SRRT (Social Responsibilities Round Table)

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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.

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Webinars on Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Youth (Nov. 5 & Nov. 12 @ 7 p.m. ET)

  • 1.  Webinars on Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Youth (Nov. 5 & Nov. 12 @ 7 p.m. ET)

    Posted Oct 21, 2025 03:03 PM

    The Intellectual Freedom Round Table Presents:

    Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Children and Teens:

    What Can Librarians Do to Promote Literacy & Intellectual Curiosity?

    Two Online Panels on November 5 and November 12 @ 7 p.m. E.T.

    According to a recent report by the University of Florida and University College London, there has been a forty percent decline in reading for pleasure in the U.S. over  the past twenty years.  Another study indicates that the reading skills of U.S. high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades.  These changes are deeply concerning for librarians and educators.

    The following webinars will bring together school and public librarians from different parts of the country to discuss the causes of the crisis, the needed solutions and the ways in which librarians and educators can collaborate to offer innovative ideas for promoting reading.  

    These discussions will be rooted in Maryanne Wolf's Reader Come Home (Harper, 2018) and her concept of deep reading.   Her approach returns us to the very foundation of librarianship and intellectual freedom:  Promoting reading for the purpose of critical thinking and public welfare.  

    Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Children

    Wednesday November 5, 2025,  7:00-8:00 p.m. ET

    Speakers:

    *Shauntee Burns-Simpson, Director of Youth and Family Services, D.C. Public Library

    *Dorcas Hand,  School Librarian & Co-Chair of Students Need Libraries, Houston, Texas

    *Ariel Birdoff, Elementary School Librarian, East Harlem, New York City

    Facilitator:

    Judi Moreillon, author, literacies' and libraries' consultant

     

    Confronting the Crisis of Reading Among Teens

    Wednesday November 12, 2025, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET

    Speakers:

    *Julia Torres, Teen Services Program Administrator, Denver, Colorado Public Library System

    *Jamie Gregory, High School English Teacher and Librarian, South Carolina

    *Greta Enszer, Teacher-Librarian, Los Angeles Unified School District

    Facilitator:

    Frieda Afary, IFRT Director-at-Large

     

    Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association

    Registration link for both webinars:

    https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BeI5DQmZRaOK4xol9X6Vlg#/registration