[Libs-Or] OLA Board Response to Recent Discussions on Libs-OR

[OLA President]

Dear OLA members and members of the Oregon library community,



At our business meeting on February 4, 2022, the 2021-2022 Executive Board
of the Oregon Library Association voted to endorse the petition authored by
the OLA EDI Antiracism Committee, “Break the Library Institutional Reliance
on Unpaid BIPOC Labor!
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/1>”
 The Board continues to endorse this petition and acknowledges that
insufficient context was provided when we disseminated it. We apologize for
this misstep and share this statement to provide context and our path
forward.


Before we do, we must address the heart of the work we’re doing. We cannot
continue to speak about equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism in
the abstract, as theoretical underpinnings, or as part of an acronym,
workshop, or resource list. We are losing our Black, Indigenous, and People
of Color (BIPOC) colleagues because of our collective hesitance to change
the status quo that causes them harm every day. When we speak of our BIPOC
colleagues, we are speaking of real people for whom we have not assured
psychological safety; yet, who have done and continue to do EDIA work on
their own time, without compensation, and oftentimes without any
recognition. With this as our shared understanding, we must engage in
challenging discussions and implement meaningful change — together.


Moving forward, we acknowledge that not everyone on Libs-OR is regularly
engaged with OLA and the State Library, and as a result the greater context
of the petition was not as clear as it could have been. To address this
lack of clarity, we offer the following information about the work of the
OLA Executive Board.


We have actively committed to being an equitable, diverse, inclusive, and
anti-racist organization through our strategic plan, the full text of which
can be found on the OLA website (
https://www.olaweb.org/strategic-plan-2020-23
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/2>).
We are dedicated to achieving the objectives in order to improve diversity
within OLA through recruitment, retention, and take action in support of
librarians of color in our association and in the field of librarianship.



OLA is a chapter of the American Library Association (ALA), and as such we
also draw on the ALA Code of Ethics
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/3>
which states: “We affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person.
We work to recognize and dismantle systemic and individual biases; to
confront inequity and oppression; to enhance diversity and inclusion; and
to advance racial and social justice in our libraries, communities,
profession, and associations through awareness, advocacy, education,
collaboration, services, and allocation of resources and spaces.”



During our consideration of the petition for Board endorsement, the
processes for recruitment for State Library positions were explained and
understood. Rather than directly endorsing a particular candidate, we
believe the language in the petition highlighting the expertise of our
incoming OLA President (the first person of color to hold the position) is
important to illustrate the qualities desired in a person filling a
position and intends to celebrate the fortune of having that experience
among our membership. It is also needed to concretely illustrate the
problem of continued reliance on unpaid labor among our BIPOC members.  In
that spirit, we did not consider endorsement of the petition to create a
conflict of interest for Board members or the Association.


After consulting guidance from ALA
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/4>
and discussing the situation with ALA staff, we continue to believe the
endorsement of the petition did not create a conflict of interest.  OLA
does have policy statements related to conflict of interest but the
language is dated and is difficult to apply in nuanced situations. We
recognize we need to consider potential conflicts carefully and will work
towards clarifying policies to better address situations in the future.


In her message on Tuesday, February 15, 2022
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/5>,
Acting State Librarian Nancy Hoover confirmed that the State Library is
seriously considering creating an EDIA consultant position after hearing
feedback through multiple channels, including the petition. The State
Library thanked and acknowledged Marci Ramiro-Jenkins, the OLA EDIA
Committee, and other Oregon library staff of color for their work, and
agreed that a “statewide paid EDIA consultant would help alleviate some of
that extra weight placed on our colleagues of color and hopefully inspire
local libraries to focus more attention on EDIA issues.” We celebrate State
Library leaders’ recognition of the burden placed on OLA’s BIPOC members
doing EDIA work and their positive response to the recommendation to
address it.


Despite what has been suggested over the course of this conversation, the
OLA Executive Board did not and does not expect tacit agreement with every
action we take. This is a large organization with diverse membership, and
we attempt to consider and represent our members accordingly. Our strategic
goal of inclusion will not always result in harmony. We do expect
engagement in public conversations to be thoughtful and careful not to
cause harm, especially to our BIPOC colleagues.


The OLA Executive Board is working to improve transparency and
communication within our organization. If you have any questions or
concerns about Board actions and decisions, we encourage you to reach out
to us directly. All members’ names, roles, and email addresses are listed
on the OLA website (https://www.olaweb.org/executive-board
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/6>
).



Additionally, OLA Executive Board meetings are open and OLA members are
welcome and encouraged to attend. We post our agendas, minutes, and virtual
meeting information on the OLA website (
https://www.olaweb.org/executive-board-meetings
<http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/dd38660f-a773-401f-b0aa-2ff276c90c5f/7>).
This year, the Board has instituted informal “drop-in” meetings to allow
OLA members to engage with the OLA President, Association Manager, and
other OLA leaders. Our next drop in meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2022
at 10:00 am. We encourage anyone that has questions about Board activities
to attend this meeting.



Sincerely,

Oregon Library Association 2021-22 Executive Board


Arlene Weible, OLA President

Marci Ramiro-Jenkins, OLA Vice-President/President-Elect

Kate Lasky, OLA Past President

Stuart Levy, OLA Treasurer

Star Khan, OLA Secretary

Sami Kerzel, OLA Member-At-Large

Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney, OLA's Representative to ALA Council

Emily Ford, Academic Division/ACRL-Oregon President

Susan Cackler, Children's Services Division Chair

Grace Butler, Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) President

Denise Auld, Oregon Young Adult Network Chair

Halsted Bernard, Public Library Division Chair

Eduardo Arizaga, REFORMA Co-Chair

Bobbye Hernandez, REFORMA Co-Chair

Rinny Lakin, Support Staff Division Chair







-- 
Arlene Weible
Oregon Library Association President, 2021-2022
olapresident at olaweb.org
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