But, more than enjoying the podcast, I rely on the annual episode where Steve interviews the candidates for ALA President as part of my decision making process.
This year, especially, after the debacle that was ALA Midwinter Meetings and how my colleague April Hathcock was treated, we all need to be more aware of who is leading us as we address the systemic racism in our profession head on. Because we currently have a person of color as ALA President, but apparently that isn't enough. We need people who understand that even though the vast majority of librarianship means well and thinks they are not racist, the fact is evidently clear that there is a HUGE problem with true equity, diversity, and inclusion and we need a leader who is willing to confront it head on. [More from me on this topic here.]
As Steve went into these interviews, he was determined to be direct in asking the candidates on how they would deal with these specific issues. He submitted questions to the candidates 3 days in advance, and I am going to tell you right now, the way the two candidates answered questions about EDI were very different. I know because I made sure to listen to the episode before writing this post.
Actually, the two candidates are very different in general, and I think this election is one of the most important I have been a part of because this President will be the first one to work with a new ALA Director which means, this President will set the tone and the agenda for all the rest of us. The wrong person could be a disaster.
You can see all the info about the candidates, access their websites, listen to their interviews, and/or read the transcripts below or on the Circulating Ideas website, but I would like to say I strongly endorse Julius Jefferson over Lance Werner.
Jefferson's interview showed that not only does he believe EDI issues and systematic racism are a huge issue, but he thinks that every person, especially the by-standers, needs to do better. He is also someone who has come up through the ALA government system and understands how it works and the ways it in which is not working and even more, how to make it work for more of us-- the members. Normally I don't like the institutional candidate, but in this case, Jefferson is exactly who we need. He had great ideas, concrete examples of things he has done and will do, and understands his place to advocate for libraries in general, but also for library staff all over the country.
I will not use this space to say negative things about Werner as a person [even though I had a lot of issues with most of his answers especially on the EDI topics] but many of his answers were not consistent with my views or priorities. One quick example is that when Steve asked about the restructuring of the ALA Midwinter Meetings [a huge topic], Werner mentioned we cannot forget about the opinion of our vendors and that their voice matters. Okay, say what??? Look, I am not stupid. I know the vendors/exhibitors pay for the meeting and like access to us, but their opinion only comes into play once we restructure the ALA Midwinter Meetings to work better for our profession. These are the meetings where important decisions are made but appearing in person to be a part of the decision making process is required. That eliminates so many voices from our leadership. The vendors opinions are the last thing we need to worry about right not.
This is just one example from the interviews below. You all really need to listen for yourselves.
I have never done this before but I feel very strongly that the choice for those of us who truly care about advancing our profession in a direction which empowers the library members to be more involved and allows for more voices to be heard while also tackling our serious EDI issues at the core of the profession is Julius Jefferson.
Please see below or click here to listen to Steve's excellent interviews with both candidates and vote for whoever you want. I will be casting my ballot for Jefferson as soon as possible.
152: ALA Presidential Candidates (2019)
An active member of ALA for 15 years, Julius Jefferson currently serves on and has been a member of the ALA Council since 2011, and most recently completed a 3-year term on the ALA Executive Board (2015-18). He has also served on a number of critical committees, including the Finance and Audit Committee (2017-18), the Budget Analysis and Review Committee (2014-18), the Intellectual Freedom Committee (2010-14) serving as the 2010-11 chair, and is currently chair of the Chapter Relations Committee, as well as on numerous other committees and task forces of the association. He is co- editor of The 21st-Century Black Librarian in America: Issues and Challenges and is often sought as a speaker on library-related issues such as diversity, leadership and professional development. Jefferson holds a BA in History from Howard University and an MLS from the University of Maryland.
Lance Werner has served as Executive Director for Kent District Library since 2011. He received a juris doctorate degree from Michigan State University’s College of Law and his master’s degree in Library Science from Wayne State University (WSU). In 2018, he was chosen as Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, and in years past, he was the recipient of the Joey Rodger Leadership Award from the Urban Libraries Council, Librarian of the Year Award from the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the WSU Distinguished Alumni award, and Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker Award. Lance is currently involved in the ALA Policy Corps, WSU’s Capital Campaign, MLA’s Legislative Committee, and has just graduated from Michigan Political Leadership Course.
This episode of Circulating Ideas is brought to you with support from Mometrix. Through their eLibrary portal, Mometrix offers study guides and practice questions for over 1800 different exams covering college entrance, graduate school, nursing, medical, teacher certification, civil service, and many other careers or fields of study, all fully customizable and at a fraction of the cost of printed books. It’s like having an entire library of test prep materials…. all at your fingertips. So, save space, save paper, and save money; with Mometrix eLibrary. To learn more, visit GOeLibrary.com and use promo code PODCAST to get a free demo and save 10% on your first purchase.
1 comment:
"Hi Becky,
Thanks for this write-up, and for the link to the Circulating Ideas podcast and transcript. I think ALA is lucky to have to excellent candidates this year, both of whom bring great passion, experience, and an impressive record of accomplishment.
I don't know Julius Jefferson personally, but I do know Lance and am familiar with the work he's done at Kent District Library building a people-centered culture that focused on excellence and mutual accountability, while also creating strong support in the community, reaching out and building supportive relationships with anti-tax groups who were pre-disposed to oppose increases in the library's budget.
Having spent a day with Lance and his leadership team exploring the challenges libraries face, and discussing future strategies, I know that he is very engaged in focusing the organization's learning around EDI, and I am confident that he would do the same as ALA President.
I also believe that ALA desperately needs a President who is primarily invested in libraries first; a Presdent that is invested in ALA as an organization that exists to support libraries, as opposed to an organization that exists to support itself, which is too often the case.
I believe we need an "outsider" candidate in the mold of former ALA President Leslie Burger -- someone who is talented, brilliant, bridge-building, and not inclined to protect the dysfunctional structures and, (in some cases) the dysfunctional personnel that work at ALA.
I think Lance is well-positioned to lead ALA at a critical time when they will be installing a new Executive Director. This is a once in a generation opportunity to improve the toxic and bureaucratic culture of the organization, and Lance excels at building a positive, constructive, human-centered, culture of excellence.
Thanks for considering these thoughts.
-Peter
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