My Presentation at the 2024 Florida Library Association Conference
How DEI and Critical Librarianship have Become Threats to Free Speech in Libraries
I presented this lightning round presentation on Friday, May 17th at the Florida Library Association Conference in Orlando, FL. My wife in the audience said several people were showing visible displeasure (“mean mugging” she called it) and refused to applaud at the end but I had a few good questions and conversation afterward. None of the displeased asked a question, which disappointed me a bit. Another presenter, Charles Hill, from Orange County Public also did a nice lightning round presentation making a case for viewpoint diversity and neutrality, albeit in a much more agreeable manner. The format here is 15 slides that auto-advance every 20 seconds - sadly not enough time for more nuance.
Thank you Brian! A much-needed overview of current challenges with #CritLib, or certainly some versions of it, and the impact it's having on the field because of the moral valence it carries, always assumed to be the only morally acceptable perspective, causing censorious attitudes and practices. It sounds as if a few audience members weren't good examples of open-mindedness. Good that you pointed out censorious tendencies coming from the Right as well, just manifested differently.
Thank you very much, Brian, for having the courage to make this presentation at the conference. It's a sad state that neutrality and free speech as fundamental concepts in libraries are nearly taboo at this point. I've been questioned by colleagues about book selections and decisions to not weed certain items (that did not meet standard weeding criteria). I was taken aback, not fully aware at the time of this overall trend in libraries. At the end of your presentation I found myself wondering the same thing as one of the questioners: well, what are we going to do about it? I think there's more of us in the profession who agree with you than you realize, however, we're just afraid to fight back as individuals.