Transcripts For CSPAN3 Librarian Of Congress Libraries In The Digital Age 20220807

Jeffersons collection or George Washingtons or rosa parks or Frederick Douglass collection, i could go on and on you could do it from home. Thank you to everyone who have stopped by the loc pavilion and of course everyone who stopped by our open house yesterday. We cant thank you enough your stories your work have completely inspired us from prison librarians to army librarians to of course children and youth young adult librarians. We were so inspired by all the stories. We were hearing. One thing that was spotlighted during the pandemic was the Important Role of libraries across the nation. People discover that librarians are frontline workers during this pandemic whether you were giving out free covid tests or doing Contact Tracing or just trying to help your communities get through that entire pandemic. So todays conversation is as vital as librarians you all have an Important Role in the release of proper information. So today that librarian of congress along with her with our esteemed colleague will be discussing this important topic. So it is my distinguished honor to welcome the 14th librarian of congress carla hayden, and shes joined by Nancy Davenport retired University Librarian of american university. Thank you all. You wow. Hello, its so good to see everyone and i just have to start by saying. This has been like a family reunion. Its been a revival. Its been an inspiring in so many ways to see people that are firsttime attendees that have been coming for 40 and im gonna let that go a little bit 40 years and just delightful and to be here with you nancy. Thank you full disclosure. When roswell introduced nancy what he didnt say was nancy was . A mainstay basically at the library of congress for how many years 33 33 years. So i knew nancy before. I even thought about the library of congress but admired her and then she did something else. Thats very interesting. She left the library of congress and went to Dc Public Library first i went to the council on library and information resources for two years. And then from there to dc public. And then from there to a special project in vietnam working with the parliamentarians ovietnam to build a Research Library for that parliament. And from from there. I went to au so im one of those people who sort of wandered around librarianship finding every opportunity and taking it. Thats a good point in terms of. Some of the first time attendees the people who were in library slash information cool. It can tell my age when i just say Library School Library School to think about your career in a more cyclical way or winding way to be able to go from that. And i wanted to ask you a question. And this is for everybodys going to hear. What were the similarities though . Oh, what were the similarities there were because i spent multiple times multiple jobs within llc. It made Everything Else easier. Most of my career was in the Congressional Research service doing policy analysis and bringing together a lot of materials the Congressional Staff needed. The second part of my career i went to rare books with having absolutely no knowledge of what was going to go on there and discovered a theft so i worked a lot with the General Council etc to be able to figure out that theft. And i guess what and from there. I went to be the director of acquisitions for the entire library something. Id never thought about doing but it was it was really wonderful to do that job because it pulled so many things together the congress requires materials through copyright deposits. It requires them. It acquires them through purchase through subscription, but it also acquires materials from donors to give materials to us and working through all of those pieces were really important the library also has as you know, five offices around the world that require materials and so one of the great pleasures as well as it being an obligation was to occasionally go out on a field triping and go to meet the people who worked for the library of congress, but had perhaps never been to the library of congress as they collect a materials from their own countries. Its a its a very fulfilling place to work for sure. And many of the people and some of the people who are here today got a chance to see the open house in rossville talked about that and i just want to give you a sense of what it did for the Staff Members at the library of congress afterwards after everybody had left and ive been around and thanked all of the divisions because you had everybody there copyright even the development office. I mean just everybody was there and all theme the common thing thanked all of the divisions because you had everybody there copyright even the development office. I mean just everybody was there and all the different divisions and the theme the common thing that they said was we really . We know we work hard. We try to be there for the Library Community but to hear people thank us really was inspiring and so they were very pleased to get that feedback that it means something especially i have to tell you the catalogers were over the moon. One woman said the vision goes theyre really smart people go to cataloging and programming and childrens like me. Trailers good. Yeah, you can tell us there, you know catalogous and they and someone said its like visiting the mothership. It is the mothership right . Here it is and that was was so inspiring because i have to say what i admire so much about