IFRT Members Community (Open)

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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.

The IFRT Members Community group is the central hub for discussion, library and events. It is visible to all ALA members but only IFRT members can participate in the conversation.

  • 1.  Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 18, 2025 11:54 AM

    I understand that ALA is struggling for money, but surely Caldwell-Stone is the LAST person we want to lose right now? What a terrible decision.

    Feels like the call is coming from inside the house. ALA, blink twice if someone is forcing you to weaken our organization.



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    Annah Hackett
    Information Literacy Librarian
    University of Texas at Austin
    She/Her/Hers
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  • 2.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 18, 2025 08:46 PM
    Amen!

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    Michael Gorman
    Chicago, Illinois
    Editor, Caxtonian
    Van az a penz
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 20, 2025 07:33 AM
    I would invite us all to consider that we don't have the full set of facts here. I have trust in our leaders to have analyzed a multitude of factors before making this decision and come to what they felt was best for the ongoing and future health of the association. From the outside it might seem crazy and to those inside it may make total sense, we just don't know. 

    OIF is in fantastic hands with Sarah at the helm. I have all the faith that this team will be able to meet the needs of the association. 

    Layoffs are never easy, especially when they come as a surprise with names of people that were used to working with. Deborah has given a lot to libraries and ALA for decades and I'm excited to see what the future holds for this next generation of intellectual freedom work. 


     

    Erin Jones (she/her)

    Division Director | Equitable Libraries 510-745-1520

    aclibrary.org

      

    Mission: We Grow Learners, Break Barriers, Build Futures  

    Vision: Kind, Connected Humans





    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 20, 2025 10:34 AM

    I understand that we don't have all the facts. That's a big part of the problem. There was no explanation for laying off Deborah in Sam Helmick's email. Why her? What was the process for determining who to lay off?

     

    And I don't mean to impugn Deborah's successor. I'm sure Sarah is very competent! It's not about her. Laying off any staff member in the OIF, ESPECIALLY the longtime director, weakens the office.

     

    -- 

     

    Annah Hackett, MLIS

    The University of Texas at Austin

    Information Literacy Librarian | University of Texas Libraries

    she/her/hers

    Research Guides and Profile

     




    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 20, 2025 03:50 PM

    We need to keep in mind that as members, we don't have the right to details about HR decisions involving staff. While I agree that communication about the layoffs overall could have been handled better, I do have confidence that our Executive Board and ALA staff made thoughtful, if difficult, decisions about how to move forward.

     

    I also have full faith in the current OIF team to continue leading on intellectual freedom. This transition could even open up new opportunities for collaboration with other organizations doing similar work, helping strengthen our overall efforts. At this point, we don't have evidence that OIF's capacity will be diminished by Deborah's departure. I think the best thing we can do right now is support the staff who remain as they navigate this transition. If we later find that OIF's ability to meet member needs has been impacted, then that would be the time to raise those concerns.

     

     


     

    Erin Jones (she/her)

    Division Director | Equitable Libraries 510-745-1520

    aclibrary.org

      

    Mission: We Grow Learners, Break Barriers, Build Futures  

    Vision: Kind, Connected Humans

     




    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 20, 2025 08:54 PM
    We are in strange times.  The federal government threatened to withhold
    funding in order to force the president of the University of Virginia to
    resign.  The government then offered UVA a devil's compact to guarantee
    funding in return for ending academic freedom.  Times like these can
    only be countered by transparency.

    I understand reductions in force and painful personnel decisions.  I
    think many of us have been through that.  We know that ALA needs to make
    major financial adjustments to survive. But ALA is a member
    organization.  We are ALA.  We need to be trusted with information about
    how ALA will cope with its financial crisis.

    I want to know why only one person was named in the letter and that
    person a public figure well known to the forces of censorship.  I want
    to know why Deb's email was already blocked when the letter arrived in
    my inbox.  I could not even send a note of appreciation for her decades
    of service to ALA members.   I want more facts.

    Carolyn Caywood


    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Deborah Caldwell-Stone was laid off

    Posted Oct 22, 2025 09:21 AM

    It's absolutely mind boggling to me that we face the greatest threat to all American libraries that we have EVER faced and the person we save money on is the Director of the Office of INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM.   This is absolutely absurd.    Many, many of us out here in public library land already strongly believe the AL A has done nothing to help save us and this further proves the point.

    I guffaw every time I see a "why is membership down" post.  Why?  Because ALA does not in any way strengthen public libraries - many of whom have been either shut down or reduced to pablum.

    ALA should have one single solitary goal right now - to keep American libraries alive.  Period.



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    Deborah Corbin
    Branch Assistant
    York County Library
    She/Her/Hers
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    Original Message