I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET OUR RECORDING STARTED AND WELCOME OUR PRESENTERS TODAY. WE'RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE BACK TO WEB JUNCTION, HOORAY FOR THE TEAM MARGO GUSTINA AND ELI GUINNEE THAT COME TO US FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER LIBRARY SYSTEM IN NEW YORK. ELI IS THE STATE LIBRARIAN FOR THE NEW MEXICO STATE LIBRARY. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND HOP US OVER TO YOUR SLIDES I'LL PASS THE BALL TO MARGO. WELCOME, BOTH OF YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS PRESENTATION TO THE WEB JUNCTION WEBINARS. >> ELI: THANKS FOR HAVING US. >> MARGO: TODAY WE'LL TALK THROUGH ELI AND OUR THINKING ON THE PRACTICE OF DISSENT AND DISSENT BEING NECESSARY FOR THE POSITIVE CHANGE TO OCCUR. WE'LL SITUATE IT IN LIBRARIANSHIP SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT AND HOW CHANGE HAPPENS. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE'LL ASK YOU TO WEIGH IN ON A QUESTION USING THE ANNOTATION TOOLS THAT JENNIFER WILL EXPLAIN AS IT COMES UP. AND, AS SHE SAID, SHE'LL BE MODERATING THE CHAT. ELI AND I WON'T BE PAYING ATTENTION TO IT SUPER TON, SO SHE'LL LET US KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT COMES UP THAT YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO. GO AHEAD AND WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS AS THEY COME UP. ONE MORE THING BEFORE WE BEGIN. THIS IS A CONVERSATION ABOUT DISSENT, HOW IT IS CAN BE A USEFUL TOOL FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE REAL CHANGE IN THE PROFESSION AND COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE LIVE. IT IS IN NO WAY EXHAUSTIVE OR STATIC. WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC AND WE HOPE IT WILL ADD TO THE CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY UNDER WAY ABOUT CREATING A MORE JUST AND REGENERATIVE WORLD. >> ELI: THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THINKING ABOUT DISSENT AND IN THIS PRESENTATION TODAY WE'LL TALK ABOUT A COUPLE DIFFERENT MODS OF DISSENT. BUT WE WANTED TO START YOU OFF WITH THIS IMAGE AND ASK YOU TO HOLD THIS IMAGE THIS YOUR MIND AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION. THERE'S VALUE AND DISRUPTION FOR EVERY KNOWN SYSTEM, AND WE THINK IN TERMS OF HEALTHY RIVER SYSTEMS AND WATERSHEDS. THERE EXISTS A WILD VARIETY OF EDDIES, CURRENTS AND PLACES FOR WATER TO REALLY SINK INTO THE BANKS, TO REST AND TO SHARE ITS NUTRIENTS WITH THE LAND SURROUNDING IT. AND A HEALTHY SYSTEM IS ALIGNED BETWEEN THE RIVER AND WATERSHED ARE BLURRED. THEY ARE PART OF THE SAME SYSTEM FUNCTIONING IN DYNAMIC RECIPROCITY WITH NUTRIENTS MOVING BOTH WASTE. THERE'S A YOUTUBE VIDEO WE LIKE BY BILL REED H-CALLED SUSTAINABLE RESTORATION. HE SHOWED DIFFERENCES ABOUT THE RESTORATION PROJECT WE WORKED ABOUT. WHAT WE'RE SHOWING TO THE RIGHT PHOTOS OF NATURAL PARK TREATMENT RESTORATION AND ON THE LEFT AN ARTFULLY CONCRETE CHANNEL. THEY ALL HAVE THEIR PLACE AND VALUE. YOU MAY REFER ONE OVER THE OTHER. THE RIGHT IS THE NATURAL ECOSYSTEM DEFINED BY LIVING IN ABUNDANCE. THE ROOTS COULD NOT GROW DEEP ENOUGH TO WITH STAND CHANGE IN WATER LEVELS IF NOT