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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) provides a forum for the discussion of activities, programs, and problems in intellectual freedom of libraries and librarians.

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Reminder: IFRT Reads session on misinformation and history on April 17th

  • 1.  Reminder: IFRT Reads session on misinformation and history on April 17th

    Posted Apr 14, 2025 09:00 AM

    How Can Librarians Promote Uncensored U.S. History? 

    Thursday, April 17, 2025

    4 p.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. Central Time / 2 p.m. Mountain / 1 p.m. Pacific

    Register in advance for this meeting:

    https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/s616AzMYTuK4WaR51no3YQ

    With the claim to Make America Great Again gaining millions of adherents in the U.S., it is important to ask whether any nation can be made great without an honest and critical evaluation of its past and present.  Librarians have a crucial role to play in promoting discussions on U.S. history and allowing for critical perspectives to be heard.  It is on the basis of such discussions that we can have a conscious and aware public who will not be prone to disinformation.

    Readings:

    1. Librarian Perspectives on Misinformation: A Follow-Up and Comparative Study (Laura Saunders, College and Research Libraries, 2023)

    2. America Wasn't a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One (Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, August 14, 2019). 

    3. We Respond to the Historians Who Critiqued The 1619 Project (New York Times, 2019)

    As is our usual pattern, we will break into small groups for a discussion of the readings after a brief review of the topic. The session will not be recorded so that people can speak freely. We hope you can join us!

    Martin Garnar
    Member, IFRT Programming and Events Committee



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    Martin Garnar (he/him/his)
    Director, Amherst College Library
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