<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">I feel like there are few times when I know as little about what I am doing as when I try to remember how to respond to Libs-Or messages that come in the digest, so I'll ask for forgiveness as I likely start a new thread ;)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">As a member of the Oregon library community, I proudly signed the petition to the SLO, because I *trust* the expertise of my colleagues. I trust in the hard work done in partnership, and I trust the conversations that were had with the State Library and OLA before this petition was put forward to the library community. I am so thankful for the work Marci, the OLA EDIAC members, and colleagues across the state are doing, and continue to do, to lead the movement to replace outdated and oppressive structures. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">In every single project I have worked on in the past two years as a consultant, the organizations I was working with recognized how crucial it is to make a clear and meaningful investment in equity work, and that such an investment is long, long overdue. As the lead consultant working on the State Library's LSTA evaluation, this is true of our State Library as well, as our Acting State Librarian shared in her message: <br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><br></div></div><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">"<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Currently we are reviewing our Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) </span><a href="http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/23c0d134-6c83-41f5-b199-a55d718d19e5/2" target="_blank" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">2018-22 Five-Year Plan</a><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">, which is how we heard so much feedback to prioritize EDIA. Thank you to everyone who participated in that process. The LSTA Five-Year Plan guides us on allocating the $2.5 million we receive annually in federal LSTA funds, and where staff in our </span><a href="http://ola.memberclicks.net/message2/link/23c0d134-6c83-41f5-b199-a55d718d19e5/3" target="_blank" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px">Library Support & Development Services division</a><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px"> focus their time. </span></div></div><div class="gmail_quote"><p><span style="font-size:12px">Over the next few months, we’ll be writing the new 2023-27 Five-Year Plan based on the feedback we’ve heard, including through this petition. We feel confident saying now that EDIA will be an important part of our new plan, particularly considering its complete absence from the current plan. The new plan will be finalized by the end of June 2022 and implemented starting in July 2023.<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">"</span></span></p></div></blockquote><div class="gmail_quote"><p><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">We must move forward together, in solidarity, and we need to do so by trusting the experts we are fortunate to work with and the voices of our colleagues who call on us to take action — and, as others have mentioned, with those of us in positions of privilege to be continuously committed to learning, and learning from our mistakes.</span><br></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">Stephanie Chase<br></span></span><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif">Executive Director, Libraries of Eastern Oregon<br></span><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif">Founding Principal, Constructive Disruption</span><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"></span></p><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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Message: 8<br>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2022 10:33:48 -0800<br>
From: Steve Silver <<a href="mailto:stevesilver673@gmail.com" target="_blank">stevesilver673@gmail.com</a>><br>
To: Meredith Farkas <<a href="mailto:meredith.farkas@pcc.edu" target="_blank">meredith.farkas@pcc.edu</a>><br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:thall@ala.org" target="_blank">thall@ala.org</a>, "<a href="mailto:libs-or@omls.oregon.gov" target="_blank">libs-or@omls.oregon.gov</a>"<br>
<<a href="mailto:libs-or@omls.oregon.gov" target="_blank">libs-or@omls.oregon.gov</a>>, "<a href="mailto:REFORMANet@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">REFORMANet@googlegroups.com</a>"<br>
<<a href="mailto:REFORMANet@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">REFORMANet@googlegroups.com</a>><br>
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] About the Petition to the State Library of<br>
Oregon<br>
Message-ID:<br>
<CAGUZvy-qrn=c8NcOGVkc9GmK-9hFK9=<a href="mailto:HG8dJm5fdOv3rr3PHow@mail.gmail.com" target="_blank">HG8dJm5fdOv3rr3PHow@mail.gmail.com</a>><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"<br>
<br>
Apologies for being late to this conversation (crazy week and just now<br>
getting to some of my emails). Meredith and Matthew have wonderfully<br>
expressed why this petition and work deserve our support. Kate, your<br>
articulate perspective on the OLA board dynamics that led to the petition<br>
is immensely helpful. Penny, your willingness to be a respectful voice<br>
raising questions about process that I had not originally considered, while<br>
still supporting the intent of the petition, is appreciated. Nancy, your<br>
explanation of the State Library's engagement with this topic, and<br>
procedures they are/will be required to follow, is a helpful addition to<br>
this conversation. Many thanks go to the OLA board for wrestling with this<br>
topic in good faith and with intention. And of course, much thanks to Marci<br>
for her leadership in this area, even while carrying the extra emotional<br>
and cognitive labor we as a profession and society far too often tacitly<br>
(or explicitly) expect from our BIPOC colleagues.<br>
<br>
I think we can all agree that change is needed. At least I hope we can all<br>
agree on that point. Librarianship remains more white than the US<br>
population and has seen little to no improvement despite efforts and<br>
rhetoric dedicated to improving representation of BIPOC. What we have been<br>
trying to do has not been effective. New approaches are needed. Change by<br>
definition means disrupting the status quo. Disruption and change are messy<br>
and uncomfortable. If it were clean and easy we likely would have<br>
accomplished it by now. Missteps by all involved will inevitably happen as<br>
we struggle together to forge a new and better path. In my opinion, those<br>
missteps and my discomfort pale in comparison to the systematic injustice<br>
and harm we as a profession and society continue to inflict on our BIPOC<br>
colleagues, potential colleagues, and communities. Policies, procedures,<br>
and ethics exist for good reason and ought not to be lightly abandoned or<br>
ignored. But dismantling white supremacy in our profession requires<br>
dismantling policies, procedures, and even ethics that are doing harm<br>
rather than their intended good. If we are smart we will learn from our<br>
missteps, but not let them derail us from the critically important,<br>
difficult, messy work of dismantling white supremacy within our profession.<br>
This old, white, hetero, male fully supports this work being done by the<br>
OLA board, the EDI Anti-Racism committee, the State Library, and especially<br>
Marci and our other BIPOC colleagues, despite whatever mistakes will be<br>
made along the way. I continue to learn, grow, and make mistakes. May we<br>
all do the same.<br>
<br>
Steve Silver<br>
</blockquote></div></div>