John N. Berry III

I wish I could have been in Washington, DC, on June 22 when the American Library Association’s (ALA) Social Responsibility Round Table (SRRT) celebrated its 50th anniversary. SRRT Action Council/Coordinator Charles Kratz invited me, and the message brought back memories of the time when SRRT was first founded. SRRT quickly became ALA’s conscience, and SRRT activism frequently shaped the agenda at ALA conferences in the years after the 1969 Annual Conference in Atlantic City, NJ.

Connecting directly with customers to find out what they want and need; training staff to focus on equity and to recognize and eliminate hidden biases; developing programs and services for underserved and marginalized populations; and seeking out public sector and private partners made LA County Library a model for the future of libraries and the Gale/LJ Library of the Year.

Those who once claimed the Internet would eliminate the need for physical libraries had it exactly backward: the demand for public spaces has only become more acute as digital technology enables everyone to fill their needs individually and privately online.

My postelection depression was triggered by all the rancid rhetoric coupled with the fear and deep concern brought on by the bomb mailings and the killings of two in a market in Louisville, KY, and 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.