Thinking Ahead 2009

Radical Reference

Facilitated by Laura Crossett

THOUGHTS

Democracy is the protection of the rights of the people

Alternative media voices are needed

Look at where library services are not being provided (activists, prisoners, etc)

Are libraries serving the wealthy conservatives?

Pilot project – Librarians To-Go
- town hall meetings
- critical mass bike ride

Alternative publishers: how do we bring in stuff that is more out there?

Diversity Advisory Boards — people of varied cultural backgrounds giving feedback

Focus Groups for different communities – what can we do for you, materials/services we can provide?

Getting information to people who are disenfranchised, such as jailed inmates.

Get prisoner rights groups and prison librarians together to discuss solutions.

MudFlap Girl – Wyoming State Library hired a PR firm to develop an advertising campaign: “We’re shifting gears”

Different ways to provide reference services – need new models; in course of trying to find different communities perhaps join those communities combine two parts of your own life.

I’d love to be able to target students in school before they get into jobs, prepare them. I want proactive, wide awake, intellectually stimulated patrons.

Zinesters - how to start a zine collection, what they represent/preserve

Using open source software

Answering questions from alternative press, students (activists, independent journalists)

Invest in intellectual capital by facilitating, focusing on important issues
What is intellectual capital? Ephemeral links/information that needs to be archived.

Discussion forums to attract people from all parts of the community to weigh in on the topic [gun control, abortion, immigration] to keep things vibrant.

Our ability to serve as a central neutral place to discuss topics such as those.

Changes in government — governor’s page disappeared when he was promoted to Secretary. Part of our intellectual capital?

Reactions to digitization — post 1993 government docs are only viewable in snippets on Google (government reports are public domain vs. copyrighted books)

New Orleans school libraries – history of neighborhoods, collected by the small local library were lost in Katrina.

Initiate discussions with partnerships (League of Women Voters)

Should libraries remain neutral? You can always provide forums to have discussions.

Website is one thing a library does that serves a particular group like story-time, large print, etc. Encourage staff who have a passion for those specific formats to work on them.

QUESTIONS

Do you have a plan to bring in alternative media to your collection?

Is there a way to reach out to the college community activists?

Who is your citizen?

What can we do to invest in the intellectual capitol in our communities?

What is intellectual capital?

All of those things born digital that are part of our community [government web pages, schools sites,etc] — are they being preserved?

Should libraries remain neutral?

Should libraries have a role in online social networking?

QUOTES

“Every ref librarian I know could be a better councilmember than the current members” — Peggy Cadigan

“Cowboy etiquette: if you knock them down, you then help them back up.” — Lisa Myron

“We see our users as active subjects engaged in a process of making sense of the world.” (Submitted by jonny on RadicalReference.info)

CONNECTIONS

Radical Reference

Library endowments, see Wyoming Library Association

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