SRRT (Social Responsibilities Round Table)

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last person joined: 5 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.  Your Input Needed! Discussion item: SRRT's Connect spaces

    Posted an hour ago

    Hi folks!

    We ran out of time during today's Action Council meeting, but we wanted to be sure to make space for folks to discuss some of the things we missed/cut short.

    One of those overarching topics was access to SRRT's Connect spaces. If I understand correctly, currently, a person needs to be logged into their ALA Connect account in order to access the SRRT Action Council Connect space. On the other hand, currently, anyone can access (i.e. read) the SRRT general Connect space, even if they are not logged in.

    The question has come up several times as to whether SRRT's general Connect space should remain publicly viewable, or if it should be changed such that one must be logged into their ALA Connect account in order to access it.

    We ran out of time to take a vote on the matter during today's Action Council meeting, but will plan to take up the question again at our next business meeting, next month.

    In the meantime, it would be great to have a discussion about this matter so that Action Council can address it to the best of our capabilities next month.

    Please use this Connect thread to share your thoughts on the matter.



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    Olivia Blake (she/her)
    orhysb@gmail.com
    Systems & User Services Support Librarian, Library Connection, Inc.
    SRRT Action Council Co-Coordinator (2025-2026)
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  • 2.  RE: Your Input Needed! Discussion item: SRRT's Connect spaces

    Posted 59 minutes ago
    Thanks Olivia,

    I'm someone who has raised this issue. As an additional note, not only is anyone able to view our Connect messages without being logged in, or without being an ALA member, but search engines are picking up these messages too. I'm in favor of keeping it open to ALA members who are logged into connect but not sharing it with the wider world.

    Rory

    --
    Rory Litwin




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Your Input Needed! Discussion item: SRRT's Connect spaces

    Posted 34 minutes ago

    Hi Everyone,

    I think it would be useful to the discussion to know what are the pros and cons concerning this issue? 

    Cheers!



    ------------------------------
    Derek Wilmott Montoya
    He/Him/His
    robert.wilmott@utoledo.edu
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Your Input Needed! Discussion item: SRRT's Connect spaces

    Posted 13 minutes ago
    I can start on that. It seems to me that the argument for keeping it open would simply be that we should follow the principle of openness and transparency. If we believe in what we say here, why shouldn't the world be able to read it? I am guessing this is the reason for the current policy.

    But openness and transparency are only democratic values so that power (a decision-making body) is accountable to the people who are represented. The SRRT community isn't accountable to the general public outside of ALA. We don't owe them access. That's my take on the philosophical argument for openness here.

    I guess there could also be a feeling that we want people to know about us, so that they will become interested in joining SRRT and be educated by our discussions. That argument seems a little more potentially convincing. 

    I think there is the potential for trouble in having the group open to the world. One reason is that individuals might feel free here to express themselves here in a way that they wouldn't outside of a friendly group. It is easy to forget, or simply to never have been made aware, that we are not having a private discussion. It feels safer than it is here, and we might say things that we wouldn't want just anybody reading. This happened to me. I ran across a discussion here in a web search in which I said things that I was a little ashamed of. I didn't like the thought that it was out there for the world to see. Among this group, I feel there is understanding and forgiveness for lapses in professionalism, let's say. It's different if a loan officer, a stalker, or a customs agent can find these things.

    Then there is the potential for bringing unwanted attention to ALA. There is a lot of hostility toward ALA, especially among conservative groups. A lot of them are actively working against ALA, and they are looking for material to use against it. This is a place where adverse material is easy to find. In fact it is likely to come up in a Google search.

    That's my take.

    Rory Litwin

    --
    Rory Litwin




    Original Message