you nancy and other people who have been able to and i met some people here. At this conference whove gone from like a public. To an Academic Library or academic to public and they go between and for a while in the profession that wasnt that acceptable. We was not among friends. For public librarian, especially i remember when i went for public librarian, especially i remember when i went to a Research Library. And someone said you really like the public, dont you . Oh, yeah do but that thing that you know, and if you try to do something for the general public youre dumbing it down not true. Yeah. No, its not but it would took while for this. Interweaving and this being able to have people who had Public Library experience crossover. And be accepted. Now, how did you how were you accepted going to a Public Library after being at the mothership . In the same city in the same city with a different clientele with a very different clientele. It actually worked out very nicely and a couple of ways jenny cooper was the chief librarian at that point for Dc Public Library and as you travel around dc this weekend or however long youre here. Jenny was instrumental and getting all of the new libraries built and as she was working with the developers and the contractors etc down to the painters and the paint colors. It was going to be i had the opportunity to more run the library as as an institution and it was it was wonderful. I one of the one of the things we did while i was there was to create a whole cadre of teen employees and the presenting this concept to the board of trustees and i was blowing on about how wonderful it was going to be when we hired all of these students and one of the Board Members that and what are you going to call them and it was like teens of distinction and we made their badges that they were teens of distinction and it the kids stood up taller when they did that and the very first meeting of all the teenagers when they were higher was i went in to talk to them and they they just sat in their seats etc. And i said now i have two instructions for you the next time an adult walks into this room you will stand and they sort of looked at me, but they stood and from that point on they it was it was a life lesson, but at the same time it was one that every professional staff member walked in and said these kids are getting trained the way we want them to be trained to work with our public and thats a tough crowd the teams. Well a tough crowd to advocate for. Oh, no, theyre easy. Oh, no. Ive been involved with where i was told by one and i respected her saying this we were trying to get teen Services Going and special programming and their spaces and things and were going to really do more and she said i just have to say i have two at home. And i dont want to come to work and see them so. Respectfully im going to do that and the other was moving the audio visual making materials. Accessible and assess and and moving materials to the first floor. They hadnt been there before and they were going to be more and were waxing on about and this is what Library Directors have to sometimes. Think about youre going on and youre so enthusiastic and people are sitting there going you gotta find that line thats behind you are going to be so many more people coming in and the lady came up to me later and said she was retiring because that were going to be a lot of people coming in. And she didnt think shed like that. Because when they were on the third floor you could be quiet. Nobody was coming in the people coming in. They knew what they wanted and now were going to have all these people and so and i respected that. Because when you have people over there to there that arent into Customer Service be a difficulty. And every Library Leads a lot of behind the scenes help a lot a lot of behind the scenes, so were going to so there are similarities. Public libraries academic libraries, i would call the the Library Congress or Research Major Research Institution different even from an Academic Library because you have a pretty interesting clientele with faculty. Yes, we did. And special libraries and different types of lives, but there are certain values and i brought a copy. I am still a librarian. I pulled it out as i was coming in because this was a ala publication from a little while back Michael Gorman are enduring values and it was revisited librarianship in the everchanging world. I said what were we saying back then . What were we talking about . And its interesting even though we call it misinformation now we were still all no matter what type of library talking about and reaffirming. That we are that trusted source right that we will look for the best information and how we do it basic Reference Services and research that is a still a common theme. But a difficult one. In these days now remember were in front of friends. So we can we can talk. Misinformation so it was its interesting to be a librarian in this time when youre interacting with people who arent in the field. So theyre saying you know it really would i was on one panel. I was only librarian. We could have some way to tell people and show them and about good Resource Services like we do that. Information literacy weve been doing that that theres this is the time and i had another person that when i was talking about Information Literacy and librarians have been doing this. We checked the sources we say okay if you have something for instance, theres a famous actress that did a book on breast cancer, but