FOR THE DISRUPTION TO FLOW THAT THE ROCKS PROVIDE. YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT THERE'S ROCKS THAT THE WATER IS HITTING WHICH IS MAKING THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT A PICTURE OF CHAOS, COMPARED TO THE ONE ON THE LEFT, BUT ALSO ABUNDANCE. >> MARGO: JENNIFER, IT'S YOUR TURN >> JENNIFER: EXCELLENT. YOU ALL SHOULD SEE NOW, IF YOU HOVER OVER YOUR SLIDE THERE'S A PILL MENU THAT APPEARS ON THE FAR LEFT OF YOUR SLIDE, IF YOU GO TO THE SECOND OPTION THE LITTLE SQUIGGLY MARK, THAT WILL OPEN ANOTHER MENU THAT APPEARS AT THE FAR LEFT. IF YOU GO HALFWAY DOWN THAT MENU TO THE SQUARE, THERE'S A LITTLE SUB MENU, IF YOU CLICK ON THE TINY ARROW, AND THEN YOU'LL FIND A CHECKMARK, AND ONCE YOU'VE GOTTEN TO THAT CHECKMARK SUB MENU, FEEL FREE TO CLICK ON THE SLIDE TO PRACTICE, AND WE SHOULD SEE A WHOLE SLEW -- YOU SEE SOME BOXES. EXCELLENT, BOX OF CHECKMARKS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PICK THE CHECKMARK, BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO GET YOUR RESPONSES TO OUR NEXT STEPS. EXCELLENT. I'LL HAVE YOU HOLD YOUR CHECKMARKS. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGO: ALL RIGHT. GUYS. HOLD ON A SECOND. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGO: YOU'RE SO GOOD AT THIS. NO, WAIT! [ LAUGHTER ] >> MAR GO: BEFORE WE GET MORE INTO OUR IDEAS ABOUT DISSENT AND HOW THEY PROVIDE VALUABLE DISRUPTION IN OUR SYSTEMS AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE. WE WANT TO START OUT WITH AN ACTIVITY EVEN THOUGH IT'S ELEGANTLY TRANSITIONED. WE WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU THINK MEANINGFUL, LONG-LASTING CHANGE HAPPENS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, OR JUST GENERALLY, WHO IS LEADING WHEN CHANGE HAPPENS. IS IT MAINLY A CHARISMATIC LEADER WITH A VISION, IS IT EVERYBODY EXPRESSING VOICE, OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCE. IS IT A GROUP OF EXPERTS WHO CAN BUILD TRUST WITH PEOPLE IN POWER, SORT OF LIKE A REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY KIND OF MODEL? WHEN IT HAPPENS, WHEN CHANGE HAPPEN, WHO IS LEADING IT? >> ELI: THERE'S CHARISMATIC LEADERS THERE, BUT IT'S MOSTLY GROUP TO EVERYBODY. >> MARGO: YEAH, I NOTICED THAT. YOU CAN LAY IT DOWN ANYWHERE ALONG THE CONTINUUM YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE. I'M GOING GUESS THE PEOPLE BETWEEN GROUP AND EVERYBODY ARE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IT'S SOME MIX OF GROUP AND EVERYBODY. >> THERE'S A GREAT COMMENT IN CHAT. I WOULD THINK CHANGE CAN HAPPEN UNDER ANY LEADERSHIP STYLE. >> MARGO: UH-HUH. AND I'LL POINT YOU TO THE WORDS "MEANINGFUL" AND LONG-LASTING. ALL RIGHT. JENNIFER: ANOTHER -- ANOTHER GREAT COMMENT IT'S A TRANSITIONAL PROCESS, THAT IT CAN START WITH CHARISMATIC LEADER AND THAT PERSON ATTRACTS AND ORGANIZES A GROUP OF EXPERTS. >> MARGO: UH-HUH. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. INTERESTING. AND WE -- YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T ASK YOU THIS BEFORE, BUT I SHOULD ASK YOU, DO WE GET TO KEEP THIS AS AN IMAGE OR CAN SOMEBODY TAKE A SCREEN SHOT OF IT? >> JENNIFER: YEAH. IT IS ACTUALLY RETAINED AS PART OF THE ARCHIVES BUT, YEAH, WE CAN ALSO HAVE AN IMAGE OF IT. >> MARGO: ALL RIGHT. GUYS, VOTE NOW. WE'RE MOVING ON. OKAY. >> ELI: DISSENT HAS A DICTIONARY DEFINITION WHICH IS BROAD AND SIMPLE TO DIFFERENT OPINION OR TO WITHHOLD APPROVAL. BUT TO OUR DISCUSSIONS TODAY WE'RE DESCRIBING A MORE ACTIVE VERB, ONE WITH INTENTION AND PURPOSE. VALUABLE DISSENT, AS WE SEE IT, IS IN THE CONTEXT OF CURRENT SYSTEMS OF POWER AND DOMINATION AND SO CANNOT BE DONE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS OF POWER AND DOMINATION. THERE'S A LOT THAT WORKS AGAINST DISSENT IN LIBRARIANSHIP. SOME OF IT THAT WE THOUGHT OF WERE A TENDENCY TO FAVOR EFFICIENCY, MONEY CONSIDERATIONS, FEAR OF CAREER REPERCUSSIONS OR STRAINING A RELATIONSHIP. WE TEND TO AVOID DISCOMFORT AND AWKWARDNESS IN OUR FIELD ESPECIALLY, AND I THINK WE HAVE A STRONG TENDENCY TOWARDS GROUP THINKING, INHERENT BIAS, IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND WE GENERALLY HAVE A CULTURE THAT IS CONSERVATIVE IN PRACTICE, DESPITE ITS PROGRESSIVE FACADE. WE TEND TO AVOID CONFLICT. THIS IS ALL EXACERBATED BY A LACK OF ACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT OF PRACTITIONERS TO MUCH OF THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE FIELD. PUT ANOTHER WAY, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S WORKING AGAINST OUR ABILITY TO MAKE INFORMED CRITICAL DISSENT IN OPPOSITION TO THOSE GATE KEEPERS AND POWER BROKERS IN THE FIELD. SO, FOR THE PURPOSES OF OUR TALK TODAY, WHEN WE DESCRIBE DISSENT, WHAT WE'RE DESCRIBING IS THAT MORE ACTIVE VERB, JUST TO KEEP IN MINE. >> MARGO: IT'S NOT AS THOUGH SOCIAL COHESION IS SOME HORRIBLE EVIL, CONFORMITY, IS LUBRICANTS ARE SUPER HELPFUL TO US. JUST ABOUT NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH A FAMILY DINNER WITHOUT ONE OR IN A MEETING. IT'S IN OUR COHESIVE SOCIAL NETWORKS THAT WE'RE COMFORTED AND SUPPORTED AND WE NEED THOSE COMFORT NETWORKS TO BE WELL AND WE NEED TO BE WELL IN ORDER TO MAKE IMPORTANT AND EFFECTIVE RISKS IN THE WORLD. SO, DON'T GET US WRONG. WE ARE PRO CONFORMITY, TOO, JUST IN BALANCE WITH HEALTHY DOSE OF DISSENT. >> ELI: HERE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE DISSENT. TODAY WE'RE MOSTLY GOING TO TALK ABOUT DISSENT IN THE CONTEXT OF INJUSTICE. BUT NOTE THAT WHEN SUCCESSFUL, DISSENT FOR INJUSTICE WILL INCLUDE PROCESS AND SYSTEM AWARENESS AS WELL AS SELF IMPROVEMENT. CONVERSELY, DISSENT FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT AND SYSTEMS AWARENESS IS NOT AUTOMATICLY IN THE DIRECTION OF JUSTICE UNLESS IT'S INTENTIONAL AND MINDFUL. WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING EXISTING CONTEXTS OF POWER, OPPRESSION OR DOMINATION, AS WELL AS OUR OWN INHERENT BIAS AND BAD HABITS, WE'D THINK WE WOULD BE SKIPPING A VITAL STEP WITHOUT WHICH WE WERE JUST PROPPING UP THOSE CURRENT SYSTEMS. IF WE OVERVALUE COHESION WITHOUT ACTIVELY COMBATTING SYSTEMS OF INJUSTICE, THEN OUR LIBRARIES THEMSELVES JUST PERPETUATING INJUSTICE EVEN IN OUR DISSENT. >> MARGO: STORY FOR THE FAST SKIP. THERE'S RBG. OUR MOST FAMOUS DISSENTER. I'M GOING TO MAKE A QUICK NOTE ABOUT COMPLEXITY AND CHOICES AND LEARNING. RBG IS FAMOUS, AND SHE'S BEEN VITAL. HER DISSENT HAS