The Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG) was founded in

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in January 1990 by

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

s concerned with the library profession's "rapid drift into dubious alliances with business and the information industry, and into complacent acceptance of service to an unquestioned political, economic and cultural status quo," according to the organization's

statement of purpose A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation. ...

. The initial three organizers were Elaine Harger, Mark Rosenzweig and Elliot Shore. The PLG addresses issues especially relating to

librarianship and human rights Librarianship and human rights in the U.S. are linked by the philosophy and practice of library and information professionals supporting the rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly the established rights ...

''Progressive Librarian''

The Progressive Librarians Guild publishes the journal ''The Progressive Librarian'', a forum for critical perspectives in librarianship and information studies. The journal features articles, book reviews, bibliographies, reports, and documents. The first issue of ''Progressive Librarian'' was published in the summer of 1990 on the heels of the founding of PLG and was given its title by Sanford Berman, who exclaimed that the journal of PLG could have no other title than ''Progressive Librarian'' (the subtitle, ''A Journal of Critical Studies and Progressive Politics in Librarianship'', came later in 1998 with issue #14). The first issue was to be a contribution to the debate taking place within the American Library Association (ALA) in which the upper ranks of power in ALA were attempting to overturn the association's official support of the cultural boycott against apartheid institutions in South Africa. An index for 1990-1999 was published in 2007. Elaine Harger was managing editor during the journal's years of publication.

Miriam Braverman Memorial Prize

The Guild annually bestows the Miriam Braverman Memorial Prize to library and information science students attending a graduate level program in the

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who submit a paper based on an aspect of the social responsibilities of librarians, libraries, or librarianship. Papers related to archivists, archives, and archival work are also eligible. Progressive Librarians Guild

Union Library Workers and Labor Compilations

The Guild produced the ''Union Library Workers'' blog from 2002-2023. and published an annual review about librarians and labor in its journal, ''Progressive Librarian'' from 2006-2021. The ''Progressive Librarian'' article, "Collective Bargaining is a Human Right," summarized librarian involvement in 2011 public sector union protests to defend collective bargaining in Wisconsin. ''Progressive Librarian'' featured annual reviews of librarian labor activities. In 2023 the final PLG annual compilation of unions actions from 2021-Labor Day 2023 was published in the ''SRRT Newsletter'' as "Unions- 2002-2023- Bibliographic history of the Union Library Workers project by the Progressive Librarians Guild." In 2023 with support from American Library Association president,

Emily Drabinski Emily Drabinski (born June 16, 1975) is an American academic, librarian, author, and teacher who served as List of presidents of the American Library Association, president of the American Library Association from July 2023 to July 2024. Early li ...

, the ''Union Library Workers'' blog was moved to the ALA-Allied Professional Association, a nonprofit organization established “to promote the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”

PLG Discussion List

The Guild sponsors a discussion list
PLGnet.

Statements and resolutions

The Guild has issued statements and resolutions such as: * "PLG Resolution on Divestment of Holdings in Fossil Fuel Companies and Libraries’ Role in a Peaceful Transition to a Fossil-Fuel-Free Economy." June 30, 2013. * "Statement on Censorship and the Tucson Unified School District." January 21, 2012. *"On Wikileaks and the Library of Congress: A Statement by the Progressive Librarians Guild." (2010). *"Calls for Elsevier to End Corrupt Publishing Practices and for Library Associations to Take Advocacy Role on Behalf of Scientific Integrity." (2009) * "Endorsed the Iraq Moratorium." (2007) *"Resolution Against

Anti-Immigrant Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...

Legislation." (2006).

Joint Conference of Librarians of Color

The Progressive Librarians Guild was represented at the 2006 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) with a panel on Librarians and Social Movements. For the 2012 JCLC the ''Progressive Librarian'' #38/39 included a feature on the conference and the five caucus associations of color.

United States Social Forum 2007

In 2007 members of the Progressive Librarians Guild participated in the

United States Social Forum The United States Social Forum is an ongoing series of gatherings of social justice activists in the United States which grew out of the World Social Forum process, bringing together activists, organizers, people of color, working people, poor peopl ...

(USSF) in Atlanta. In homage to the USSF's statement on language accessibility, PLG's new banner read "Library" on one side and "Biblioteca" on the other for the Opening March that launched the first ever regional social forum in the United States. The Librarians program was held at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, the second largest collection of African-American materials in the U.S., located on the very street that is home to the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the gravesites of

Martin Luther King Jr Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

. and Mrs.

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-Ameri ...

. PLG members collected materials from the USSF for the

Labadie Collection The Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan, originating from the collection of radical ephemera built by Detroit Anarchist Jo Labadie, is recognized as one of the world's most complete collections of materials documenting the history ...

at the University of Michigan.

Chapters

As of May 2017, the Progressive Librarians Guild has three active chapters: * London (Ontario) PLG Chapter * St. Kate's PLG Chapter (the College of St. Catherine) * Toronto PLG Chapter The following chapters are no longer active: * Dalhousie University PLG Chapter * Drexel PLG Chapter * Emporia State University PLG Chapter * Indiana University PLG Chapter * Piedmont (SC) PLG Chapter * Vancouver PLG Chapter * SILS PLG Chapter * St. John's University PLG Chapter * Simmons GSLIS PLG Chapter * University of Arizona PLG Chapter * University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign PLG Chapter * University of Missouri PLG Chapter * Wayne State University (Detroit) PLG Chapter

References

External links

Official website

American Library Association Archives, Progressive Librarians Guild papers

Union Library Workers
{{Authority control Library associations in the United States Library associations Organizations established in 1990 Progressive organizations in the United States American librarianship and human rights Library-related professional associations Library-related organizations Alternative press