thats nice. Thats her experience, but i want the National Institute of medicine. You know what . Im going to refer that, you know, so yeah, thats and youre the guide on the side and thats what we do and i was talking about these values and what librarians do and the person said, you know, if you librarians all join together and Work Together we could be the trusted info you could be like those big search companies. Everything if you all just put your resources together. Theres our ala. Okay, we do but that idea that this is the time and misinformation but that idea that this is the time and misinformation we should claim it. We should be even more vocal. Now do want to bring up something and i hope were going to open up for question answer and just comment too. During this time. When ive been meeting different people and its been so wonderful. Ive also been hearing about the threats. And the new term and theres a young gentleman whos getting his phd . In a new field and i had to write it down because i was saying it different. Knowledge destruction well, its misinformation banning books all of that, but its a new fill of looking at how it does and i keep going back to Alberto Manuel in that history of reading his book on history of reading and that one chapter. Forbidden reading and photo that starts that chapter has a woman who looks like shes a former slave and shes in front of a cabin. She has a book and he says paraphrasing but as centuries of dictators slave owners and other illicit holders of power have always known and illiterate crowd is the easiest to rule. And if you cannot prevent people from learning to read the next best recourse is to limit its scope. And then the whole chapter is about book burning and everything censorship in that and so what ive been hearing at this conference. Particularly, of course from School Librarians and and that is the start of efforts to. Really limit in a disturbing way. Yeah, right. What young people now weve always had that and i you told me something that im going to really full disclosure about your experience. This has been something thats been going on for a while, but you your mother did it . Yeah, my brother the story i told carla earlier was i grew up in a college town . With West Virginia university and morgantown is the town and the Public Library at that point was underneath the police station. So it was the safest place in town for any kid to be and mothers of course sent their kids there often and i had pretty much read my way through this library over the years and one day i discovered this book that id never read before and it looked interesting but had little tiny print and it was it was a novel, but it was not a contemporary novel so i checked it out and i went home with it and the librarian called my mother. And and said margaret, you should take a look at what . He brought home today. Im not sure shes ready to read it. And the book was anthony adverse if any of you remember this book, which was probably not ever a bestseller. And so my mother sat down and read that book that night. Sweetheart, id like you to wait another two sweetheart, id like you to wait another two years before you read this book. And i waited another two years because it was it was not hard for me to wait those two years since it looked like it was it was tiny print and it thin pages and at the same time, my mother said do read it then but dont read it now and it was readers advisory, but from a parent to a child and my mother was a big reader we would trade books all the time that we were reading while i was in high school in college, but it was i remember that story very vividly is dont read it. I would i want dont want you to read it now. I want you to read it in two years from now. And you waited i waited you were good kid. Well it was. So it it and it got a great education, but it was it was really so it it and it got a great education, but it was it was really important to me that. I had a sense. I had a sense of trust with my mother and she do with me and i didnt want to abrogate that trust in any way ever. It was really important, but i can tell you another story based upon the Catholic School piece. I used the Public Library to do a class project. Maybe when i was in the seventh or the 8th grade and it was all on it was all on the Blessed Virgin Mary you guess how much i could find in a Public Library. And so i did find a bunch through encyclopedias etc and i went back to school and they said but it doesnt have the impermontour of the church on it. So you cant use these materials. Thats when i thought maybe i really do need to become a librarian because reading widely is really important for us in a profession, but i think for us and eventually its also we read widely wherever you wherever you choose to Science Fiction is not my thing. It was my husband and he read constantly in Science Fiction, but those those sorts of things are really important in their formative to the individual when it happens. So when you approach a student whether its yours or a patron student the care with which you treat them will will always affect the rest of their library career. And didnt your you said that your mom . Purchased a copy she purchase copy. I mean she really wanted it when it was time. Let me see. Im still going back to you waiting two years. Nancy its like a chocolate bar. Theres chocolate bar would have been here. The book is gonna stay there wasnt gonna walk away. My brother was not going to be interested in reading it. There