A Statement on LJ's Library of the Year, My Response as a Paid Employee, and Transgender Resources for Libraries

In case you missed it, Library Journal named Seattle Public Library its library of the year despite the fact that they allowed the Women's Liberation Front, an anti-trans group, to rent a meeting room for an event.

Click here to read Library Journal's editorial response to that criticism. My problem is with that response even more than with the decision. 

I am addressing this topic here on my RA blog because I am a contract employee of LJ and I feel I need to speak out. I would like to share here some of my personal responses to Meredith Schwartz in an email I sent her. This is an edited version of what I sent her:

Meredith, 

...Like others, I agree that SPL is not the correct choice for library of the year. But that is not what I am most upset and disappointed about, rather it is your response to the criticism of said choice. In fact, I held off on criticizing the choice initially because I was confident that you would rectify it with the appropriate response. I am even more hurt that my trust in you was violated. 

...But I have given talks for LJ that address this issue where I advocate for people to listen to criticism and respond appropriately. An appropriate response is, "I erred. I can't change the misstep but I can control my response. And that response is to apologize, and do what I can to make it better." In this case that would have been to award the prize to both runners up and apologize for the initial choice. It definitely should NOT have been to write an editorial response that doubled down on the choice and actively refused to listen to criticism. This is the definition of "tone deaf." 

I know you are someone who values EDI, but what you have done goes against everything you have always preached. That is extremely hurtful to me, someone who respects you and was proud to work for you. 

As a contract employee for Library Journal, I am personally disappointed. I feel badly for the full-time employees who don't agree with this decision and sympathize with their pain. Part of me wanted to resign, but honestly, that would not help this terrible situation.  It would also undermine the years of work Kiera and I have put into horror coverage... I also have an almost 20-year professional relationship with Neal Wyatt and will honor my commitments at your publication to her too. I will not sacrifice my commitment to the horror genre and getting the best titles into libraries.  

But I have definitely lost respect for you professionally. I try to live up to the standard of practicing what I preach. I do not respect those who do not do the same, especially in my professional spheres. I believe that our privilege [and in this case, this is 100% a cis privilege issue] blinds us all. I believe in listening and learning. I believe in acknowledging when I have erred, when I have let my privilege obscure the truth. I believe in apologizing and then resolving to do better going forward. 

You did not do any of that. It makes me sad. I feel like you lied to me, to all of us. You cannot call out injustice with your platform and then not apologize when you did wrong. The choice to double down on a mistake, to be unwilling to face embarrassment head on, is wrong. For goodness sake, in my EDI program [which LJ has had me present at least 4 times], I admit to using "alternative lifestyle" stickers on LGBTQ books....for years. That was wrong. I call it out to show others that making a mistake does not make you a bad person, but not listening and learning from said mistake does.  

We all need to do better. We are not perfect. But how we respond when we misstep is telling. 

Disappointedly,
Becky Spratford

I feel like I owe it to you, my readers, who trust me and quite frankly, hire me, to teach on these topics, who read my reviews in this publication, to know how I am responding to this issue.

Please share your thoughts with Meredith too. mschwartz [at] mediasourceinc [dot] com. 

Those are my feelings, but here is my action because I have been saying all week, everyone needs to do more than simply agree that injustice was done, we all need to act in whatever way we can. I act by teaching; therefore, this is a list of free resources you can use to learn more about transgender issues in libraries:

• Slides from a 2017 WLA preconference "Imagining Transgender 'Inclusion' in Libraries.
• Article: "Not Cis in LIS: A Roundtable Discussion about being Trans in Libraries."
• Post by Zoe Fisher: "What counts? Gender  identity and library workers."
• Spring 2019 webcast recording by SJSU School  of Information, "Transgender Inclusion in Libraries" featuring the same panelists from the WLA slides but 2 years later.

Please also click here to see my post about my friend and library colleague Larissa Glasser [and her awesome novel]. I have connected Ms Glasser with my editors at LJ so that the trans voice can be heard in this issue. 

Finally, as I said  above, I will not resign [although I considered it] both because I believe on fighting from within for change in all situations [especially the most difficult  ones], and I will not sacrifice the good my work does for a larger community for this. But, that being said, I 100% understand if you want to cancel  your subscription. My horror reviews will still be accessible to all of you in draft form, here on the blog with a link to Goodreads, whether you pay for LJ or not.