Library Juice 3:45

Library Juice 3:45 - November 29, 2000 Contents: Snappy Librarian Comebacks Women Leading Through Reading Nancy Kranich's Quarterly Presidential Report International workshop for access to government information Secrecy News GreyNet to cease trading NCAPAL extends deadline for Ching-chih Chen Leadership Awards FTF discussion of current feminism in librarianship 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Quote for the week: "If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?" - Lily Tomlin Homepage of the week: Abigail Plumb http://www.geekbait.com _________________________________________________________________________top 1. Snappy Librarian Comebacks - What to say when the Boss tells you that everything's free on the Internet! http://38.241.117.66/chapter/cwcn/wwest/v2n3/sainduh.htm _________________________________________________________________________top 2. Women Leading Through Reading ---Forwarded Message Subject: women, libraries and literacy Date: Wed, 18 Oct 00 07:34:28 -0500 From: Mev Miller <wplp[at]winternet.com> To: "FTF" <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU>, <LEZBRIAN[at]LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>, "WSS" <wss-l[at]ala.org>, <gay-libn[at]usc.edu>, "PLGNet" <PLGNet-L[at]listproc.sjsu.edu>, "Collection development" <COLLDV-L[at]usc.edu>, "AFAS" <AFAS-L[at]LISTSERV.KENT.EDU> Some of you may know me from my years of work with the Women's Presses Library Project (WPLP). I'm still doing that work -- at least in the Interet world at (www.litwomen.org/wplp.html) -- we should have some new publishers there in the next month. However, I also have another piece of work I'm doing with issues of women and literacy. The litwomen.org website is an umbrella not only for WPLP but for another initiative I've been working on since 1996 - Women Leading Through Reading. I've recently updated their portion of the website. It includes a resource list of BASIC English literacy materials that address women's issues, a desciption of the work we've been doing, a manual about how to organize and do training for the Women Leading Through Reading book groups, and a questionnaire so that I can continue to add resources. It's located at: http://www.litwomen.org/wltr.html This website will grow and change over the next few years as it is part of my dissertation project and a future for my career work. I've not had a chance yet to figure out how to contact the ALA section for literacy but I thought some of you might be interested in this resource. anything you have to add will be appreciated. Thanks for your continued support. Mev ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Women's Presses Library Project ...keeping women's words in circulation MMev Miller, Project Coordinator 1483 Laurel Ave. St. Paul, MN 55104-6737 651-646-0097 651-646-1153 /fax wplp[at]winternet.com _________________________________________________________________________top 3. Nancy Kranich's Quarterly Presidential Report Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 20:52:01 EST From: "NANCY KRANICH" <kranich[at]elmer4.bobst.nyu.edu> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> Reply to: kranich[at]elmer4.bobst.nyu.edu My quarterly report to the ALA Executive Board is now posted on my web site at: http://www.ala.org/kranich/reports.html. I welcome your comments and suggestions. All Councilors are invited to participate in my Information Literacy Advocacy training session on Thursday afternoon (information about registration will be posted soon). On Sunday afternoon, I hope you will attend my President's Program on the Digital Divide, featuring Larry Irving, former Deputy Secretary of Commerce, and several telecommunications policy specialists. The session will be followed by small group discussions focused on formulating an equity agenda for the Association. I encourage all Councilors to join this important dialogue. Best wishes for a joyous holiday season. --Nancy Kranich ====================================================================== Nancy Kranich, President American Library Association Professional Address: Voice: 212-998-2447 New York University Libraries Fax: 212-995-4942 70 Washington Square South Nancy.Kranich[at]NYU.edu or New York, New York 10012 kranich[at]elmer4.bobst.nyu.edu http://www.ala.org/kranich _________________________________________________________________________top 4. International workshop for access to government information Kiswahili Edition of the Proceedings of Information for Accountability Workshop, Tanzania Are Now Available The proceedings of the worlds first Information for Accountability Workshop are now available in Kiswahili. They may be downloaded from http://www.irmt.org/index2.html The workshop was held at the British Council auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam on 27-28 March 2000. It was sponsored by the World Bank Danish Trust Fund on Governance and the British Council. Gaining access to government