were only the three of us that parental responsibility part is coming out. However, i have worked in some areas, where putting that responsibility on a parent could be a barrier as well. Absolutely in terms of either their literacy levels or their time and effort and how are they going to get the book and all of that . So when you and you know the quick answer for some of these challenges that are saying we want the librarians to go through every book in the library and tag sexual content but thats a lot of work. Thats a lot of work and its a lot of work. We dont need maybe not if you sticking to children section. Or the young adult section, but still think about just that much who defines it and they said the legislation is a little loose on that. If they dont want their child to read it, but then you have to also think about what that is and then whos responsibility we do we think and then the quick answer as well, you know, thats the parents responsibility. They should read the books. They should do it your mom did and if they dont want their child to read it, but then you have to also think about what that is and then whos responsibility we do we think were doing it through selection. And being responsible in terms of Collection Development but then to go through each book of what might be something that might do that is quite and its interesting because what im doing is trying to be very ive been in washington too long being very circumspected for six years now, so im very conscious of that and plus the technology. People tweeting it the library in a Congress Said that this isnt that the other and you know, its like it does make your speeches a lot less interesting. Let me just say that okay. Because youre very aware that youre representing and that however i am a library. And im grateful for the opportunity to be able to at least bring the issues of and talk about them in different ways and so misinformation. Presenting the facts being the trusted source. That is our i think one of our bedrock. Qualities, thats why people when they as we said our biggest stereotype, is that if you you can trust a librarian. Theyre obviously not in it for the money. Its true. Thats obvious. Sometimes theyre a little quirky. Its okay. It was more experience. All right, i picked up a book bag. I saw one of the ladies and i cant even say the name of the book bag and i said i have to keep it at my house and put like fifty shades of gray in it or something and all weird books in there because i could never bring it out. Oh. However, so but were trusted because they know that were in it to help people that we have this and being that trusted source at this time is something that we really should not only be proud of but be unafraid to say that this is where you can get it now. Its difficult in some communities even on some campuses. Have you had experiences with . That type of thing on a campus. It depends on the university. I think it depends upon the university au is a private Research University here in in the district and the the most trouble that was that i think that that i didnt expect were the number of ameritai faculty who had Library Privileges as do i now that im a maritai, but they all came to the librarian and wanted all of their fines forgiven and they were adamant about it and it was like, why do i care . Of course . I forgave their fines, but it was the its a very different it working on an academic environment is very different than working in a Public Library extraordinarily different and i went from one to the other, you know within several months going from dc public and then to vietnam and after my experience there i went to i went right away to au and i never worked in an Academic Library since i was a student assistant in an Academic Library. So it was it was a different adventure for me in doing that. But faculty are faculty can be a nuisance and those of you who were know that and at the same time they can bring you some Brilliant Ideas and you and use them and their talents to bring other things to the library, so we started a book talk for the for our public for the neighborhood around au and invited faculty members to come in and talk about their Favorite Book. Not what they were working on right now, but what was their Favorite Book of all time . And why and we had we had droves of neighbors coming to do this because they didnt have the opportunity to have that intellectual engagement with a faculty member anymore it so i think trying to be trying to be creative which ive tried to do in every job that ive had of bringing the word to the people and the people to the word has really been a great adventure for me. And offered it in the academic settings as this town and gown conflict the people in the university might not even interact. It must maybe they go to church or something. Sometimes they dont about their act with immunities and so and hey, how about having one of those professors interact with them and hey, how about having one of those professors go to the Public Library . And give her and give a talk and give a talk and do that. So being able to cross those boundaries but back to misinformation. Because its hard sometimes to engaged someone thats not engageable or that its though when you think about working with young people one, you have the opportunity there and in so many instances young people need that. Other adult that might not be a Family Member or something that they can trust and they can go to and they can get the information. They need