Hateful conduct in libraries: A new ALA resource

During the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services and the Office for Intellectual Freedom launched a new resource, “Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Supporting Library Workers and Patrons,” in response to a spike in reported hate crimes in libraries across the US, which the two offices began tracking in 2016. The resource outlines best practices on how to create environments that discourage hate speech and hateful conduct in the library, what steps library workers should take after an incident, and how libraries can better meet community needs.

Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services, Feb. 14

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Emily Temple writes: “As you might have heard, on [June 24], the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, eliminating Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion and dragging the country back in time almost 50 years. If you’re looking for help making sense of it all, here are just a few recent pieces we recommend.” The list includes a recent New York Times essay by librarian and public intellectual Tressie McMillan Cottom (pictured).

LitHub, June 28; The New York Times, June 28
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Liz Mineo writes: “Collections at Schlesinger Library at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute document the abortion dispute in the US, providing rich historical and political context and offering insights into the evolution of one of the nation’s most stubbornly polarizing issues. The holdings of Schlesinger, a research library on the history of women in America, include archival materials that chronicle the dispute from both the abortion rights and the anti-abortion movements, said Jenny Gotwals, Johanna-Maria Fraenkel Curator for Gender and Society there. Among them are photographs, records of abortion-rights organizations, posters of anti-abortion advocates, and personal letters of women asking for help to terminate their pregnancies, as well as personal papers and documents of anti-abortion activists.”

Harvard Gazette, June 28
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Laura Sackton writes: “These days I cannot get short stories into my bloodstream fast enough. There are so many! More come out every month! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with non-queer short story collections, but as someone who grew up hungering for queer lit, this current abundance is especially satisfying.”

Book Riot, June 28
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Madeleine List writes: “Parents who attended an LGBTQ-themed storytime at a Wilmington, North Carolina, public library say members of the Proud Boys protested outside and entered the building during the event to antagonize them.… ‘I was starkly nervous that they were in the building,’ one parent said. ‘I definitely felt unsafe at that point. I never imagined that the police would allow them to go into the library.’”

Qnotes Carolinas, June 25
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Alisha Ebrahimji writes: “A library board in New York reversed its decision to remove all LGBTQ-related displays from its children’s section in four of its libraries during Pride Month after the removal was criticized. On [June 21], four out of seven Smithtown Library Board of Trustees had voted to remove all Pride material displays from the children’s section in its Commack, Kings Park, Nesconset, and Smithtown locations on Long Island.… On [June 23], however, the board met once again for an emergency meeting to talk about the ban, resulting in a reversal on a 4–2 vote. The Pride Month material will remain on display through July 15 and be removed afterward at the supervisory librarian’s discretion.”

CNN, June 24
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Brett Zongker writes: “Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that historian George Chauncey will receive the 2022 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. Chauncey is the DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. He directs the Columbia Research Institute on the Global History of Sexualities. ‘Professor Chauncey’s trailblazing career gave us all better insight into, and understanding of, the LGBTQ+ community and history,’ Hayden said. ‘His work that helped transform our nation’s attitudes and laws epitomizes the Kluge Center’s mission to support research at the intersection of the humanities and public policy.’ Chauncey is the first scholar in LGBTQ+ studies to receive the prize.”

Library of Congress Blog, June 22
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Deanna Schwartz writes: “Authors are protesting Amazon’s ebook return policy, a system they say allows readers to ‘steal’ from self-published authors. Amazon’s current return policy for ebooks allows customers to ‘cancel an accidental book order within seven days.’ But, for some readers, seven days is more than enough time to finish a book and return it after reading, effectively treating Amazon like a library.… Those suggesting the read-and-return practice think they’re ‘sticking it to Amazon’ but in reality are only harming the authors, said Eva Creel, a fantasy writer who publishes under the name E. G. Creel. ‘I have my book available at the library. If somebody wants to read it for free, they can,’ Creel said.”

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