New Working Draft For Comment From EveryLibrary Institute: “Divisive Politics and Threats to Academic Libraries”

From an EveryLibrary Institute Blog Post:

In “Divisive Politics and Threats to Academic Libraries,” the EveryLibrary Institute hopes to encourage academic librarians to proactively redefine their roles, engage in policy advocacy, and acquire the advanced training needed to lead in an environment that is fraught with legislative and ideological challenges. We have analyzed the situation and arrived at three key recommendations: Firstly, it is time to reinvigorate our educational roles to mobilize campus allies. Secondly, it is important to participate assertively in policy debates regarding the Higher Education Act. Finally, more academic librarians must pursue comprehensive policy training to navigate the intricacies of education policy at the campus, state, and federal levels. These recommendations aim to help academic librarians lead with foresight and confidence, ensuring that academic libraries remain institutions focused on knowledge, academic freedom, and innovation amidst systemic and ideological shifts.

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“Divisive Politics and Threats to Academic Libraries” was released as a Working Draft at ER&L 2024. We invite colleagues from across the academic library ecosystem to engage with the ideas, insights, and recommendations in this Working Draft and offer comments, feedback, and constructive criticism. We are actively seeking feedback on both the content and structure of the draft, including any points that may require clarification, expansion, or revision.

To make comments on “Divisive Politics and Threats to Academic Libraries”, please download the Word version of the paper at everylibraryinstitute.org/workingdraft0324 and send your comments, suggestions, or tracked changes to John Chrastka, Executive Director, EveryLibrary Institute, at john.chrastka@everylibrary.org as an attachment. Please respond by April 18, 2024.

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