuts to grants-in-lieu from the province means the library's budget is still being impacted.

"Really we're just looking to cover as much of our own increased costs in 2018 as possible without going to the municipal taxpayer," said Cooley.

Saskatoon's library system receives more than 90 per cent of its money from city taxes.

The majority of the cuts will happen at the Frances Morrison main branch.

Source: cbc.ca