BEEN VITAL FOR GAINING RIGHTS BASED ON SEX DISCRIMINATION. SHE IS ALSO A PERSON WHO IS HISTORICLY DISREGARDED LAND RIGHTS OF AMERICAN INDIANS. SHE WAS PART OF A MOVEMENT WITH THE SUPREME COURT TO HOLD OFF SO THEY COULD GATHER MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COMPLEX OF SOVEREIGNTY. WE HOPE JUSTICES USE MORE OF THEIR TIME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOVEREIGNTY AND LAW. I BRING HER UP BECAUSE SHE'S COMPLICATED NONE OF US EVER STOP LEARNING. WE HOLD THE DISPOSITION OF CURIOSITY AND LEARNING IT MAKE FORCE A MORE BETTER AND GROUNDED DEBATE AS WE APPROACH DISSENT AND CONFLICT IN OUR INSTITUTIONS. STILL, SHE'S THIS SUPER GREAT IMAGE OF USEFUL DISSENT. ONCE VOICED A PERCEIVED MINORITY OPINION CAN SUDDENLY BE SLOAN TO BE WIDELY HELD, AS CASS SUN STEEN NOTES. RBG'S EXAMPLE POINTS TO OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN POWER. IF, WITHIN CERTAIN ARENAS WE HAVE THE POWER TO DISSENT AND PATHWAYS OF THE ORGANIZATION TO DO SO, THE ORGANIZATION WE'RE IN ISN'T ON THE RIGHT PATH, USING OUR POWER TO TALK ABOUT IT, IS THE RESPONSIBILITY THING TO DO. >> ELI: SO, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DISSENT, ANYWHERE FROM REFRAMING WITH A QUESTION, BEING PROVOCATIVE FOR DEEPER THOUGHTS. SOMETIMES WE DISSENT JUST OUT OF A STRONG EMOTION OF ANGER, AND A LOT OF TIMES THOSE ARE COMBINED. NOTE, THOUGH, THAT SOME MANNERS OF DISSENT REQUIRE MORE INDEPENDENT POWER IN ORDER TO BE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHERS. SO, FOR OUR PURPOSES TODAY, WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ACTIONS THAT ARE ESPECIALLY PROVOCATIVE OF DEEPER THOUGHT, OR THAT REFRAME A DISCUSSION FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. DISSENT IS ALWAYS MORE POWERFUL WHEN IT'S BASED ON PURPOSE. BUT, AS YOU LOOK THROUGH THIS LIST, KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THESE HAVE MORE RISK ATTACHED TO THEM DEPENDING ON YOUR LEVEL OF POWER, DEPENDING ON YOUR HIERARCHY IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, YOUR RACE, YOUR LEVEL OF HETERONORM ACTIVITY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. AND KEEP IN MIND, IF YOU'RE IT A MEETING FOR EXAMPLE, OTHERS HAVE A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF RISK AND DISSENT THAN YOU DO. AND SOMETIMES IF YOU'RE IN MORE OF A POSITION OF POWER, THEN YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IT'S -- YOU'VE GOT MORE OF A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE A DISSENTING VOICE IF ANOTHER VOICE IN THE ROOM HAS LESS POWER TO DISSENT. >> MARGO: SO, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LIBRARY CAN HAVE REAL AND IMMEDIATE IMPACTS IN THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE NATION. WHEN FOUR LIBRARIANS FROM CONNECTICUT ENTERED INTO A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER THE GAG ORDER PROVISION IN THE PATRIOT ACT, THEY WON THAT, SORT OF. REALLY THE CASE WAS TOSSED OUT BUT THAT REVISION WHICH HAD EXISTED IN THE LAW FOR YEARS WITHOUT CONTEST, AND THEN THE -- AND EVEN THOUGH THE PATRIOT ACT REMAINED IN PLACE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AFTER THE GAG ORDER PROCESSION WAS