Media contact:
Beth Dempsey, 248.349.7810 or beth@bethdempsey.com
May 30, 2006 (EVANSTON, ILLINOIS) -- The Urban Libraries Council will be a sponsor of the first-ever Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC). The conference, which gathers members of the five ethnic caucuses affiliated with the American Library Association, will be held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Dallas, October 11 – 15, 2006.
The ULC sponsorship of the JCLC is part of the ULC’s larger initiative to help build a more diverse librarian workforce. Other ULC programs include Librarians for America’s Neighborhoods, a work/study scholarship program funded by the Institute for Museum & Library Services (IMLS) that expands the learning of library science students to include issues of particular interest to publics in metropolitan areas, preparing them as urban professionals. The program recruits from a broad demographic mix, reflective of the changing demographics of the neighborhoods in which these librarians work.
The aim of the JCLC is to provide a forum for librarians, library workers and advocates who provide library services to communities of color to share experiences and learn from practitioners and experts in the field. Planning for the conference, whose theme is “Gathering at the Waters: Embracing Our Spirits, Telling Our Stories,” has been in the works since 2001. The conference steering committee is composed of representatives from the Asian/Pacific Librarians Association (APALA), the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and the Chinese American Library Association (CALA) and REFORMA, the association to promote library and information services to Latinos and Spanish speaking populations. The conference includes tracked programs, pre-conference institutes, keynote addresses, a variety of all-conference events and exhibits.
“We’re proud to be a sponsor of this conference. We believe it will focus energy on increasing the number and diversity of professional librarians,” said Martín Gómez, president of the ULC. “More importantly, we value the contribution it will make to the continuous re-invention of library service by providing a forum for fresh ideas.”
For more information about the Urban Libraries Council and its programs to increase the diversity of the librarian workforce visit on the web at urbanlibraries.org. For more information about the JCLC visit http://www.ala.org/ala/olos/jointconferenceoflibrariansofcolor/geninfo.htm.
For more than 30 years the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has worked to strengthen public libraries as an essential part of urban life. A membership organization of North America’s premier public library systems and the corporations that serve them, the ULC serves as a forum for sharing best practices resulting from targeted research, education and forecasting. The ULC’s programs are acclaimed for inspiring new organizational models that invigorate urban libraries and enrich the areas surrounding them. The ULC is headquartered in Evanston, Illinois. For more information, visit the group on the Web at www.urbanlibraries.org. |
