Dear ARLIS,

As the RISS moderator I'd like to echo Alyssa's (Vice Moderator of RISS) invitation to participate in the #CritLib chat on Sept. 18th. In the spirit of transparency I'd like to offer my opinion as to why this topic was chosen and what we hope to accomplish.

The topic of spatial justice has been raised in many ways over the years and this is an evolving term, which makes this a complex topic of discussion. The goal with any of the RISS chats that have been and will be is to engage our members in research and information services in a timely discussion on relevant topics as they pertain to our profession. 

This chat is unique because we are participating/moderating through #CritLib, which is a growing area and community of interest in Art Librarianship. I hope that this chat brings our online communities together and encourages that growing interest of social justice work and librarianship in ARLIS. As art professionals we have a stake in this topic and myriad considerations and opinions on it. The nature of this particular conversation is meant to give librarians a chance to develop some ideas, strategies, and understandings should this topic arise in your own community; it's a place for critical dialog and reflection on how these issues align with library and local values. For example, the Ethic Studies department on my campus is having an event two days after this chat called "Confederate Monuments: Whose History? What Heritage?" and I am sure that this chat will make me more prepared to participate in that discussion as a professional.

I sincerely hope you will consider joining us and bringing your thoughts, ideas, critiques, and expertise to the conversation among colleagues from across disciplines and library types/the #CritLib community.

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns and be aware that there is an anonymous relay for those who may not feel comfortable speaking about this on a public/personal forum such as twitter.

All my best,
Amanda Meeks

On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 10:56 AM, Vincent, Alyssa <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello, all!

Join the ARLIS Research and Information Services Section and #critlib on Monday, September 18 at 8pm Central Time for a Twitter chat on spatial justice. We'll discuss this in relation to white supremacy in public art and architecture and how librarians/information workers can actively counteract dominant white narratives/spatial elements.
 
I've included the questions below and you can also find them at this link: http://critlib.org/spatial-justice/, along with suggested resources. If you have questions about how to join the chat, please take a look at this helpful page: http://critlib.org/twitter-chats/ 

#critlib Twitter chat questions for Monday, 9/18 at 8pm Central Time:
  • Q1. What is the function of public art and architecture where you work/live? #critlib
  • Q2. What narratives/whose history is dominant in and around lib*/archives in your community? #critlib
  • Q3. If lib* take an antiracist approach to cultivating culturally responsive spaces, what do we need to examine first and why? #critlib
  • Q4. How can we can work to counteract & subvert oppressive spatial elements, such as monuments that function as microaggressions? #critlib
  • Q5. What barriers might we encounter in trying to do this work in our profession & how can we overcome those barriers? #critlib
We're excited to chat with you all about this important topic. 

Best,
Alyssa

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Alyssa Vincent, Information Services Librarian

Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625


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Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/membership/join-arlisna Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
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