information can be a major challenge in Tanzania and elsewhere throughout the world. Transparency International (Tanzania) and the International Records Management Trust, Rights and Records Institute held a two-day workshop in Dar-es-Salaam in March 2000. The workshop participants discussed the issue of improving citizens access to information held by public bodies. They included members of parliament, senior civil servants, and representatives of the legal profession, the media, academia and public interest groups. The workshops goal was to encourage the formation of an informed civil society. Once equipped with information, individual citizens and their representatives can assert their civil rights, hold governments accountable, and help to detect and deter corruption and fraud. Key issues and obstacles to accessing government information were highlighted by workshop participants and a number of recommendations were made. The focus was on developing a practical action programme to meet both short-term and longer-term objectives. The District Based Support for Primary Education programme provided a real case study for the workshop. In addition, actions with a wider goal of improving access to information across government were also discussed. The English-language edition of the Proceedings of the first Information for Accountability Workshop are available on the IRMT website at http://www.irmt.org/resources/tanpro.pdf _________________________________________________________________________top 5. Secrecy News -- FAS http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Project on Government Secrecy, which works to "challenge excessive government secrecy and to promote public oversight," has recently launched this email publication. Distributed two to three times per week, _Secrecy News_ contains stories on recent developments in secrecy and security policy and links to new materials placed on the FAS Website. A subscription form is provided at the site. [MD] From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _________________________________________________________________________top 6. GreyNet to cease trading (fwd) Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 10:39:20 -0500 (EST) From: Frederick W Stoss <fstoss[at]acsu.buffalo.edu> To: SRRT Action Council <srrtac-l[at]ala.org> Reply to: srrtac-l[at]ala.org This is sadness to the library community that pays attention to Grey Literature. Maybe there is a story for publication editors in this. Fred ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 09:32:50 -0000 From: Vicky Williams <VWilliams[at]mcbup.co.uk> To: "'fstoss[at]acsu.buffalo.edu'" <fstoss[at]acsu.buffalo.edu> Subject: GreyNet to cease trading GreyNet Dear GreyNetters It is with regret that MCB University Press, parent company of GreyNet - The Grey Literature Network Service, announces that the services of GreyNet are discontinued forthwith. Volume 1 of the "International Journal on Grey Literature" can now be accessed at <http://www.liblink.co.uk/>; GreyNet publications are now available on interlibrary loan/document delivery only, via the British Library Document Supply Centre at <http://www.bl.uk/index.html>;. This includes the proceedings of the conference series. There will therefore be no GL 2001, or "GL-Compendium - a Net-based Directory of Grey Literature Collections". Those few members of the community who subscribed to GL-C for 2000 either directly with MCB, or via GreyNet membership, will receive a refund over the next few weeks. Thank you to those of you who have supported GreyNet actively over the years. Sincerely Eileen Breen GreyNet - The Grey Literature Network Service. ebreen[at]mcb.co.uk _________________________________________________________________________top 7. NCAPAL extends deadline for Ching-chih Chen Leadership Awards Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 22:57:28 -0500 From: Ling Hwey Jeng <lhjeng00[at]ukcc.uky.edu> To: "NCAPAL Press Release distribution list":; PRESS RELEASE NCAPAL extends deadline for Ching-chih Chen Leadership Awards website: http://bioac.uky.edu/ncapal The National Conference on Asian Pacific American Librarians announces the new deadline for the Ching-chih Chen Leadership Awards as December 30th. The deadline is extended to encourage broader participation while giving APALA and CALA members more time to prepare the application or nomination requirements. Don't miss this opportunity to nominate a colleague for the Leadership Award (over five years library experience) or apply yourself for the Emerging Leader Award (less than five years library experience). Each award is consisted of $1,000 and a citation. In addition, the winners will make presentations at the conference. Nominees for the RECOGNIZED LEADER Award must be current members of CALA or APALA, with at least five years of professional experience in library and information profession. Nomination for the Recognized Leader Award consists of 1) Letter of nomination, 2) Curriculum vita