Five librarians discuss questions of democracy, censorship, libraries, and books. The panelists—Antioch’s Jen Sturge and Miranda Doyle, incoming AASL President Becky Calzada, 2023 Maryland School Librarian of the Year Sheri Anita Massey, and University of Baltimore librarian Allison Jennings-Roche—discuss how librarians can best serve students in the current political reality, the duty to present a wide variety a viewpoints, and best practices in resisting attempts to destroy public libraries entirely. “This is actually the first time that it’s been criminalized for librarians and library workers to do their jobs,” says Jennings-Roche. “This is the first time we have ever been under threat of going to jail for providing access to materials.”
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Episode Notes
To learn more about this event and the larger Antioch Works for Democracy initiative, visit the Antioch Works for Democracy libguide. You can also watch a full-length video recording of the event on our YouTube channel.
If you enjoyed this conversation, you may want to listen to our interview with Jen Sturge and Christie Kaaland, “S6 E10: Facing Book Bans and Budget Pressure, School Librarians Show Their Importance”
This panel discussion was recorded as part of the Antioch Works for Democracy speaker series on September 24, 2024 via Zoom. It was released on December 4, 2024.
The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University
Guest Host: Nastasia Green
Host: Jasper Nighthawk
Editor: Nastasia Green
Web Content Coordinator: Jen Mont
Work-Study Interns: Stefanie Paredes, Lauren Arienzale, Grace Kurfman, Dani LaPointe, Liza Wisner, Natalie Obando, and Diana Dinerman.
Additional Production Help: Karen Hamilton, Amelia Bryan, Adrienne Applegate, Jamila Gaskin, Harold Hale, Margaret Morgan, Laurien Alexandre, and Melinda Garland.
Guests
Allison Jennings–Roche, PhD is Associate Director of Digital Initiatives & Collections at the University of Baltimore. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland.
Miranda Doyle is adjunct faculty at Antioch University as well as a librarian for the Southern Oregon Education Services District, currently supporting schools in the Klamath County School District
Sheri Anita Massey earned her PhD in Information Studies and her Master of Library Science degrees from the University of Maryland College of Information Studies. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pittsburgh. A former classroom teacher and university instructor, Dr. Massey is currently the school librarian at Cabin John Middle School in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools. Her research interests include digital libraries for children, the information behavior of urban youth, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of school library media programs to promote student learning. She was selected as Maryland School Librarian of the Year for 2023
Becky Calzada is the District Library Coordinator in Leander, Texas, and a co-founding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters. She is the incoming President of the American Association of School Librarians.
Jennifer Sturge is a core faculty in the School of Education at Antioch University. She has been a proponent of both school and public libraries since she won the Calvert Library bookmark creation contest at the age of 7. An avid reader and life-long learner, Jennifer has been an educator for her entire adult life. She has served as a special education teacher, school librarian, and coordinator of school library programs for Calvert County Public Schools, Maryland. In 2018, she began teaching in higher education as an adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland and McDaniel College, Warminster, MD. She has also taught in higher education at Towson University, Wayne State University, and Pennsylvania Western University in their library programs.
SE Transcript
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