What an amazing Annual Conference experience in San Diego! It was great to see strong attendance numbers of nearly 13,600, reflecting a continued desire for learning and engagement.
As we look ahead to meet the information needs of our membership, it is important that we stand united to remember why we work in this trusted profession. We have some big goals ahead with the hiring of the next ALA executive director, celebrating the Association’s 150th anniversary, creating a strategic plan to elevate the role of ALA throughout the field, and ensuring that we have strong member leadership to offer guidance and support. The Unite Against Book Bans rally was one of Annual’s many highlights and reflected all five focus areas of our core values: access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, the public good, and sustainability. With all the thoughtful work being shared, it is clear that we are poised to serve our communities in a valuable way.
In my Dakota community, I was raised with the understanding that we are all related, and that means making sustainable decisions for the good of every living being. Before a leader takes action, they are trusted to consider the effects of those decisions for our elders, the unborn, and everyone in between. Working together across generations—in a good way, as my presidential theme states—provides us with a framework based in protocols of respect to ensure positive outcomes for the good of the community, including the land, animals, waterways, and plant life.
If we work together, everyone can see themselves written in stories, their voices can be heard, and no one is silenced.
Achieving a balance between these responsibilities requires a thoughtful approach, and that is where trust is earned and a sense of belonging is formed. So what does that look like for everyone working in libraries as we share these responsibilities? As the first Dakota president and Spectrum Scholar representing the 1% of Indigenous librarians, I will reaffirm that diversifying the field remains overdue. We need to focus on creating opportunities for our colleagues to be represented across every library type in this field. When leaders come together to support the entire community, that act of selfless service elevates collective goodwill among us. The same is true for work life. When we remember what our ancestors taught us and use those teachings to make informed decisions, we can avoid pitfalls along the path toward equitable service.
We also must have the goal of eliminating acts of censorship. On June 2, 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act was passed, granting us dual citizenship. Also known as the Snyder Act, it provided Native Americans with new identities in a step toward equality. While voting credentials were provided to some, several states decided to withhold the same rights from Native American women. Even as the remaining states finally provided voting privileges by 1975, barriers remain today in rural areas where polling locations are out of reach or tribally issued identification cards are not considered an acceptable form of identification by states.
Access to libraries can also be a challenge in these rural areas. We have the ability to accept tribal IDs for library access and create sustainable employment opportunities to ensure success without barriers. That way no one is left behind when acts of censorship are creating a division among us. If we work together in this way, everyone can see themselves written in stories, their voices can be heard, and no one is silenced.
Our core values help us see that what one holds sacred is a touchstone in advancing this work as we strive to serve everyone in #AGoodWay together.