of the nominee; 3) Statement on leadership (up to two pages, double-spaced); and 4) Names & addresses of three references. Members of APALA or CALA, with up to five years of professional experience in library and information profession, are encouraged to apply for the EMERGING LEADER Award. Complete application shall consist of 1) Cover letter, 2) A statement (up to five pages, double-spaced with at least one inch margin on each side) detailing how the award will be utilized for project/research, including budget; 3) Curriculum vita; and 4) Names & addresses of three references. The award cannot be used for course work leading to a degree or certification. DEADLINE for submission is December 30, 2000. Please send five (5) copies of the complete nomination/application to: Dr. SHARAD KARKHANIS Kingsborough Community College Library 2001 Oriental Blvd Brooklyn NY 11235 718-368-5639 skarkhanis[at]kbcc.cuny.edu * * * _________________________________________________________________________top 8. FTF discussion of current feminism in librarianship A thread from the SRRT Feminist Task Force listserve: From: "Suzanne Hildenbrand" <denbrand[at]earthlink.net> To: <feminist[at]mitvma.mit.edu> Subject: Painful questions... Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 11:50:15 -0700 Friends, I wonder if we could discuss the level of feminist activism in the library world and/or ALA today? People keep telling me things like "COSWL is dead," "I never see anything on that list, Feminist,. any more," etc. Yet I see that great bibliog, On Account of Sex. Some tell me that younger or newer librarians show "no" or "little" interest in issues like those pursued by library feminists in the 70s. Professional literature appears to emphasize technology, and not so much outreach which appears somehow more compatible with feminist interests. (Is this true?) We can look at some outstanding women leaders today who were identified with feminist activism in the 70s and 80s...are there younger women today who are identified with feminist and who seem to be on a fast track to major directorships, deanships, etc? I wonder how listmembers would characterize the feminist scene in the (US) library world today? --SH .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 16:44:53 -0400 From: Katie Brady <klb28[at]drexel.edu> Subject: Re: painful questions To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> As a very new-to-the-profession, late-20something librarian who considers herself a feminist, I must admit I have been mystified by the silence on this listserv. And the reticence in general about feminism in this profession in general. Is this because librarianship enjoys such a high percentage of women? Because the timid librarian stereotype has some validity to it? Because we are all scrambling around like mad(women) and are too busy to devote time to an arguably less central part of being a librarian? I am curious, too, to hear more about what the issues facing librarianship in the '70's were. Given that I was born in the early part of that decade, I would be interested to hear about those challenges. As for the statement that polarizes technology and outreach as occupying opposite ends of the gender spectrum, I have to wonder. ("Professional literature appears to emphasize technology, and not so much outreach which appears somehow more compatible with feminist interests." ) Why is outreach more compatible than technology for feminist interests? Because I'm a woman/feminist I'm somehow less likely to be equipped to deal with techie responsibilities, and motivated to do so? While certainly the majority of students in my systems/IT graduate courses are indeed men and the majority of the students in the more traditional library courses emphasizing service and resources are women, I am uncomfortable with equating feminist interests to outreach over technology. It ignores the fact that much of the outreach that librarians do these days involves familiarizing users with new technologies, and perpetuates easy, if not very progressive, cliches. Katie Brady Katie Brady Electronic Resources Librarian Hagerty Library, Drexel University 33rd and Market Streets Philadelphia, PA 19104 tel: 215.895.2771 / fax: 215.895.2070 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. From: "Kelly Hovendick" <kbhovend[at]library.syr.edu> Organization: Syracuse University Library To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 16:57:41 -0400 First of all, a huge thank you to Suzanne for opening up a can of worms that I have been dying to discuss. I am one of the newer librarians(only in the profession two years). Starting w/ my thesis research, I was wondering where the feminist voices of the profession where. It was easy to identify those of you who had individual feminist voices, but I was wondering where the collective conscious was. And I still wonder. The only time I see it is when I am in COSWL(which I do not think is dead - particularly in light of 2000 mid-winter's