REMOVED, ALSO, THE IMAGE ON THE LEFT IS FROM JESSAMYN WEST. I REMEMBER LEARNING ABOUT THIS IMAGE WELL BEFORE A WAS A LIBRARIAN AND THINKING IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I WANTED TO MAKE A SPECIAL NOTE ON ART AND PROTEST AND OTHER PHYSICAL PERFORMANCES OF REWELL YAN. AS THE NOTED HISTORIAN MARIAN FRANCIS BARRY POINTS OUT. SHE RARELY NOTES CHANGE ITSELF. THE ENTIRE DISCUSSION IS ABOUT DISSENT AND PERFORMANCE OF REBELLION ARE PERFORMS OF DISSENT. LIKE DISSENT IN A CLOSED MEETING IT CAN GIVE NECESSARY COURAGE TO OTHERS WHO HAVE NOT YET FOUND THEIR VOICE. >> ELI: HOW WE DISSENT IS OFTEN DETERMINED BY WHERE WE DISSENT, WHERE OUR DISSENT IS TAKING PLACE AND HOW FAR WE WISH OUR IMPACTS TO REACH. SO, AGAIN, THIS MIGHT VERY MUCH BE TIED TO HOW MUCH POWER YOU HAVE IN ANY CERTAIN ARENA, OR MAYBE HOW DISSENT TOLERANT A SPECIFIC SPACE IS. SO, FOR INSTANCE, IT MIGHT BE EASIER FOR YOU TO DISSENT IN GENERAL ON TWITTER BUT NOT AGAINST A PARTICULAR COLLEAGUE OF YOUREN 0 TWITTER BUT MIGHT BE EASIER TO DISSENT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION THAN WITHIN YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION, YOUR OWN WORK UNLESS YOU HAVE SPECIFIC SUPPORT FROM A BOARD OR COMMUNITY PARTNER. SOME OF THAT MIGHT BE AN OVERASSUMPTION OF RISK WHEN LOOKED AT OBJECTIVELY ALLOWS US TO DO THINGS WE MIGHT OTHERWISE DO. SO, WHEN WE CONSIDER LEVELS OF RISK, WE CONSIDER, OF COURSE, WHERE WE ARE, WHAT ARENA WE'RE IN, AND WE THINK ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF THE DISSENT, BEFORE WE EVALUATE THE RISK. IN SOME WAYS, IT'S EASIER FOR MANY OF US TO DISSENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE LIBRARY PROFESSION THAN -- AND I KNOW THIS IS TRUE FOR ME -- THAN WITHIN OUR OWN ORGANIZATION THAT PAYS OUR SALARY. ORGANIZATIONS HAVE VARYING DEGREES OF COMFORT WITH DISSENTS WHICH AFFECTS WHO CONTRIBUTES INFORMATION TO DECISION MAKING AND TO PROBLEM SOLVING. THOSE OF US WHO ARE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS CAN FEEL PRESSURED TO BE EFFICIENT AND TO MINIMIZE CONFLICT AND CHAOS BUT WE ARE ALSO IN POSITION WHERE WE CAN SET A TONE WHICH RESPECTS CONFLICTING VIEWS AND INTENTIONALLY SEEKS OUT OTHER PERSPECTIVES, THOSE OF OVES IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT BALANCE. ONE EXAMPLE OF DISSENT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION IS AROUND PAY AND WORK CONDITIONS. >> MARGO: WHICH BRINGS US TO URBAN LIBRARIANS UNITE. ALTHOUGH THE IMAGE IS FROM 2013 THE WORK BEGAN IN 2008. THIS YEAR'S LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR, FORMED URBAN LIBRARIANS UNITE TO RESPOND TO MASSIVE LAYOFFS. THEY TELL THE STORY MUCH BETTER THAN WE HAVE TIME TO OR COULD. BUT WHAT I WANT TO POINT OUT, DISSENT BEGINS WITH DIALOGUE AND PEOPLE FINDING COMMON CAUSE AND SPEAKING ALLOWED THEIR NEEDS, OPINIONS AND INFORMATION. THAT'S WHAT THEN BEGETS AN ORGANIZATION THAT CAN MOVE TOWARD POSITIVE CHANGE. BUT IT HAS TO START WITH PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES. AND WHEN WE ARE MOTIVATED BY SELF INTEREST, WHICH IS APPROPRIATELY CONTEXTUALIZED WITHIN THE INTERESTS OF OTHER, THAT'S WHEN COLLECTIVE ACTION IS BORN. S IT T DOESN'T TAKE