The following article is
from September 2006 issue of the Madrona
News, the newsletter of the Madrona neighborhood Community Council in Seattle.
Librarians Speak Out Against Bush
By Kim Herber, 35th
Avenue
Recently, a group of
Seattle Public Library employees approached their union with a proposed resolution
about something much more far-reaching than expanding Library operating hours or
limiting patrons’ Internet access. The union passed the Resolution, titled Resolution Condemning the Actions of President
George W. Bush and Calling for His Immediate Removal or Resignation from Office.
Then two local Librarians brought the Resolution with them to the American Library
Association (ALA) conference this summer, where they met supportive colleagues from
around the country. One of the initiators of the Resolution is Lynn Lorenz, Children’s
Librarian at the Madrona Sally Goldmark Library.
This crusade stuck me
as an odd–but interesting–course of action by people who are stereotypically reserved
and unassuming. So I contacted Lynn
to get her take on the purpose and result of the Resolution. She explained to me that she and a colleague,
who kept running into each other at protests, discovered they were both deeply
disturbed by the Bush administration’s actions such as war, torture, domestic spying,
and a move away from democracy toward theocratic rule. As Librarians they are all
about open access to ideas, protecting people’s intellectual freedom, and encouraging
critical thinking, so they came together around the need to speak out against
the administration’s actions and attacks on these very issues. They wanted to do
something that could really make a difference, and go beyond words on paper. So,
said Lynn, “We drafted the Resolution and asked a
few co-workers to join with us to introduce it to our Union,
Local 2083 of AFSCME. It was an opportunity to go beyond ourselves and allow others
to take meaningful action.” The Resolution was passed by a vote of the Union’s general membership at one of the most well-attended
Union meetings ever.
Their plan to formally
present the Resolution at this summer’s ALA
conference fell through but their attempt stirred up plenty of discussion about
US
foreign policy and whether Librarians should speak out publicly about political
issues. They now hope to share the Resolution at the ALA January Midwinter Conference
here in Seattle, and Lynn is more involved in local anti-Bush
activities than ever, despite the potential negative impact on her job. “I love
working for the Seattle Public Library as a Children’s Librarian, especially in
Madrona,” Lynn
said passionately. “But I basically decided that, whatever the consequences, it’s
worth it to be vocal.” She recently spoke on a panel about the Articles of Impeachment
hosted by the Center for Constitutional Rights at Elliot Bay Books and is
helping organize a National Day of Mass Resistance called by World Can’t Wait on October 5. “The stakes
of what is happening in society right now are huge,” she said. “Many more people
will have to step out of their normal lives and make sacrifices to ensure a future
worth living on this planet.”
Lynn continues her
service to Madrona children at the Sally Goldmark Library. To get a copy of the
Resolution, email libraryvoices@fastmail.us