As a librarian, I find that my colleagues and I are deeply committed to continuing our professional development in order to provide the highest level of service to our patrons. That includes participating in symposia such as those held by the Greater New York Metropolitan Area Chapter/Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL/NY). I was happy to attend my third symposium on December 2, 2016, where the theme of the event was "Money & Power."

Discussions of money and power are so relevant in this day and age. The income gap has widened extensively in the past few decades and librarians have witnessed its effects first-hand on their patrons. Many of us seek to narrow the income gap through our work in public, academic, and research libraries. Those who have more money in libraries inevitably have more power in terms of how the institution's wealth is spent and which projects are funded. If money is used to support research in the labor movement, that can affect how workers obtain and utilize union protection. 

I first attended the conference for the Association of College and Research Libraries/NY Chapter in 2012, and since then I flirted with the idea of joining the symposium committee. I finally took the plunge in 2015, and so this was my second year on the committee. It was a terrific learning experience to collaborate with many colleagues in the NYC area, most of which work in academic institutions. I also had the awesome opportunity to moderate the labor and libraries panel discussion. We were treated to four interesting presentations and panel discussions.

I. Power, Standards & Library Instruction

Gina Levithan moderated a discussion amongst Jill Conte and Andrew Battista (both from NYU), Shannon Simpson from Johns Hopkins University and Emily Drabinski from Long Island University, Brooklyn campus. The panelists mentioned that it is important to teach students how to interpret and work with data. Battista mentioned that social norms lead to how data is collected and interpreted, which data is collected, and how research questions are formed, analyzed and pursued in higher education. He used as an example rape incidents in the United States that occurred between 1960 and 2012. The definition of rape influenced the collection of data. Rape was defined as a violation between a female and male, which excluded same-gender sexual violence.

Simpson mentioned the fact that about 8% of scholarship recipients to colleges were minorities, and she would like to see more cultural competence in libraries. We need to correct ourselves when we find ourselves saying or doing things that are rooted in stereotypes. She had a discussion with a top businessperson who said, "I don't think that African American males have the mind for engineering." He went on to say that he had never interviewed a competent Black engineer. Simpson believes that the person's education had failed him. We need to do more than pay lip service to diversity and inclusion in libraries. Faculty can also help by practicing inclusivity in the classroom with students. Students need to feel that they are accepted, no matter what their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. is.

II. Power, Labor & Archives

I moderated this panel, which started off with a presentation from Stacie Williams of LYRASIS. Then, Aliqae Geraci and Jim Delrusso, both from Cornell University, discussed their online collection of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) from unions. Williams wants a more equitable system of labor, and she would like to see more care-giving and feminism in the work that librarians do. The proliferation of unpaid internships and volunteer work indicates to those participating that we do not value their work. This is especially true and in need of rectification given the astronomical costs of higher education these days. Some of the Library of Congress Subject Headings can be dehumanizing or they do not value cultural or other types of diversity. In addition, Williams opined that we must be cognizant of people's need for privacy. They may not want to be known for fear that they may be hurt. Williams ended with the impactful statement, "Money, power and respect, what you need in life."

Geraci and Delrusso discussed the process of their accumulating data from the United States regarding their collective bargaining agreements of unions. They wanted to make the data public on Cornell University's web site. Only two states, Delaware and Rhode Island, never got back to the researchers with any information regarding the union contracts. They discovered that there exists a lack of standards regarding CBAs. The states that had CBAs always made them available to the public. New Jersey, which is known as a pro-union state, had the oldest records of CBAs, which dates back to the 1960s. Labor has long been declining in this country, and Geraci expressed concern about what would happen to the labor movement and unions considering the recent presidential election, since the president-elect is seen as anti-union.

I asked if Williams had anything to add about what would happen to the labor movement in the wake of the recent national political climate. She stated that what occurs really depends on which research receives funding. If we can find supportive administrators to help fund some of this important research on labor in the United States, the work will get done.

III. Peer Review: Problems of Power

Gr Keer and Lana Mariko Wood from California State University, East Bay gave a presentation about peer review and how it influences libraries. The experts, or academics, determine whether a work is valid. Peer review is supposed to ensure that the research methods used in a particular study are reliable and valid. However, everyone has a different definition of what that should be. Also, having an article peer-reviewed does not guarantee high quality. There are alternatives to peer review, and there could be an over-emphasis on peer review in academia. We need to instruct students on how to evaluate a panoply of resources, including scholarly articles, magazines, newspapers and internet resources. Some resources are better for certain purposes, and some resources are better-received by particular audiences. Power in academic institutions influences who gets selected to be a peer-reviewer. We need to ensure that these processes are equitable and free from implicit or explicit biases.

IV. Money, Power & Vendor-Library Relationships

Joan moderated this panel on vendor-library relationships: Eileen Clancy from the CUNY Graduate Center, Angela Galvan from SUNY Geneseo and Nat Gustafson-Sundell from Minnesota State University, Mankato. The panel discussed using vendors in partnership with the library. Galvan expressed the sentiment that vendors have all of the power. An audience member suggested that we really should have had a vendor sit on the panel for a more balanced, multi-sided view. A vendor volunteered that she likes to work with library customers and ensure that their needs are met. 

Overall, the meeting, of course, was an unadulterated success. I thought that the theme was awesome. The audience members appeared to be engaged. I love networking with both experienced and neophyte librarians during the breaks and lunch. As always, ACRL/NY is known for its delectable entrees, and we did not disappoint this year. Participants were also pleased with  the swag, which included an awesome padfolio. We gave out scholarships to attend the conference to students, new and experienced librarians. There were also the door prizes and raffle ticket prizes, which were a hit. A fun day for all!

Are you a librarian interested in joining the symposium planning committee? 

Books on money and power in libraries

Books on libraries