The Social Responsibilities Round Table works to make ALA more democratic and to establish progressive priorities not only for the Association, but also for the entire profession. Concern for human and economic rights was an important element in the founding of SRRT and remains an urgent concern today. SRRT believes that libraries and librarians must recognize and help solve social problems and inequities in order to carry out their mandate to work for the common good and bolster democracy.
Learn more about SRRT on the ALA website.
Why Is Public Education Under Assault? What Can Librarians Do to Defend Public Education?
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
3 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Central Time / 1 p.m. Mountain / noon Pacific
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/hRtnogV5R42T8RUadIkq6g
The recent executive order to abolish the Department of Education has been the latest in a series of attacks on public education in the U.S. As educators who are mostly working for public institutions, librarians directly face the consequences of these attacks. There is no doubt that there is a crisis of education in the U.S. However, without a free, public and secular system of education that promotes equal opportunity, equality, shared meaning and empathy, our society will experience increasing class inequality, hatred and violence. Let's share ideas about what we can do collectively to confront the current assault, and offer constructive solutions for a better public education system.
Readings:
Crisis in Education: U.S. K-12 (Social Responsibilities Round Table Pathfinder)
The Dangerous End of School Libraries and Public Education (National Education Policy Center)
Why "Fund Students, Not Systems" Is a Recipe for Disaster (Jennifer Berkshire, The Nation, June 2024)
Why Are We Getting Rid of the Department of Education Again? (Jennifer Berkshire, Network for Public Education. February 2025)