SRRT (Social Responsibilities Round Table)

 View Only
last person joined: 9 days ago 

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.

  • 1.  IRTF website updated

    Posted Oct 16, 2025 10:36 AM
    I want to give a hearty thanks to April for updating our SRRT International Responsibilities Task Force website. Tom Twiss used to do the updates, but we have neglected the updates for a few years. April has stepped up to do it. Here is what we updated. You can see how active our task force has been.
    Al

    Additions to SRRT IRTF website

    Resolutions

    Free Speech

    2020 Resolution in Defense of the Free Speech Rights of Palestinian Rights Activists  defeated

    2020 Resolution Ensuring Intellectual Freedom and the Right to Peacefully Assemble at ALA Conferences and Meetings  passed as amended

    2022 Resolution in Defense of the Right to Engage in Political Boycotts defeated

    2024 Resolution in Defense of Anti-War Protesters' Freedom of Expression and Assembly defeated

     

    Palestinian Libraries

    2021 Resolution on Damage and Destruction of Schools and Cultural Institutions in Gaza and Damage to Israeli Schools  Rejected by IRC

    2023-2024 Resolution Calling for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza 2023 SRRT resolution, defeated 2024

     

    US Foreign Policy

    2019 Resolution on CIA Recruitment at ALA Meetings defeated

     

    2022 Resolution on Damage and Destruction of Libraries, Schools, and Other Cultural Institutions in Ukraine passed

    2023 A Resolution Honoring the Life of Daniel Ellsberg passed

    2023 Resolution Against the "New Cold War" No response from IRC

     

    Whistleblowers & Mass Government Surveillance

    2019 Resolution in Support of the Right to Publish Leaked Documents and for the Dismissal of Charges Against Julian Assange defeated

    2022 Resolution Calling on the US Executive Branch to Drop All Charges Against Julian Assange defeated

    Programs

    Free Speech

    2022 Libraries, Free Speech, and Anti-Boycott Laws. Tom Twiss from SRRT, Alan Leveritt, publisher of the Arkansas Times, and Luna Martinez from the Center for Constitutional Rights discussed the direct effect on free speech for libraries, and on free speech more generally, of recent anti-boycott laws.

     

    2023 Boycott film. Produced by Just Vision, Boycott follows the stories of a news publisher in Arkansas, an attorney in Arizona, and a speech therapist in Texas, who, when forced to choose between their jobs and their political beliefs, launch legal battles that expose an attack on freedom of speech across the US. 

     

    Iran

    2023 Trita Parsi on US relations with Iran. He is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign politics, and the geopolitics of the Middle East.

     

    Native American Rights

    2020 Native American Treaty Rights in the Time of COVID 19, 

    Tadd Johnson, Senior Director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations, University of

    Minnesota

    Winona LaDuke, activist and Executive Director of Honor the Earth

    Dallin Maybee, Assistant Director of Development, Native American Rights Fund

    LINK TO PROGRAM RECORDING. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHeRp--IDx8&list=PLY6JdvV7ZFZvIYmu7ahPn38i9iec4U1qU&index=2&t=70s

     

    2022 "Paying Better Attention to Indigenous Communities": Two librarians discussed how to improve library services for Indigenous communities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbRPwKMhxZU

    Karleen Delaurier-Lyle from the Xwi7xwa Library talked about providing reference and instruction services to Indigenous students and highlighted how Indigenous Knowledge is often distributed throughout a library's collection. Kael Moffat from Saint Martin's University discussed how academic libraries exist on occupied lands and how librarians can oppose settler colonial structures to better support local tribal voices.

     

    Palestinian Libraries

    2024 The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Challenging Disinformation and Efforts to Silence Debate/Discussion. Dialogue with Dr. Shira Klein of Chapman University and Dr. Sonia Boulos of Antonio de Nebrija University on misinformation and disinformation about the Palestinian Israeli conflict, attempts to silence speech on campuses, the Academics4Peace initiative and other efforts to challenge the hegemonic understanding of the conflict. LINK TO THE PROGRAM RECORDING

    2024 Dialogue with Palestinian & Israeli Jewish Peace Activists: Osama Iliwat and Iris Gur from the binational organization, Combatants for Peace. Their presentations and their responses to questions from the audience of librarians and educators were powerful and moving. Iliwat, Gur and the Combatants for Peace represent the voices of reason, empathy and peaceful coexistence that give us hope in these horrifying times. LINK TO THE PROGRAM RECORDING



  • 2.  RE: IRTF website updated

    Posted Oct 16, 2025 11:19 AM

    Yes, thanks April! These updates are a tremendous improvement to the IRTF website!

    -- Mark



    ------------------------------
    Mark Hudson
    Co-chair, SRRT International Responsibilities Task Force (IRTF)
    Pittsburgh, PA, US
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: IRTF website updated

    Posted Oct 16, 2025 08:06 PM
    Always happy to help!


    April 


    April Sheppard
    banhatenotbooks@gmail.com

    Please know that I honor and respect boundaries around personal time, well-being, caretaking, and time off. My work hours may be different than yours. Should you receive emails from me during a time that you're engaging in any of the above, please protect your time and wait to respond until you're working.