discussion) or WSS meetings(unfortunately, I haven't made it to any FTF meetings yet). But, then as soon as I step out of the meetings, the energy seems to disappears. To say that I'm frustrated is an understatement, but like everyone else, I'm sure, time limits me in my ability to be able act -- hence, I'm not as involved in committees as I want to be, I'm not publishing the articles that I want to publish. More recently, a proposal for a panel discussion on women and technology issues that I was part of at a national library conference was rejected and I can't help but wonder whether it was because the abstract mentioned technology enpowering us as women. Speculation only.... I believe that as one of the third wave feminists(if you subscribe to that terminology), I am still looking at the same issues that feminists in the profession in the 70s were looking at -- pay scales, gender gaps in admin, etc. Something else I recognized immediately in libraryland was the passivity of the women in higher level positions that I've encountered. My own direct and energetic(i.e. aggressive) personality has already placed me in some uncomfortable situations, but I choose to remain true to myself and my beliefs. To a large degree, I think that has been my activism thus far. I've truly found that it sounds easier to do than it is. On an organizational level, ALA has got me worried. I wonder what the true agenda is. Though I hate to be suspicious, I can't help but wonder why ALA leaders are "ordering" men into committee meetings to find out whether or not we deserve to exist anymore. Unfortunately, I am ending this email w/ no solutions or even suggestions. Just a few thoughts from one of the newer grrls on the block. I'm looking forward to further dialogue on this topic. Kelly Kelly Hovendick | Reference Librarian & Womens Studies Specialist E.S. Bird Library 210 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 | 315.443.4807 | kbhovend[at]library.syr.edu | http://web.syr.edu/~kbhovend/kbh.htm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 20:06:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Sarah Pritchard <pritchar[at]library.ucsb.edu> To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Subject: Painful questions, ALA feminism Friends, It is hard to know how to answer the recent post from Suzanne and then the responses. This list has a wonderful mix of participants, sometimes quiet and other times not; those who are new to the profession and many who have been around for decades, like me. In fact it shocks me to say that because it is really not that long ago that there was so little tolerance for women's issues that we didn't even dare use the word "feminist" -- it used to be just the ALA Task Force on Women. This is not to say the battles are all won. But the feminists are alive and out there and working on things both local and national. Perhaps the listserv has not been the best way to share that information; perhaps we have gotten fragmented into many other subgroups. In ALA there used to be only the TFW (now FTF); it was that TF that pushed to establish COSWL, and many of those same women who founded ACRL-WSS, LAMA Women Administrators group, a former DG in (now) RUSA that focused on services to women, a racism/sexism awareness subcommittee in the ALCTS Cataloging and Classification area (also no longer around). There have been many successes we now take for granted: day care at conferences; far more equitable numbers of women on Council and in divisional and ALA leadership; more women directors at large public and academic libraries; official policies on sexual harrassment; absence of grossly sexist materials in ALA exhibits; acceptance of equity issues as legitimate ALA concern; just to name a few things that have come about only in the last 20 years. We should not sit back and assume that these too will just stay around unchallenged, so yes, we do need more feminist activism and new/renewed participation from women in ALA of all ages and career interests. Sadly, some issues we fought hard for in the 70s and 80s have now moved backward, for example, the policy to require ALA official journals to print only job ads that list the full salary range (research showed that, when unaware of the full salary range, women were far more likely not to be successful in negotiating the top end salaries). FTF meetings are attended by 10 women instead of 40. Few new members come to Council to observe and learn how to shape Association policy. There are many of us out here who can attest that it is not a "career killer" to identify oneself as a feminist or to specialize in women's studies as a subject. But we need to be out there giving support and mentoring to women newer in the profession, suggesting strategies for success on the job and involvement in ALA. FTF has tried to sponsor some conference mentoring for library school students and it has not been easy; both mentors and mentees need to be found, over and over again. I