it and even the very young ones. Theres sometimes that and with adults as well, where can they get the source . Where can i do it . Where can they find out . What . And what the doctor just prescribed to them all of these types of things are vital for people to have in this this age tracy hall yeah, listen executive director talks a lot about and about that Digital Equity that came up so much during the pandemic. Were the only and i knew i could feel it. When the pandemic happened and they talked about everybody was doing the virtual this and that and the other and virtual learning. I thought about all the kids. That didnt have access at home. That would have if libraries could have been physically open would have been at those libraries and knew how painful that was to know that they were doing that but also the right information about what was going on. What was covid and medications and all of these types of things that to be able to have that right there and importantly what was the is the vaccine safe. I mean, that was the question at hand. During that whole period until the vaccine came about so here we are. Hundreds of librarians from every walk of life every type of experience. It was really cool to see somebody young ones in their digital. Yeah this and all that but also still wanting to work directly with young people and teenagers and all of that seeing all of them together. I just want you to think about the power that we do have . As a field that our main value is not just give the people what they want you remember that which was about popular books, and were close to Baltimore County and charlie robinson. Yes you its okay to give people comic books or graphic novels. I remember the scandal when libraries first start certainly well comic book too and that or nancy drew. Or any series books, but giving people what you know that might entice them to read. Its like a gateway drug. To reading you know, you get them to that and you handle something else. But the strength that we have and and knowing that if we forget about those divisions School Public Academic Research Library Congress the mothership. Well the mothership is there, okay. And that we Work Together on this. However, we can. I think we can continue to be that for so many people so i want to open it up because i see this thing here that we have and id like to hear from you. Ive been able to talk was a lot of you but not as many as i would like. And just to see whats on your mind and also what you think youd like to share . With some of your colleagues because youve got to open mic. Two of them here in the audience. Hello. Hi, im my name is ivy west. I remember ivy family reunions. Yes. You see people we havent seen him in years. Yes, so im like yourself. Thank you both very much for today. Im im here on behalf of the Howard County Public Library in columbia, maryland. As our many of my team leads and ive im like yourself. Im very blessed have come from a wide marriott of libraries. I i worked in university libraries. I worked at the Library Congress. I worked for a prison library. Im current a big Data Scientist and librarian in the government and i volunteer in other endeavor. So ive had a Colorful Library background and i think its fair to say that amid the different libraries. I think theres is a kinship and as far as theyre very theyre varied and their differences they offer collaboration information simulation, theres data and information sharing. Theres the need for learning education myriad of things and yet what is compelling to me is that theres this because of this big data and information explosion, and of course the knowledge exploration. Im wondering what you might have to offer in the way of understanding for how libraries can work more cohesively to kind of spread awareness and to motivate those who are who are kinship and and determined to kind of stay on the computer and not visit their local Community Libraries where that information and that collaboration can really be embraced and and unified in a way that doesnt diminish our values for libraries. Thank you. First thing we need to do is to do it. Feel like was it diana ross reach out and feel like was it diana ross reach out and touch somebodys hand and but make the connections. To the Community College library and the Public Library the Academic Library getting the professors to to do their book talks in the Public Library to make the connections librarians. And i know that its hard sometimes with getting out of your facility, but get out. Of the facility go to some of the meetings go to some of the things in communities and also be at the table when these discussions about sharing resources are happening get on committees do that, but just make the step. And and try it and see you you might be surprised when you go to another type of library and meet the librarian there meet the director there and and see what you have in common. And set up some reciprocity if you can between the two, i mean, there are more novels read in Public Libraries than there are red in academic libraries. So the Novel Collection was not as nearly as extensive at au when i got theirs as i had as i had been at dc public. I think the other pieces is to do something that that can bring a Community Together regardless of who they are or what they read and one of the examples i would use is one that we did at au which was requested by students. They wanted a space to to do their own craft like things and it wasnt typical for a library to make space for