Advancing IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, 4 February 2025

The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.

Black History Month and Black librarians

In the United States, February is Black History Month, a commemoration that has roots that go back to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson first established “Negro History Week” aligned with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Many libraries and other cultural heritage institutions mark the month with events, a special focus on book and other collections, and more.

The theme for Black History Month in 2025 is “African Americans and Labor,” and in keeping with that theme a WorldCat.org list focusing on the “History of African American Librarians” caught my eye. This list features not only books but articles, audio recordings, archival collections, and images. There is so much to learn and appreciate about the contributions of Black librarians, and this list is just a starting point. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt

2025 Day of Remembrance

On 19 February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of Americans of Japanese ancestry from Washington, Oregon, and California. 120,000 people were forcibly moved to one of ten concentration camps. Each February this event is observed as a Day of Remembrance as a way of reflecting on the experience of incarceration and its multi-generational impacts, as well as the importance of protecting civil liberties for all. The website of the Japanese American Citizen League lists many planned events for sharing and commemoration.

Growing up in California, the remains of remote and desolate concentration camps and former “assembly centers” (mostly racetracks and fairgrounds) were physical reminders of the experiences of those who had been displaced. Stories of those who had been incarcerated were part of my childhood as well, but it is only more recently that these memories have been shared more openly. An upcoming event on 18 February at the US National Archives and Records Administration will help kick off the tour of the Ireichō, a book that lists the over 125,000 persons who were incarcerated. The tour will include events at major incarceration sites and will allow many people to interact and engage with the book as part of a learning and healing experience. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt

The facts about book bans

On 26 January, the American Library Association issued a response to the US Department of Education’s assertions that book bans have been a “hoax” in an article entitled “ALA to U.S. Department of Education: Book bans are real.” Citing the data that ALA has compiled, Censorship by the Numbers breaks down some 1,247 censorship demands during 2023, by the target (including books, displays, programs, and films), by the source (such as patrons, parents, pressure groups, and elected officials), and by the type of library or institution.

The book ban conversation is nothing new, and has been covered in many previous issues of IDEAs. But it is not just ALA that is covering this issue and giving resources. On 27 January, the free weekly online newsletter Shelf Awareness commented on the Department of Education’s actions, folding in responses from PEN America and Authors Against Book Bans. Contributed by Jay Weitz.

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