do not, personally, like to take the essentialist view that technology is of less interest to women librarians than outreach and services, and that's why there's less feminist issue-raising. I myself (and I'm not the only one) have done writing and job-work on both technology issues and women's issues broadly defined. I think that it is a good idea for up-and-coming librarians to focus on a variety of issues, some related to their jobs and some related to broader professional policies and concerns. Many of us know that the female-dominated nature of the profession and of ALA has created an interesting paradox: great areas of sexism within and external to the profession, yet plenty of resistance. Some of us will remember the bitter fight when we passed an ERA Boycott in ALA, meaning no ALA conferences were held (for a short time) in Chicago, our own HQ city. Many women and men still claim that "social issues" are irrelevant to ALA, not wanting to analyze the serious impacts on workplace equity and on information access. I've written a little about this in an article published in Wilson Library Bulletin entitled "Backlash, Backwater, or Back to the Drawing Board," (an earlier version and its bibliography are on the FTF web site at www.lib.wayne.edu/ftf/papers/femthink.html www.lib.wayne.edu/ftf/papers/ftbib.html This article and another one used to be linked directly from the FTF home page, and apparently have been dropped from the latest layout. Both COSWL and ACRL-WSS have home pages but neither links to a good historical bibliography or overview of feminist action in ALA. A nice overview is provided by Hope Olson, faculty member in LIS at the University of Alberta who teaches a course on women's issues in librarianship (the only ongoing course like that of which I'm aware); see her syllabus and article list at www.ualberta.ca/~holson/589/schedule.htm and the historical overview at www.ualberta.ca/~holson/589/womenlis/summary.htm There are thousands of other articles out there on feminist issues in ALA, one only has to look at the series of bibliographies entitled "On Account of Sex." But I would not recommend the book by Christina Baum called _Feminist Thought in American Librarianship_, which has a very flawed methodological analysis and misses the point of a lot of ALA women's activism. As a short aside, I wonder what Kelly H. was alluding to when she said the ALA was "ordering men into meetings to find out whether or not we deserve to exist anymore." Since I was chair of both the (have we forgotten it so soon) Structure Revision Task Force and then the Committee on Organization, I can attest to the problem of trying to decide how to review the structural effectiveness of the organization, how to allow the most diversity of member interests while not having counterproductive and very expensive proliferation/duplication of endless groups. It's not a guy thing, it's a money thing. In either case the answer is to get appointed to the higher level committees that do these reviews and write the policies, both in the divisions and in ALA in general. And learn how to present feminist issues, whether in your own work or in ALA, in ways that show their broad applicability to all users and all segments of the profession. Those of us out there who've gone through the wars can help, that would be a wonderful use of this list: for critiquing proposals, cover letters, resumes, policy drafts, strategy and tactics. There is indeed so much more that could be said about these issues, both what we have done and what more we need to do. But yes, I'm afraid sometimes we all get a little tired...... Sarah =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Sarah M. Pritchard voice: (805) 893-3256 University Librarian fax: (805) 893-7010 Davidson Library email: pritchard[at]library.ucsb.edu University of California www.library.ucsb.edu/people/pritchard Santa Barbara, CA 93106 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 07:55:07 -0400 To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]mitvma.mit.edu> From: Isabel Danforth <danforth[at]tiac.net> Subject: Re: painful questions I have another concern. Most folks responding to this list and those I met at ALA as a member of COSWL are with large public libraries and academic libraries. Many females in librarianship work in smaller libraries, work in part time positions, and do not have exposure to many of these ideas. I think that issues that impact on females in the library world need to get out of 'scholarly' publications and into more of the professional forums that they might read. Isabel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isabel L. Danforth danforth[at]tiac.net Russell Library - Middletown, CT http://www.lioninc.org/russell/ Coordinator of Librarians' Online Support Team http://gnacademy.tzo.org/lost/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 13:22:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Abigail Leah Plumb <plumba[at]umich.edu> To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Subject: Re: painful questions As a fairly new LIS student, I wonder if there are any others on this list. Although I have had inklings of progressive politics from various LIS professors, I'm in a program with a great deal of emphasis on information science for the business world. It's frequently presented as without politics entirely, and certainly without any issues of gender. Has anyone in here met with some of these concerns in MLS (or other LIS degree) programs? How have you dealt with them? Although I don't have official statistics, I am aware that in the University of Michigan School of Information (where I am studying) the LIS student body is heavily female, while the men have gravitated toward concentrating in information econ and human-computer interaction. I wonder how the supposedly "value-neutral" attitude students in my program and, I am sure, others are inheriting (or, hopefully, recognizing as such and evaluating) will serve us during our professional education and in the future. -- Abigail Leah Plumb/715 S. Forest, #110/Ann Arbor, MI/48104 "A circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge." --Richard Brinsley Sheridan. 1751-1816 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 12:24:12 -0700 (PDT) From: "Susan D. Kane" <suekane[at]u.washington.edu> To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Cc: "Susan D. Kane" <suekane[at]u.washington.edu> Subject: painful issues Well, I'm a new librarian, and a feminist, so I'll put in my two cents. First of all, I'm new (UMich, 1998). I've only recently figured out the overt power structure at my own institution. Having minimal history in ALA, the large conferences simply seem like a madhouse -- hundreds of acronyms, repetitive programming, groups and meetings and groups and meetings ... I'm still trying to figure out how to spend my time in any kind of useful way there. Worrying about the overarching power structure of ALA seems somewhat remote to me. I am very grateful for the work that ALA does on policy, particularly around intellectual freedom and for representing the profession nationally. Other than that ...? I am an activist, and I am a librarian but that does not necessarily make changing ALA my first political priority. Compared to my friends' experiences in other professions, I've found my own institution to be a very comfortable place to be a feminist and an activist, so far. It is a pleasure in many ways to be in a female dominated profession, and I also have the pleasure of seeing many women in leadership roles at my institution. I'm not entirely sure that I want to grow up to be one of them. I may want to grow up to be a highly paid sysadmin, for example. I actually think the question of men in librarianship is interesting, which is not to say that we should not continue to do research on women. I think it's interesting when men choose to enter a field that is largely female dominated. Even more interesting is the current conflict at many library schools between (mostly) men with high tech backgrounds and (mostly) women with social sci and humanities backgrounds and even between (male and female) librarians and (male and female) computer geeks. The biggest difference between a librarian and a computer geek has to do with values, not technical knowledge. Those values interact in interesting ways with gender, and but they cannot be simplistically reduced to gender. Is information a commodity or a public good? Again, there are gender dynamics there, but that dichotomy cannot be reduced to gender. I also react very strongly to any claim that technology is somehow "male". My observation is that women are intimidated by technology, that they have trained themselves to avoid it, and that they are further intimidated by an aggressive, competitive and often gender-segregated culture around technology. Given that technology is a huge source of money and power, and will be the basis of most of what passes for economic activity for the next generation or so, feminists must make a priority of opening up the field. All the young librarians I know want only to gain more technical skills. The more we know about the computers, the less we need to rely on the computer geeks and the more we can shape the technology according to our values. I'm not sure what to make of the claim that feminist activism has declined in ALA, but it would be odd indeed for ALA to maintain a 1960's/70's level of activism in the 2000's. I was a kid during the height of the "official" women's movement, and all I know is that there was no mass movement for me to walk into when I realized that all was not right with the world. I am deeply sad that I missed the 60s and had to go to high school under Reagan, but I am not sad about growing up with Free to Be You and Me, etc.. The continuing differential of power, money, and freedom that we see between men and women, and that grows more stark among my friends as we get older (I'm 32), is still far