[Michlib-l] New equity and social justice principle added to ALA Code of Ethics

Thu Aug 5 16:10:55 EDT 2021

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/spaces

Information from the ALA about meeting room use.

On Thu, Aug 5, 2021, 4:08 PM c.haines <c.haines at fowlervillelibrary.org>
wrote:

> What I *feel* is that:
>
>    1. You've failed to address what concerns were actually raised to you
>    about the speaker in question in favor of nebulously defining it as
>    "bullying."
>    2. You trying to boil this down solely to race is an abdication of
>    moral responsibility for your actions and their impacts.
>    3. "Stopping no one from attending," as you put it, is a common method
>    of trying to gain mainstream acceptance for hate groups, much like trying
>    to pull people into "debates" about which categories of people should be
>    allowed to have rights.  It also has nothing to do with the impact that
>    hosting the event in question could have on how your library is perceived
>    by targeted groups.
>    4. Using individuals associated with your own institution as arbiters
>    of what qualifies as hate speech is a poor rebuttal to my assertion that it
>    would impact your community.
>
> Connor Haines
> *(He/Him/His)*
>
> Fowlerville District Library
> (734) 239-2043
>
> On August 5, 2021 3:07 PM Kat Boyer <librarykat.15 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> So, you feel, as a white woman, that I should have stood in the way if a
> black man putting on a discussion about the black family because other
> white people came to me to complain? That is the rental that took place.
> The meeting room is on the second floor, he stopped no one from attending,
> and in fact my Board President and our Social Work Intern attended and no
> hate speech was present at the event.
>
> But thank you for a good example of why some of us have concerns over the
> very last part of the ALA statement.
>
> On Thu, Aug 5, 2021, 3:03 PM c.haines < c.haines at fowlervillelibrary.org>
> wrote:
>
> If you're requiring someone to self-identify their language as hate speech
> in order to think it qualifies, then you're never going to find any.  Most
> hate-based groups rely on couched language and dog whistles in order to
> present a veneer of civility over their activities in order to try and
> frame themselves as holding reasonable viewpoints.  So no, I would imagine
> his rental agreement didn't have any mention of hate speech.  You can bet,
> however, that he did, in fact, "stop someone else from using the library."
> Your community was watching, and it took note of how important it was to
> you that hatred and extremism have a place in your library.  There are
> plenty of people who wouldn't feel welcome after that.
>
> Connor Haines
> *(He/Him/His)*
>
> Fowlerville District Library
> (734) 239-2043
>
> On August 5, 2021 1:30 PM Kat Boyer via Michlib-l < michlib-l at mcls.org>
> wrote:
>
>
> I disagree. But that is because I've actually been the victim of someone
> trying to bully me to silence someone they suspected might engage in hate
> speech at my library. I firmly believe in someone's right to free speech
> and their right to use the library space as long as they abide by library
> rules and do not stop someone else from using the library.  We had someone
> (who is a very extreme person) rent our meeting room. His rental agreement
> had no mention of hate speech.  I was harassed in-person, on Facebook,
> through email, and at Board meetings, for at least a month because I was
> allowing this man to rent our space. I even mentioned ALA's information
> that we can not deny use of the space to someone based on their views,
> beliefs, or what we think they might say.  The harassment kept up, night,
> day, phone calls, Board pressure.
>
> It honestly was about enough to make me look for another job.
>
> On Thu, Aug 5, 2021, 1:20 PM Teresa Chase via Michlib-l <
> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>
> Well said, Amber McLain.
>
> I would also like to add,  "tolerance must go both ways" is just a dog
> whistle to allow proponents of hate speech to say whatever they want in the
> name of their "personal beliefs." There is no place for that type of
> conduct in a public library system. To denounce said conduct is in no way
> "bullying people into silence." I strenuously object to that
> mischaracterization of what we are discussing.
>
> On Thu, Aug 5, 2021 at 12:06 PM OJ Amber Mclain via Michlib-l <
> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>
> No, there is no "agenda." This ninth addition to the code of ethics falls
> directly in line with EDI guidelines already set forth by the ALA,
> supported by MLA, and library institutions across the country. The groups
> singled out in this point are historically marginalized, their history has
> been censored, and their intrinsic identities - who they are BORN AS - make
> them targets for hate and abuse. Their very identities have been discussed
> to death and who they are has been deemed as less than which is
> unacceptable. This is not viewpoints and opinions. This is not about
> beliefs. These are people. People that are out patrons. The aspect about
> conduct is to prevent them from hateful conduct. I would be happy to
> provide the supporting documentation and data for why this is important. I
> recently did that research for Lakeland:
>
> Amber McLainLibrary Director, Patmos Library
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: IL Jennifer Salgat via Michlib-l < michlib-l at mcls.org>
> To: mweston dowagiacdl.org < mweston at dowagiacdl.org>
> Cc: michlib-l at mcls.org
> Sent: Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:34:40 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] New equity and social justice principle added to
> ALA   Code of Ethics
>
> I agree there seems to be an agenda to that last part.
> To truly be inclusive and diverse, we need to be willing to tolerate ALL
> opinions right? Even the 'far right' ideology that seems to be currently
> politically incorrect. Tolerance must go both ways, otherwise, we are also
> bullying people into silence.
>
>
> From: "mweston dowagiacdl.org via Michlib-l" < michlib-l at mcls.org>
> To: michlib-l at mcls.org
> Sent: Wednesday, August 4, 2021 8:40:49 PM
> Subject: [Michlib-l] New equity and social justice principle added to ALA
> Code of Ethics
>
> I'd like to support Karyn Ruley's concerns about ALA's most recent
> addition to their Code of Ethics. Reading through the first eight
> principles, and into the first sentence of the ninth, there is a sense of
> the universal and of the common humanity we share with ourselves and our
> patrons. "...all library users", "...each library user's rights", and
> "...the inherent dignity and rights of every person", changes dramatically
> in tone with "dismantle systemic and individual biases" and "advance racial
> and social justice".
>
> Absolutely this is worthy of discussion, and this is the place for it.
>
>
>
> Matt Weston, Library Director
>
> Dowagiac District Library
>
> 211 Commercial St.
>
> Dowagiac, MI 49047-1728
>
> 269-782-3826
>
>
>
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> --
> Jennifer Salgat
> Director
> Lake Odessa Community Library
> 1007 Fourth Avenue
> Lake Odessa MI 48849
> 616.374.4591
>
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>
>
>
> --
> *Teresa Chase*
> *Business Manager*
> *Lapeer District Library*
> *201 Village West Dr. S.*
> *tchase at lib.lapeer.org* <tchase at lib.lapeer.org>
> *www.library.lapeer.org* <http://www.library.lapeer.org>
> *(810) 664-9521 ext. 3111*
>
> *"Libraries are sacred time machines where knowledge flows and magic is
> eternal." ~Mari Barnes*
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