LEADS from LLAMA

At the recent ALA Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, the LLAMA Board of Directors adopted the following statement as a reaffirmation of the organization’s values and aspirations in the current political climate:

LLAMA Board of Directors Statement on Libraries and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, January 20, 2017

On this Inauguration Day, the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) Board of Directors wants to reiterate our organizational values and aspirations. The recent national election and its aftermath have exposed deep divisions in our country and spurred a passionate and necessary debate over how our libraries, our association and our members will respond to the incoming administration.

As library leaders and managers:

• we create and protect spaces for inquiry and dialogue, where we celebrate the free exercise of conscience and belief and we respect the inherent dignity and individuality of our users, especially those who are unsafe or afraid in the aftermath of the election;
• we provide reliable and diverse sources of news and analysis of current events and help community members investigate, contextualize, and critically analyze the information they seek; and
• we acknowledge and embrace the inherent complexities in defining ourselves and allowing our community members to define themselves, and we believe that by talking with each other respectfully, we all grow in mutual understanding.

However, respectful dialogue and inquiry differs from harmful actions. Many in our communities have experienced threats, vandalism, hate crimes, acts of racism, and violence. LLAMA condemns and deplores this bigotry and violence, and we call on library leaders and managers to do the same.

LLAMA exists to serve our members and the profession, and we are committed to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion, both within our organization and our institutions. Where these values are challenged in the years ahead, we will stand in loud opposition and join with others who do as well. We urge you, as our members, to stand with us.

Beyond these words, we also vow action. We are reorganizing our division specifically to provide the training and support our members need to be true leaders in their libraries and their communities. We will also create opportunities for our members to continue this conversation, so we can discuss challenges, share bold ideas, and learn from our peers.

As always, thank you for your membership and your support.

This entry was posted on February 10, 2017 at 2:28 pm and is filed under 2017 Midwinter, LLAMA Leadership, News. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.