ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


5 9 4 /C&R L News

Jam es a n d  T a k a k i w ill 
s p e a k  a t  ACRL's 7 th  
N a t io n a l C o n fe re n c e

Empowerment in the workplace & 
multiculturalism to be discussed

A CRL’s 7th National Conference, March 29- April 1, 1995, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva­
nia, will offer over 100 papers, panels, and

conferences. Designed to help you update your 
skills in the practical areas of library m anage­
ment, the conference will address four theme 
tracks: know ledge workers and their organiza­
tions; technology and the service-centered li­
brary; multiculturalism and internationalism; 
and society, economics, and politics. In this ar­
ticle w e feature two of the four exciting theme 
speakers w ho will address the conference on 
issues of great concern to all librarians.

Jennifer James
Jennifer James is a cultural anthropologist, lec­
turer, writer, and comm entator know n for her 
innovative ideas, especially managing a chang­
ing workforce. She will
address th e them e of 
“K now led g e W orkers 
a n d  T h e ir O rg a n iz a ­
tions” on W ednesday,
March 29. She spent 12 
years as a full-time fac­
ulty m em ber of the Psy­
chiatry D epartm ent at 
the University of Wash­
ington Medical School.
She currently gives lec­ J ennifer J ames
tures, has a weekly col­
umn in the Seattle Times, and has produced a 
series of business videotapes offering strate­
gies for handling problems in the w orkplace 
and the home. James holds an M.A. in anthro­
pology and psychology, and a Ph.D. in cul­
tural anthropology. Positive evaluations o f

James include: “Your effective and timely mes­
sage has generated a num ber o f inquiries for 
m ore follow -up inform ation on risk taking, 
changes, and the payoffs of em pow ering em ­
ployees. Your warmth and hum or brought us 
a down-to-earth reality check.”

 pRreon­ ald Takaki
Ronald Takaki, professor o f ethnic studies at 
the University o f California, Berkeley, will dis­
cuss multiculturalism and internationalism at the 
a ll- c o n f e r e n c e  l u n ­
cheon, Thursday, March 
30. After receiving his 
Ph.D. in American his­
tory, T akaki w e n t to 
UCLA to teach its first 
black  histo ry  course.
While there, he helped 
found its centers for Af­
rican American, Asian 
American, Chicano, and 
Native American stud­ Ronald Takaki
ies. Upon returning to
Berkeley, Takaki served as chair of the De­
partm ent of Ethnic Studies and advisor of the 
new  Ethnic Studies Ph.D. program, the first of 
its kind in the country. Among his m any books 
are Strangers fr o m  a Different Shore: A History 
o f  A sian Americans, w hich was nom inated for 
a Pulitzer Prize; and A  Different Mirror: A His­
tory o f  M ulticultural America, a retelling of our 
nation’s past through the eyes o f people whose 
stories have often b een  ignored. Takaki has 
said, “The need to op en  the American mind to 
greater cultural diversity will not go away. We 
can resist it by ignoring the changing ethnic 
com position o f o u r student bodies and the 
larger society, or w e can realize how  it offers 
colleges and universities a timely and exciting 
opportunity to revitalize the social sciences and 
humanities.” ■



October 1994 / 5 9 5



5 9 6 / C & R L  News