Emma Antobam-Ntekudzi was a recipient of an ACRL DVC’s travel grant. She attended the 3rd National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) from September 26th to September 30th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Below are a few words from Emma about the conference and what she learned:
“JCLC is organized by the ALA ethnic affiliates: Black Caucus of the American Library (BCALA), American Indian Library Association (AILA), Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). This year’s conference brought together librarians of color who were all thrilled to join in fellowship. The theme of Gathering All People’s: Embracing Culture & Community was evident in the diverse topics and cultures represented. Many sessions focused on retention efforts, hiring and support; JCLC was a safe space to share personal experiences and challenges particular to librarians of color in the field of librarianship.”
“Tribal libraries are planned and administered by a tribe, pueblo, village or Native group. Its purpose is to contribute to nation building. Their beginnings originated in treaties with the United States Government that outlined federal support for educational provisions; libraries are included in that description. In the 60s and 70s documents on tribal libraries were disorganized and neglected. In 1974 only 17 Native American librarians were identified in ALA. That number has since increased but there is still poor recruitment of Native librarians. In the late 1970s, modern Native leadership pushed for establishing and improving these libraries. A major victory occurred in Denver 1978 with the White House Preconference on Indian Library & Information Services on or near Reservations. This was a significant step in the development of tribal libraries and it was the first known Indian meeting concerned with library services. The National Indian Omnibus Library Bill mandated federal funding for tribal libraries. As of now 1% of IMLS funding goes to tribal libraries.”
“Diversity and inclusion remain a significant part of the conversation around librarianship and this was addressed at JCLC. I attended a session entitled Diversity and Research: Impact on Decision Makin in Libraries and LIS Education where a panel of library directors, university professors and librarians talked about diversity leadership, implicit bias and stereotyping in workplaces. Attendees shared their experiences involving microaggressions amongst colleagues; for librarians of color, such encounters create anxiety, outrage, a sense of exclusion and workplace stress. Panelists focused on the need for more diversity programs within libraries as well as job descriptions that include diversity requirements or cultural competency components.”
“Another session called Mentoring the Next Generation of Librarians of Color emphasized the importance of mentoring. As a tool, mentoring can help with retention and provide librarians of color with a sense of belonging.”
Read Emma’s full report here: JCLC_Conference Report
This concludes travel grant reports for this year’s winners.