more subtle than what the generation of feminists before me confronted. Who is to blame when one friend ends her academic career because she wants children and her lesbian partner was more directed, more competitive about getting an appointment? Who is to blame when my female friends continue to go into social work (and librarianship) despite the low pay, because the work is meaningful to them, because they anticipate having children, because on some level they count on finding partners who make more money and can afford to make less themselves? I was raised to be able to support myself (not to rely on a man), but my male friends were raised to support a family, and they negotiate their job offers accordingly. Our culture rewards competitive, directed, money-making behavior. It does not reward having children, taking time off of work, caring for your parents, maintaining your mental health or volunteer work to change the world. This is not the kind of sexism you can pass a law or resolution about. I would say that transforming this "half-changed world" (Peggy Orenstein, Flux..) is the task of my generation, but many of us have spent our political energy trying to retain the basic legal victories of the generation before us (abortion rights, etc..). Growing up under Reagan/Bush puts a very serious damper on one's ability to dream a better world. Many of the feminists who came before me believed that if you removed the visible barriers to women's advancement, the world would be transformed, and indeed it was, in many ways. But what's left are some very basic, structural issues. The lives of my friends (mostly white, mostly middle-class) are a contradiction in terms. We want to work, we want to stay home. We want equality with the men in our lives, we want them to ensure our economic security. We want to succeed, we don't want to play stupid, boy's games to do so. We want to change the world, we want to get ahead in the world-as-it-is. We vote Democrat, and what the hell does that get us? We were raised under feminism, and our lives embody all of its contradictions. The only thing I can say for sure is that it makes little sense for the mothers to blame the daughters or vice-versa. There is a way in which we resent you for setting up expectations the world did not fulfill, and there is a way in which you resent us for not finishing the job. But neither of us elected Reagan. Better to set our minds on how to take the next step than to mourn the 60s over and over again. ------------------------------------------- Susan Kane suekane[at]u.washington.edu Reference/WS Librarian Box 353080 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 17:24:37 -0400 To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> From: Pauline Klein <kleinp[at]mail.dekalb.public.lib.ga.us> Subject: Re: from Susan Kane re: painful questions As an old time radical lesbian feminist librarian, I thought what Susan Kane had to say was right on the mark, very insightful and thank her for her comments. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 13:03:08 -0400 From: Rebecca Tolley-Stokes <tolleyst[at]ACCESS.ETSU.EDU> Subject: Re: painful questions To: ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> I agree with Susan Kane that my institution is certainly supportive of feminist librarians, but there aren't any committees at the library level that discuss policies,issues etc. However, as part of a larger state university, there are opportunites to serve on steering, curriculum, tenure, etc. committees (as well as women's studies committees). Since I'm new to the institution, I haven't assessed the campus climate toward feminism, though there is a Women's Studies minor. During new faculty orientation, we were told that students here are especially uninvolved in activism. I don't know if that is a regional problem (So. Appalachia) or symptomatic of widespread student apathy. The Feminist Majority has a new presence on campus, though I have not attended a meeting, I am excited to see how they will make their presense known. Perhaps one solution is to form feminist task forces/Roundtables at the state level. I notice that Tennessee Library Association does not have such an animal. Are there state library assocs. that do? Rebecca Rebecca Tolley-Stokes Assistant Reference Librarian Sherrod Library East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN v) 423.439.4365 fax)423.439.4720 tolleyst[at]etsu.edu .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. From: "Suzanne Hildenbrand" <denbrand[at]earthlink.net> To: "ALA Feminist Task Force Discussion List" <FEMINIST[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU> Subject: painful questions... Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 12:44:32 -0800 The replies to my "painful questions" have been interesting and show that many have thought about these issues. There seems to be a certain sensitivity around the issue of technology and its identification with men. Several seem to think that I think men just ARE more techie than women --- the essentialist position, which I do NOT hold. Yet even some of these acknowledge men are more numerous than women and in techie courses and jobs. That is, the reality is that technology is a more male activity today in the library (and other) worlds. Suppose we went to some distant society where most of the folks who are literate are men and the women are mostly illiterate . We would never think that this was due to some essential difference between these men and women. We would look instead for the social structures that fostered this division. I think that gender and technology is the big feminist issue of the future. It seems to me that the library profession is being redefined in a way that favors delivery of content or access (techie jobs) over work with users and knowledge of content (cataloging rules, reference tools, etc.) The "offiical line" of course is that computerization just gives us a new, more efficient way to do the traditional work. Maybe, but the "new, more efficient" way involves loss of "professional" library jobs as the systems are increasingly used by lower paid workers. This is very evident in cataloging and I think it is becoming so in reference. We may still have mostly professional librarians at ref desks, but how many are part-timers? Or temps? Or interns? Of course this kind of thing varies by library, but I do think it is an overall trend. Many (certainly not all but enough to encourage cost-cutting administrators) young users , who have been using the internet for years, are convinced that "It's all on the Web" and they feel "empowered" to find it themselves. Most of these changes are presented as "reforms." But what is the impact? It seems democratic to employ non-professionals in jobs from which they were previously excluded, but will they reap the same benefits as their predecessors? Will they be eligible for advance? Many internships are directed at under-represented groups , suggesting that they need more preparation than others. Real jobs for the underrepresented are what is needed. Another important issue is source of future leaders. Will future deans and directors be chosen from the ranks of the techies? After all if the "important" work is technological, shouldn't the director have a strong background in it? I think we need a lot more data on the impact of library technology on library staffing, and gender must always be a variable. (Along with race and ethnicity). But who is gathering it? Why isn't ALA doing this? Is it a job for COSWL? FTF? --SH _________________________________________________________________________top 9. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species http://www.iucn.org/redlist/2000/index.html IUCN-The World Conservation Union has spent the past four decades working to provide objective, scientifically based information on the current status of the earth's threatened biodiversity. To that end, IUCN-The World Conservation Union has just released its much-anticipated Red List of 2000, listing the more than 11,000 species of the earth's plants and animals that face a high risk of extinction in the near future. Since the IUCN's last assessment in 1996, over 200 new animal species have become threatened, almost all as a result of human activities. The searchable IUCN Red List Website has ten sections: Introduction, Data Organization, Red List Programme, Summary Statistics, Sources & Quality, Categories & Criteria, Habitat Types, Threat Types, Image Captions, and References. Two search options (regular and expert) enable users to search by taxonomic classification, with four additional modifiers: Red List Category, Country, Geographic Region, and/or Marine Region. Typical returns include taxonomic details (scientific classification and common name), Assessment Information, Distribution (by country), and Summary Documentation (Biome). This seminal resource represents the most current and reliable information of its sort and is a "must read" for any one working on ecology or conservation. [LXP] From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _________________________________________________________________________top L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://libr.org/Juice/ | | Library Juice is supported by a voluntary subscription | fee of $10 per year, variable based on ability and | desire to pay. You may send a check payable in US funds | to Rory Litwin, at PO Box 720511, San Jose, CA 95172 | | Original material and added value in Library Juice | is copyright-free; beyond that the publisher makes | no guarantees. Library Juice is a free weekly | publication edited and published by Rory Litwin. | Original senders are credited wherever possible; | opinions are theirs. If you are the author of some | email in Library Juice which you want removed from | the web, please write to me and I will remove it. | | Your comments and suggestions are welcome. | | Rory[at]libr.org rg">Rory[at]libr.org