ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 5 6 8 /C&RL News Conference C ircu it Culture k e e p e rs : Today's A frican A m erican lib ra ria n s By Gladys Smiley Bell BCALA ’s Second National Conference, A ugust 1994 J am bo (hello) was the greeting spoken byStanton F. Biddle, president of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), w hen he officially opened the Sec­ ond National Conference of African American Librarians. Sponsored by the BCALA, the conference was held on August 5-7,1994. More than 1,000 librarians, exhibitors, and friends/supporters attended the conference in Milwaukee, Wis­ consin. The conference theme, “Culture Keep­ ers IL Unity through Diversity,” was addressed with about 90 programs that inspired, enlight­ ened, informed, and entertained. More than 200 vendors displayed their products in the exhib­ its area. The conference opened with a keynote ad­ dress by the editor-in-chief of Essence maga­ zine, Susan Taylor. Considered the most “influ­ ential black w om an in journalism today,” Taylor engaged the audience w ith an inspirational speech that was like music to all ears. She said, “Once you achieve comfort within yourself, then other goals will becom e attainable.” She im­ pressed upon the audience that as culture keep­ ers, we should continue to focus on informing, providing, and instilling proudly our history and our stories in our communities; it is our re­ sponsibility. Highlights of the programs The ACRL Afro American Studies Librarians Sec­ tion (AFAS) participated in the conference with a program entitled “Using Internet Resource Location Tools to Find African American Stud­ ies Resources on the Internet.” The presenta­ tion provided the audience with strategies on how to mainstream the Internet into traditional reference service and be conducive to a tech­ nologically intensive environment. The finding tools that exist for print also exist for networked information. Information was provided on how to access resources on the Internet as well as using the Internet as a reference tool for Afri­ can American studies and cross-cultural schol­ arly research. The Internet navigation tools cov­ e r e d in c lu d e d e-m ail, WAIS (W ide A rea In fo rm atio n Servers), WWW (W orld W ide W eb), HyTelnet, anon y m o u s ftp, gophers, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead. Academic librarians with ambitions to climb the career ladder filled the room for the “Lead­ ership in the 90s: Research Librarians Speak Part I & II” sessions. Their primary focus was on the developm ent of the leadership poten­ tial of African American librarians, on explor­ ing the issues African American librarians need to address in advancing their careers toward academic library management, and on prom ot­ ing career opportunities in the research library environment. Four African American library di­ rectors from ARL libraries discussed and shared insights on institutional politics; positioning as preparation for a leadership position; risk tak­ ing; and achieving success in the majority world. “Organizing African American Studies Re­ sources for Cultural Relevance: A Cataloger’s Dilemma” was presented by several AFAS mem­ bers. It addressed the issue of assuring that the bibliographic organization process results in retrieval tools and indexes that support and facilitate research in the study of African Ameri­ can heritage. It illustrated the need for catalog­ e d to be sensitive to users of African American collections by assigning subject headings that ensure effective and efficient retrieval. (BCALA cont. on page 570) Gladys Smiley Bell is coordinator o f electronic information services at Kent State University Library, Ohio; e-mail: gbell@kentvm. kent.edu kent.edu 5 7 0 /C&R L News of documents in Cuban academic libraries were presented. The Science and Technology Librar­ ies Section’s them e was Social Barriers to Ac­ cess of Scientific Information. Information lit­ eracy, linguistic obstructions, and underuse of scientific information were discussed as barri­ ers. The new ly established User Education Section’s program focused o n User Educa­ tion and Information Skills D evelopm ent in Public and School Libraries. Technological developments affecting librar­ ies w ere very m uch in evidence at the confer­ ence. A listserv com puter connection provided conference delegates with information before the conference and provided opportunities to communicate with colleagues while at the con­ ference. All of the documents from the G ener­ al Conference w ere available in WordPerfect 5.1 on disks in English, Spanish, and French. Mundo Latino filmed a documentary of high­ lights of the conference and a copy in any vid­ eo format was available. Video copies of indi­ vidual speeches by participants, the closing ceremony, and lectures were also available. The exhibition area included, among other options, product presentations, book signings, fashion shows, and Cuban films. Over 50 Cu­ b an exhibitors provided an overview o f the products available in the country. Books and software of interest to libraries were highlight­ ed at various times. Poster sessions provided examples of the excellent library programs being implemented in a num ber of countries with Cuban posters predominating. Cuban posters covered many topics, including training library technicians, computer-aided cataloging, updated informa­ tion with lower costs, and games to promote reading. The posters illustrated that Cuba clearly has w ell-developed libraries and library pro­ grams offering services for a wide range of us­ ers. A statement about conservation at the Jose Marti National Library summarizes the chal­ lenges facing libraries in Cuba today: “In spite of economic limitations in the ’90s, there has been a growth of hum an potential in Cuba, and we have continued working with slender resources and material shortage for preserva­ tion of our national bibliographic resources.” The 60th General IFLA conference was a very useful event filled with valuable exchang­ es of information and professional experienc­ es. Delegates learned about Cuban culture as well as libraries and came away with great re­ spect for the dedicated Cuban librarians. ■ (BCALA cont.from page 568) Problems encountered with subject access (i.e., appropriateness of heading, n eeded sub­ ject cross references, etc.) w ere the primary fo­ cus for librarians w ho assist users interested in information about African Americans. “The Dynamics of Information Apartheid” explored information access and African world com m unity em pow erm ent using Afrocentric ideas to address information apartheid and post­ m odern communication consciousness. Infor­ mation apartheid, defined “as a society in which one group has access to information and the others do not,” was positively presented for the creation of building alliances and sharing knowledge for “interconnecting” diversity in our national and international communities. Tony Brown, host of Tony Brown ’s Journal, was the keynote speaker at the Closing Ses­ sion. “Telling it to us straight,” Brown spoke about the issues affecting the black commu­ nity today and challenged the audience with solutions of education and economic self-suffi­ ciency for full participation in this struggle. Librarians were, again, em pow ered with ada­ mant w ords of strength on their roles as cul­ ture keepers in their communities. Brown said, “And the world is a w orld of people from all groups, people with all languages and differ­ ent cultures. And we, as Americans, not just African Americans, are going to have to con­ front diversity and its true m eaning and fit into a world in which w e all will have to contrib­ ute.” There w ere also two preconferences held in Milwaukee. “Diversity: From Rhetoric to Re­ alities,” led by Edith Fisher (Tenge Enterprises), provided a clear and dynamic understanding of the unique characteristics o f individuals, en ­ abling peo p le to achieve positive outcom es from interactions. “Team Building for Librar­ ians” by John Tyson (John Tyson Associates), provided an avenue for involving all librarians in the decision-making process, improving mo­ rale and product/service quality. Both were edu­ cational and applicable to all w ork settings. Overall, the national participation of librar­ ians o f color at the conference was exciting. It was another historic event and celebration of African American contributions to librarianship and our commitment to the profession. BCALA is planning to hold the Third Na­ tional Conference of African American Librar­ ians in Winston Salem, North Carolina, in 1997. Kwaheri (goodbye). ■