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Last week, the ARLIS/NA Executive Board’s Statement Against Anti-Black Racism and Violence and my message on ARLIS-L (see below) signaled our commitment to addressing systemic racism in the visual arts information profession as well as in our own organization. I am writing to update you on some of the steps we are taking as part of that commitment.

Yesterday I met with a group of the society’s leaders and executive board liaisons to begin a discussion on actions ARLIS/NA will take to address racism. Joining me were Natisha Harper, chair of the Diversity Committee and Advancement Liaison Lindsay King; Emilee Mathews, chair of the Strategic Directions Committee and Past President Laura Schwartz; and Vice President/President-Elect Mark Pompelia.

Although it is too soon to report on outcomes, I wanted to share some of the discussion points:

creating a long-term framework to address systemic racism in ARLIS/NA and the visual arts information profession. This would include:

establishing specific goals around broad areas within the framework, including education and self-education, advocacy, recruitment and retention, being an ally, and getting involved
setting a timeline
assessing efficacy
reporting progress
involving committees, groups, and members in planning and implementation

building on the society's history of work on diversity and inclusion
identifying actions that can be taken by ARLIS/NA leadership, groups, and members in the short term

This group will meet again in two weeks to continue the discussion and you will be hearing more from myself and others in the organization in the coming days and weeks about the steps being taken to address systematic racism.

Finally, I want to acknowledge that this message is going out on the eve of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. While many of the festivities in honor of the holiday have been canceled due to COVID-19, it seems a fitting time to read and reflect on its relevance today. I offer a few suggestions below, some of which were shared with me by ARLIS/NA members.

For information on Juneteenth, Juneteenth.com covers the history and contemporary celebration of the holiday. There are also recent articles in many major news sources, including this one in the New York Times: "So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth?"

Also happening this week is the Black Publishing Power initiative to buy two books by Black authors by June 20, with a goal to "Blackout bestseller lists with Black authors." Consider participating in the initiative by ordering from the Black-owned bookstores on this Literary Hub list or this map, which includes bookstores in Canada. See also #PublishingPaidMe for more on Black authors and publishing.

I have more reading lists to share, but first I'd like to recommend reflecting on Lauren Michele Jackson's "What is an Anti-Racist Reading List For?" on Vulture.

If you missed Libraries Respond: Black Lives Matter, the link from ALA that Carol Ng-He (ARLIS/NA's liaison to the ALA Office of Diversity) shared on ARLIS-L last week, it offers many resources for libraries and librarians, including some that present suggestions for books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other online features such as Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources and Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages.

Thank you for your attention to this message. Please do share comments or questions with me.

Best,

Amy

---------------------------------------------------
Amy Trendler
President, ARLIS/NA and
Architecture Librarian
University Libraries
Ball State University 765-285-5858
Muncie, IN 47306 [log in to unmask]
she/her/hers

The University Libraries provide services that
support student pursuits for academic success
and faculty endeavors for knowledge creation
and classroom instruction.

www.bsu.edu/library

From: ARLIS/NA <[log in to unmask]>

Sent: Monday, June 8, 2020 2:26 PM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Forthcoming ARLIS/NA statement against anti-Black racism and next steps

Dear ARLIS/NA members,

I’m writing to let you know that this afternoon the Executive Board is releasing a public statement condemning racism and violence against Black people. The statement will be issued by the board on behalf of ARLIS/NA, but it was also informed by comments and guidance from members of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee, the Diversity Committee, and the Strategic Directions Committee, and I want to acknowledge the efforts of those who helped shape it.

As a board, we felt it was imperative that we issue a public statement condemning the recent hateful acts of violence against Black people and the pervasive structural racism underlying these acts. It was also vitally important that we express our stand in solidarity with our Black members and colleagues and that we add this organization’s voice to the call for effective and meaningful change. We want the ARLIS/NA membership to know that this public statement is not the end of our commitment to addressing racism.

In partnership with the Diversity Committee and the Strategic Directions Committee, and building on ARLIS/NA’s existing work around diversity and inclusion, the board will identify specific goals and actions this organization and its membership can take to eliminate structural racism in the visual arts information profession. The work of recognizing and eradicating racism is not solely the province of a single committee or an executive board, particularly in a member-driven organization such as ARLIS/NA. The input and efforts of the membership will be integral to this endeavor.

Sharing resources with one another will be an important part of our process as an organization, and in that vein I’ll offer here some of what I have been reading lately. Many of these have been recommended to me by other ARLIS/NA members; I thank you and encourage you to continue sharing.

The blog from the ARLIS/NA Diversity Committee, The Art of Diversity, features posts written by chair Natisha Harper: “To Speak of Racism and Brutality” and “The Dance We Do.”

The May APPC News Alert includes a section on “Justice for George Floyd Resources.” The news alert was sent on ARLIS-L Friday and will be available on this page on the ARLIS/NA web site soon.

The article “In Pursuit of Antiracist Social Justice: Denaturalizing Whiteness in the Academic Library” by Freeda Brook, Dave Ellenwood, and Althea Eannace Lazarro from Library Trends is available via Project Muse.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture offers many resources on their website. The ‘I Am a Person Committed to Equity’ page is a good entry point.

If you are looking for more library and library organization statements, Library Journal is maintaining this list. Additional Canadian statements have been compiled by Librarianship.ca.

If you are looking for suggestions on books to read, there’s “An Antiracist Reading List” in the New York Times, by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, a book featured on Library Journal’s Antiracism: a Starter Booklist.

If you are looking to order a book, consider supporting Black-owned, independent bookstores, personally and professionally, by ordering from the places on this Literary Hub list or this map, which includes bookstores in Canada.

Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on the forthcoming statement and to consider the course of action I’ve outlined above. If you would like to share comments, stories, suggestions, or criticisms with me, please do. I will be listening.

Best,

Amy

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