them, but we sat down and talk to them about what kind of things do you want to do and what kind of things do you need and started off. They wanted a 3d printer. Well, thats easy. We can get a 3d printer because it could be used by anybody in the on the campus, but we ended up that they not only wanted the 3d printer. They wanted a sewing machine. And they wanted to be able to make some of their clothes or costumes or whatever. It was they wanted and so there were people who were saying were going to give them a sewing machine. I said if we give them some machine we have to give me an iron and an ironing board we cannot so if you cant iron the scene at the same time, so we ended up building up this this little facility that had all of these things in it had 3d printers at sewing machines at irons. It had soldering materials. It had everything in it and it was the kind of place where students and faculty would come to sometimes play sometimes do and it was a really neat place to be able to do and when we ran out of library many to build this stuff. I had a counsel of alumni and neighbors around a you that i would just went to them and said i need some box. This is what we you with it and these are the kids have asked for and those were the kinds of things that was easy to raise money for in doing this. So we have started doing it and dont be afraid to reach out. Theres a question back here. Thank you, and thank you for your insight and your wisdom. My name is fallon schmidt. I work for an Architecture Firm and my connection to this community is that we design libraries, so im sort of here as an outsider but learning and wanting to be where my clients are so that i understand whats important to them on the note just of what you just said when i was in school. Everyone wanted to come use the architecture resources of kind of our micro makerspace and all the other students were told know thats not for you. Thats only for the architecture students and now its really nice to see that those things have become put into not just the architecture building but the library on campuses too. So but my question for you is more as just a patron of libraries, which is youre speaking about misinformation and im wondering what happens if you had the exper. Sense of Library Staff bringing their what what maybe considered misinformation because of their own political view or personal view or whatever considering that the country is really divided 50 50 and what they believe to be true. You see my head going no. No. Yes, i did. Thats a very no, okay. For bolton you you cant now might want to. Just like you want to know when a person wants this particular piece of information about arsenic. Okay you but you only ask enough. To give them the information, you know as youre satisfied me but bringing your own thing in the closest you could do that. And its not bringing your own thing. Its like a book that you liked. When youre doing a readers advisory. Oh somebody likes mysteries. Well, im a mystery fan, too. You might want to try that. Thats as close as usually get to to something that youre talking about, but giving misinformation based on your own views that is you you thats a personal action. Really you should not. You should not encounter that. In any type of library where thats come and crs for instance Congressional Research service with the Library Congress. Its like theyre like the super dupers swat teams of information. And they pride themselves on. Doing nonpartisan objective objective research so much so that one lady who felt pretty strongly about the climate. Lets say or something personally. Solar panels on our house. I mean, you know, she really she had to do a paper. About energy and the office that she did it for complained that she was too much for big energy and she was so proud. See because they couldnt tell. That she had a solar panels on their house. Okay, so thats thats so i think as you work with librarians and you and we think about misinformation and everything, that is something that would not. Should not tolerate it, but it shouldnt be. And if you feel that strongly about something. That then you might want to consider your own career options. Seriously if you are a steward of providing information. And giving information. You have to take that vow. Wheres the next mic . Oh, im just going back and forth. This is my whole counsel stuff microphone number two. Hi, my name is garvey blackwell. First year in college and so my question to you is im going to school to be a librarian obviously, but my question to you is since i am an upcoming and going to school to be a librarian, is there any aspect or piece of advice and things to consider as im becoming an upcoming and new librarian . Is the sometimes in colleges and stuff and schools they call them a rising senior rising this year rising library . Thats a good one. Thats good. Yeah, well. One is to keep the door open for looking at where you might want to be. You might start out saying i want to be a you know. Catalog or i want to be this and that but keeping your your options keep your options open and and just try Different Things too, and there might be something and know that you dont have to be that forever too. I mean you unless it really is something and thats okay, too. To stay as a whatever but to just be open and and devil and know that also at this time coming into the field there are positions and there are things like ivy was talking about with data and all of this that are being created so you might be part