LJ Movers & Shakers 2010: They Move Us Forward

It’s hard to characterize with a single word a group of 50 people whose achievements are so diverse, who make such a difference in their communities, who embrace and create change so readily, who buck the powers that be, who promote literacy and stand up against censorship, and who do it all in the spirit of a venerable profession. They’re the latest group of LJ Movers & Shakers, and they represent a small cross-section of accomplished—and accomplishing—librarians around the United States and in several countries.

The 2010 Movers & Shakers opens with Mandy Knapp and Laura Solomon from Ohio, who led the charge to combat cuts to state library funding—and won back much more than some thought possible. SaveOhioLibraries.com, a domain name Knapp bought, a Facebook page of the same name, and a Twitter hashtag, ditto, became the rallying point for thousands of Ohioans and others. Phones rang off the hook in Gov. Ted Strickland’s office and emails crashed his computer. That momentum helped to restore over $147 million in statewide funding—in a state where some libraries rely solely on state money.

One lesson: Solomon says “social media is very much like a fire hose once it’s turned on full blast. You can direct it, but you can’t control every drop.” That doesn’t worry her, however. Knapp reflects that as the crisis developed, “one person or another would say, 'Oh someone should do,’ and I always wanted to reply, 'Yes, and that someone is you.’” Like Knapp, the Movers are people who “do.”

The final profile in this year’s Movers is Sandra Sajonas, a young adult literacy librarian in Brooklyn, NY, who got her MLIS in 2008 and looks barely older than the “disconnected” youth she’s trying to reach. Her constituents are 17- to 24-year-olds who are out of school and out of work, and they often read below a sixth-grade level. While they don’t lack web savvy, their capacity is limited by their lack of reading and writing skills. Some are afraid to take public transportation because they can’t decipher a transit map. (For more on this population see Kathy Degyansky’s “The Disconnected”). Not only does Sajonas help them learn to read, and to love reading, but she holds “Futures” workshops where they set educational and employment goals and find resources to help them reach those goals. A recent “graduate” of her class who had moved on to the GED class told her new students, “Right now, I’m kinda addicted to reading.”

There are many more stories throughout the profiles that will grab you. You can find them online as well, along with a state-by-state map listing all the winners from 2002 to 2010 (www.libraryjournal.com/movers2010).

Over the years, Movers & Shakers has included more than a few technology developers and gadgeteers. The 2010 group, though quite conversant with technology, seem essentially like humanists to me, whether they work at developing apps, text answers to reference questions in 320 characters or less, help job seekers apply online, or satisfy students’ need for a high-demand book with the ebook edition for their iPhone. David Lindahl applies an ethnography-based approach in building a new catalog at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries. Matthew Harp “crunches info” for students about the library in his podcasts and “Library Minute” videos. Eric Riley teaches knitting to guys and runs computer training sessions and Wii for seniors, one of whom refers to his small branch as “the general store.” The gadgets have always been in service to users and colleagues, but now rather than being add-ons they’re embedded in—and integral to—our libraries.

It seems fitting that the 2010 Movers issue begins with librarians who kept library doors open and institutions staffed, since staving off budget cuts were, and remain, the number one priority. It’s also appropriate that it closes with a librarian who teaches people to read and gives them skills that will last a lifetime. We’re proud to introduce the 2010 Moves & Shakers, who, along with thousands of others, move all of our libraries forward.