On February 26, several dozen librarians brought library-themed picket signs to the Wisconsin Capitol Building in Madison to show solidarity with protesters entering their third week of demonstrations opposing Gov. Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill, which includes the permanent abolishment of most collective-bargaining rights for the state’s public-sector employees.
“Librarians fight for everyone’s rights,” read the sign carried by Carrie Gostomski (left), while Ellen Barksdale Jacks (center) cautions “Please do not shoosh me. Librarians will not be silenced.”
The group, organized by University of Wisconsin at Madison library school student Omar Poler, may have constituted a more visible library contingent than the individual information professionals who have been joining the protesters for days, according to Wisconsin library organizations.