of a group of incoming librarians that are going to be creating different positions because of whats happening. I saw so many User Engagement and just the titles are changing now, so just be open nancy. No, i think agree with all of that. I think the the more that you take advantage while you are in college and then in graduate school to work in different kinds of libraries to get an idea of what it feels like because more academic libraries are more like each other than they are like anything else Music Libraries the same way figure out if you want to have a specialization and go and see what it feels like yeah. Hi dr. Hayden. My name is anna groves. We have met before at the last inperson new members. I was with the Congressional Research service up until february. I also just met you nancy just a few minutes ago. I just wanted to first say thank you so much for this session. Its been a lovely. Session very much enjoyed your conversation. And i wanted to ask going back to more towards the beginning of your conversation we were talking about thinking of your career. Um cycles and and being open to unconventional positions i just took a position with the National Science Foundation Good and so my question is related to if youre one of the only people in an organization that has a background in Library Information science and you have to advocate for good Information Management Records Management knowledge management. What are some good tips for making those cases to leadership . And trying to get them to understand why its important and why they should fund it. This is a foundation that gives grants so its sort of a little different little different. However, when youre the only one and the advocate sea part, you need to also know what their goals are and really be tuned to that and how they phrase things. And what we look at their Strategic Plan. I know thats not the most. Exciting thing but Strategic Plan look at what theyre doing look at. Their membership all of that to see how you can align what youre trying to say if its if its a Foreign Language to them because youre advocating using like we can talk amongst ourselves. About Different Things because were we have a common language in one way, but know that youre youre translator almost. For them and to put it in terms that will be meaningful to them especially so their outcomes. What are they trying to achieve . Nancy were gonna i think the other pieces because they are a publishing arm as well. All everybody that gets a grant ends up depositing their publications. I would hope with your library being able to see the richness of that and how important it is that you keep that record within and keep building on it and i think being full of pride for the work thats been done bad organization. You work for it gets you a long way. Can you hear me . Yes, yeah. My name is Brandon Bannister work at the Howard County Library System in columbia, maryland graduate university of maryland. Baltimore county. Just have two questions for you on what do you like about your present job and elaborate congress . And what do you miss about working a Public Library . I think thats for you. Well you you could answer too because you were at Library Congress. I work with the most its like being in college and university. All over again and i work with experts in every field. Anything from music to geology to history to learn about paulo and stumblr in the caged bird was actually the stacks of the library of congress he wrote sympathy in there all is youre learning all the time. And thats the joy of it because i want to make sure that more people realize what a treasure not only the resources are at the Library Congress and we hope that the open house you got to see if you went there. You got to see some of the things but the real treasures are the Staff Members. So thats the joy and to see the pride and what they do and nancy you had that experience working there and knowing what it is to be there. Youre learning constantly and that and what i miss about Public Libraries is something that is going to he an aspect of the Library Congress in the next few years having a place intentional place for young people. The young and the young and heart where theyll learn about research and be history detectives and learn how to remix materials and things so the what you miss about the public is the public and and so you get that with the Library Congress as well, and we want to make i want to make sure that more people feel that its their library, too. Oh, hi. Im suzanne horton. Im with Air University library out of Maxwell Air Force base in montgomery, alabama, and i have a really basic question. I want to know what you guys are reading. Oh see you and thats no i mentioned the Paul Lawrence dunbar. I just got that one. The biography just came out during the seventh and i was interested in it because of this connection. I knew he worked at the library of congress and you know four years, but i didnt know the real scoop. But the cage and and they even have a photo of the stacks in the Library Congress in the book to show you hot and terrible they were so thats it. So ive got done now. Im going to hold Paul Laurence dunbar. Thing but i have aspirational books usually about health and exercise. She knows i got it, you know and theres a new section on one. Strength to strength about as you mature. You go from strength to strength. Youre not aging. So ive got all those books over there. Mysteries love mysteries, so i got those and i have a new stack of