Librarians of Color Gather in Dallas

An idea that was first bandied about in 1998 at an annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) became a reality when the five associations representing librarians of color met in Dallas from October 12–15 to talk about professional diversity and service to minority populations.

The Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) offered programs on children’s and young adult services, from “Black Books—Not Just for Black Children” to presentations by leading children’s authors. Scores of exhibitors, including Scholastic, Random House, and HarperCollins, were also on hand with their authors.

Keynote speaker Loung Ung, author of First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (HarperCollins, 2000), set the tone by demonstrating how books like her memoir can have personal meaning, cultural significance, and political impact. Books are “maps of the human heart,” she said.

National Public Radio’s Juan Williams told his audience that “this conference represents the triumph of the Civil Rights Movement” and encouraged attendees to remember the strength of unity. “It’s your role to stand up and say that schools matter, that libraries matter,” he said. “You now have this coalition available, so use it, use it, use it.”

Will there be a second JCLC? Marcellus Turner of the Jefferson County (CO) Public Library and secretary of JCLC’s steering committee says it’s up for discussion, including the possibility that the gathering could turn into an ALA preconference or a “conference-within-a-conference.”

JCLC drew more than 1,200 participants and was sponsored by ALA’s Black Caucus, the American Indian Library Association, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, the Chinese American Librarians Association, and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.