Month: October 2004

ALA: Conservative Bastion

Posted on by jessamyn

I figure anyone who wanted to bookmark Library Dust has done so already but I feel the need to draw your attention to Michael’s holiday selections which, while not always in good taste, are pretty amusing to me

ALA: Conservative Bastion by Anonymous (ALA Editions). A smoking-gun expose of the right-wing bent of the ALA Council and Executive Board, written by an insider. Author reveals secret support for Republican candidates, coded support for Patriot Act in outwardly opposed resolutions. Book reveals the shadowy cabal which controls lunch selections at Council meetings, exposes the “fleshpot environment” of annual conventions.

meet the anarchist librarians

Posted on by jessamyn

My friend Chuck0, perhaps the best known anarchist librarian has posted the notes from a post-ALA talk he gave in June: Meet the Anarchist Librarians. Chuck is a very good writer and he’s thought about these topics a lot. Even if you’re not into the whole radical politics thing, I think you’ll enjoy his article.

Speaking truth to power is something that anarchists are good at. We are excellent gadflys, iconoclasts, critics, curmudgeons, activists. We criticize, we challenge the powerful, be it the state, the rich, or the guys who speak too much in a meeting. We are also good at criticizing our comrades, which often gets us into trouble with leftists who discourage dissent amongst comrades. Being able to speak your mind freely is important. Self-censorship among library colleagues exists and it is a problem. [lisnews]