mysteries that are take place in libraries. You know, theres murder in the library. So this is just some really cool with the car cartographers just came out. Thats it. So i got those. Islam but you know what instead of having both guilt i feel its like living in a treasure chest. Yes, it is. Yeah, okay think of it like that and anytime you want to pick up a book. And you get some time you can do it and talk about real aspirational that cookbook collection i have but they just nice. So so i dont read books anymore. I listen to them. Oh you good. I am just devoted to listening to books and sometimes i will get the book and sort of parallel it or or just get the book afterwards, but i spend a lot of time he see these fancy little bracelets. Im wearing they are brace their braces rather than bracelets, and im spending a lot of time doing handwork that i may not be able to do in a few years and and so consequently, i i want people to just read into my ears just all day long and so so i will do audiobooks. I find them. Interesting and and you can actually turn up the speed. So if there are slow reader i can i can speed them up a little bit to be able to get through all of that. I do have a massive library, but at the same time its contemporary books is is the way i let them read to me and thats so popular. Theyre telling us that i know what this means. Its about time to go and wrap it up because we could be here today, but one more question and i just want to be more minute to you. I my name is tony sarmiento. Im a lucky pensioner. But i used to cochair a joint committee of the ala and the aflcio many years ago. So buttons from the 2003 campaign about another hysteric librarian. It seems like yes might be popular today. I do have those i have a well im a librarian. I have the buttons. I have some i have tshirts. The i think we should bring those back. The serious question is that with the Union Organizing going on since december. There are 150 Starbucks Stores that have unionized and of course amazon has gotten some attention as well. It seems like libraries could be a really important source for many young people who are learning about unions for the first time. I wonder if you have any comments about yeah, they are an important source and libraries themselves have been unionizing in some instances and ive had unions for a long time and that and the idea of young people finding out about the history of unions and and this theyre different movements and coming to being part of finding out and going to their movement with the knowledge a strength in having knowledge i think would be something that we really help with. Oh, well, theres a young person so i have the sorry so much. My name is sarah campe and im a Youth Services librarian and head of Youth Services for my Library System. Oh, yeah. Trying um, i want to be appointed librarian of congress when i grow up. Just one quick question on in terms of misinformation. How would you go about dealing with children that are being hateful in programs children that are theyre hearing this misinformation from parents and not being kind or being hateful to other children that are different from them. Yeah, and they, you know children have done that for a while. On their own and that can have and theyve been hearing things like that and it is difficult. And think of the library as the safe place for the children who are being bullied or the children whove been that we dont do that here and you you this is your space now. Its not their home. Its not their thing. This is the library everybodys welcome everybody. And so you have to do that and sometimes and nancy we talked about this before which we have to let people know that you there are rules of conduct and most libraries have them. Im sure your library has it and you say it but for in the childrens section, it might be cool. I dont know if anybodys done it with some you know, you have the the big rules of conduct that are posted and theyre in tiny print and theyre doing all this, you know, no pornography notice, but it might be nice in the youth section to have your own. Interpretation, you know to have it too. That you have these things. And this is that safe zone so that the kids know when they come in there that thats not going to be either tolerated or and theyre not going to be subjected to it, right . But that its your your space. Too that youre making safer for more young people. So im glad to hear that youre thinking about that and would suggest that you think about how you could be that haven for them because libraries have been havens for so many kids. For so many years refuge and in so many instances and you hear authors talk about it your people talk about they write about it where the library was the only safe place they could go and the library and was the one that listened to them. The library was the one that let them sit the library was this we could go on and on so you can be dead for those kids. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you all for coming and i want to thank you all. And thats what i wanted to end up with. Misinformation this is part of a continuing aspect of librarianship and library history. Were here again. This is the time when they need us more than ever and we need to be strong and to be together break down barriers between us and i just want to thank you for being in conversation. Coming together. This is the best way to be together after two and a half years of remote. We did a good job. You all did a great job. But sometimes