Digital Library Federation (DLF) Releases Statement on Charlottesville and White Supremacy

From the Digital Library Federation (DLF):

As an organization dedicated to values we believe are inherent in the mission of libraries—equitable access, diverse collections and communities, and caring collaboration—the Digital Library Federation strongly condemns the white supremacist and neo-Nazi rallies and attacks that took place in Charlottesville, VA and which continue to threaten other communities. We express our condolences to all those harmed by violence and violent ideologies, and we commend our colleagues at UVa and in the Charlottesville community, including many from libraries and archives, who counter-protested and resisted in the face of hate.
Bigotry and racism are anathema to the mission of the Digital Library Federation.  We believe that the creative design and wise application of digital library technologies can democratize access, advance understanding, and increase social justice and the public good. Toward these important ends, DLF actively promotes a library and digital library culture that opposes the oppressive ideologies and actions we witnessed in Charlottesville, and instead fosters intersections and compassion across our differences—differences which we recognize as strength. In February, 2017 CLIR and DLF affirmed that we “stand with our community in determined opposition to any political policies, actions, and divisive ideologies…that contravene our shared, core values of enlightened liberalism and scientific understanding, and threaten our mission to create just, equitable, and sustained global cultures of accessible information.”
The Digital Library Federation will continue to argue for and enable these critical values. The hatred and violence of bigotry and white supremacy have no place in this world, and serve to marginalize and oppress the most vulnerable among us, while impoverishing us all. Only together can we strive toward the values we hold dear.

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See Also: Statement: Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) on White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (August 18, 2017)
See Also: ACRL Board of Directors Condemns Racism and Violence in Charlottesville (August 17, 2017)

See Also: Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Condemns Inflammatory Speech and Violence after Charlottesville Tragedy (August 16, 2017)
See Also: ALA Condemns Racism and Violence in Charlottesville (August 15, 2017)

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