Celebrating Librarianship

LibLearnX begins this week. For me, it means the culmination of my work on ALSC’s Legacy committee as well as the likely end of my ALA conferencing. For ALA it means the end of LibLearn X. I’ve often wondered how the professional organization for such a low paying profession could ever, with any degree of conscience, hold two large annual conferences, plus those for the many divisions within the organization. Actually, LibLearn X began as MidWinter and that began as a space for committee work. Maybe, if it can be salvaged, it will return to that. Perhaps it can become a low-cost space that will library professionals across the country can participate in.

I’ve paged through American Libraries, connect with friends and found a lot to look forward to in Phoenix. As small as the conference has gotten, there’s always too much! Oh, nothing competes with the CSK’s sunrise service! If you’re there with me to greet the day, please know that Marva DeLoach is credited with suggesting that ALA, during the MidWinter Meeting, make the time to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A resolution was made and through the combined efforts of the SRRT Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Task Force (MLKTF) and ALA’s Office of Library and Outreach Services (OLOS) under the guidance of Satia Orange, the MLK Sunrise Celebration was established in 1999. The first celebration was held in San Antonio TX dur the 2000 Mdwinter Meeting.

 I do hate that I’ll miss the panel discussing the latest edition of The Handbook of Black Librarianship. I have a chapter in it that contextualizes the contributions of Black librarians in the field of youth literature. Editors Andrew P. Jackson, Marva Deloach, and Michele Fenton will all be present discussing the production process and highlighting some of the information in this necessary resource. I had the opportunity to interview the editors and am sharing our talk today in order to preview the conversation that will take place Saturday morning at the conference. I regret that I can’t be there; I’ll be finishing committee deliberations. Yes indeed LibLearnX will deliver until they turn the lights out!

Michele Fenton, MLIS, is a monographs catalog librarian at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. She is a past secretary for the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and the blogger for Little Known Black Librarian Facts.

Marva L. DeLoach is a retired Professor/Head Technical Services and Collection Development Librarian at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA and former Adjunct Professor San Jose State University/SIS.

Andrew ‘Sekou’ Jackson is an adjunct instructor of Black Studies at York College (CUNY). He serves as a member of the Queens Public Library Board of Trustees and is a past president of BCALA.

It’s my pleasure to share our conversation.

EC: What attracted you to become a librarian? What is, or was your favorite aspect of librarianship?

MF: My favorite aspect of librarianship is organizing and analyzing information in ways to make it discoverable by patrons. This is why I chose to become a catalog librarian.

ASJ:  I worked at Queens Public Library’s Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center for three years, initially as the assistant supervisor and then as executive director. I was hooked on their mission to serve Queens County, (in New York City), with a circulating Black Heritage collection, an after-school homework program, and a wide variety of cultural programs. This was a unique approach to providing library services from 1969 through the 80’s when I came aboard. This approach attracted the non-library user and readers and transformed them into library users and readers through a combination of books and arts and culture. 

At the same time, I registered at York College (CUNY) to complete my undergraduate degree and took my first Black Studies course. This combination of exposure to Black Culture in the classroom and the Langston Hughes Library Center as the public library’s ‘federally funded special project’ was the perfect place for me. I remained in that role for 36 years and helped guide and grow it from an experimental Black Heritage storefront library to full branch status and a new state of the art library center, now 55 years old.  

MLD: I have always been a voracious reader. Libraries were where I found books and places where I felt that I belonged. In high school, I became a member of SLAG (Student Library Assistant Group) and worked in the school library. Perhaps subconsciously, librarianship and I were joined at the hips.

When I graduated with my BS, I was offered two scholarships: one to study for my doctorate in Mathematics, however I would not get a master’s if I dropped out of school before obtaining my doctorate; the other scholarship was to study for my MSLIS. After much consideration, I decided that I’d be better equipped to obtain a position if I had degrees in both fields as well as combining all of my subject interests. Besides I thought I could always get a doctorate later; if, and when I decided to do so.

During Library School—the joining of my hips with librarianship- I took most of my courses in technical services management while also taking course in reference and collection resources to become as well rounded as possible. Fortunately, I have been able to work in all of these specialties in both academic and public libraries while being in contact with other types of libraries.

EC: How does The Handbook of Black Librarianship remind us of the importance of librarians in general and Black librarians in particular?

MF: The Handbook of Black Librarianship reminds us of how important the work of librarians is to the communities they serve. We help people locate information and resources that are important to them whether it is through reader advisory services, bibliographic instruction, collection management, programming, cataloging, outreach, information literacy, electronic resources, and other services. At the same time, The Handbook of Black Librarianship provides readers the opportunity to learn about these services through the lens of Black librarians,

ASJ: One of my main goals for this edition was for it to represent all facets of the librarian/library voices and perspectives. Too often we are exposed to our profession through the eyes of the librarian, but not necessarily from all of the other professional voices of the non-librarian non-degreed staff, IT, clerical support staff, trustees, volunteers, retirees, patrons/customers, book publishers/vendors to name a few.  Libraries meet their goals and missions through the combined efforts of all and everyone employed by, working with or supporting of the library. As the African proverb reads, “It takes a village!” I wanted this edition to include all those voices, tell all their stories. 

 Secondly, this edition needed to show the advancements, successes and critical issues over the 22 years since the second edition. So much has happened with the expanded roles that libraries have taken and the technical advancements that impact how we do business and serve our particular communities. 

This third edition can serve as a barometer of the state of Librarianship as a profession and in particular, a barometer from Black Librarian community perspective, and service to a wide user base in various settings. 

Finally, our goal is for this edition to carry on the literary legacy of Dr. E. J. Josey and stand atop all the books, essays and speeches he gave on Black Librarianship.

MLD: The Handbook of Black Librarianship reiterates the vitality of libraries in all communities. Libraries are epicenters of our communities. They provide education, access to technology, teach about career opportunities, the list goes on and on.

EC: This book is written about Black librarianship. Is it written only for Blacks who are librarians?

MF: The Handbook of Black Librarianship is written for anyone wanting to learn about the contributions and achievements of the Black/African Diaspora in libraries, librarianship, and the communities they serve. It’s a resource for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, etc.  Even if you are not a librarian, this book is for you.

MLD: YES, written about Black librarianship, but as a reference with resources for everyone!!

ASJ:  The Third Edition of the Handbook of Black Librarianship is for everyone who works in, loves or uses the library. It is a relevant and useful resource that will benefit any reader; offering vital points of view, historical and organizational information, with honest and open reflections from and about the Black Experience within and related to Librarianship.  

Filed under: Interviews