COERCION AND IT DOESN'T TAKE CONVINCING, IF WE'RE ALL TALKING ABOUT THE SAME REALITY. THE NEEDS OF LIBRARY WORKERS IMPACT ON ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES AND THE PROFESSION AS A WHOLE. IT ISN'T SOMETHING SEPARATE. >> ELI: THE KIND OF DISSENT THAT MAKES MEANINGFUL CHANGE OFTEN BEGINS WITH OUR ABILITY TO REGULARLY THINK CRITICLY ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING AND TO DISSENT WHEN SOMETHING SEEMS AMISS. SO, FOR INSTANCE, SOMETIMES DISSENT IS SIMPLY A WAY TO SLOW THINGS DOWN TO ALLOW FOR A GREATER DIVERSITY, OR BROADER BASE OF INFORMATION. THIS IS AN EASIER CONVERSATION TO HAVE WHEN THOSE WORKING TOGETHER HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO DELIBERATE ON PURPOSE AND TO COME TO A SHARED AND A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING. IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE DISSENT IS HAPPENING IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS BUT IT'S NOT LEADING TO ANY PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION, THAT PEOPLE ARE JUST TALKING PAST EACH OTHER. THIS MIGHT BE A SIGN THAT YOU CAN SPEND SOME MORE TIME SORT OF STEPPING BACK AND FOCUSING ON CORE PURPOSE AND HOW IT ALIGNS WITH THE ACTION AT HAND. THIS CAN'T HAPPEN UNLESS THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS IS AT LEAST SLIGHTLY DIVERTED BY SOME SORT OF OBSTRUCTION. WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO THE ECOLOGY METAPHORS AND IDEAS THAT WE THINK ABOUT A LOT. SLOWING THING DOWNES COMES IN THE FORMS AND HAS A FEW DIFFERENT NAMES. IN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN THE WORDS CONSTRUCTION IS USED A LOT TO INTENTIONALLY ADD OBSTACLES SO THE LEARNER SPENDS MORE TIME IN COMPLICATED TOPICS KIND OF LIKE A RIVER SLOWING DOWN SO MORE NUTRIENTS CAN SEEP IN. WE OFTEN THINK OF THIS CONCEPT IN TERMS OF THIS CONCRETE OR ARTIFICIAL RIVER SYSTEM AND A NATURAL RIVER SYSTEM LIKE THOSE THAT WE SHOWED BEFORE THE WATER IS MOVING TOO FAST, THEN NO MEANINGFUL THINKING IS TAKING PLACE. WHERE THERE IS NO FRICTION OR DISTURBANCE OR CURVINESS. THERE'S LESS OVERALL BENEFIT. >> ELI: AT ITS MOST BASIC, WE CAN MODEL COMMUNITY DECISION MAKING AS A PROCESS BY WHICH INPUTS BECOME OUTPUTS THROUGH A SYSTEM OF COMPUTATION. HERE WHERE WE SAY COMMUNITY, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A TOWN, OR MAYBE YOUR ORGANIZATION OR A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION, ET CETERA. SO, IN THIS CONTEXT YOU CAN READ COMMUNITY IS ORGANIZATION. WHERE IT SAYS ORGANIZED COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT WOULD BE SEE LIKE A COMMITTEE WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION. CITIZEN NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS WOULD BE ANALOGOUS TO THE KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLIGENCE OF STAFF HELPS. THE SPECIFIC PROCESSES BY WHICH THAT COMPUTATION HAPPENS ARE VARYING DEGREES OF TRANSPARENCY AND CONTROLLED BY GATES OF TRANSPARENCY THAT ALLOW OR DISALLOW INTO THE PROCESS. EVERY KEY HAS GATE KEEPERS WHICH ARE FORMAL, UNFORMAL OR ELECTED THESE DECIDE WHO IS ALLOWED TO DECIDE ALGORITHMS, VALUES WEIGHTS, AND WITNESS THE COMPUTATIONAL PROS NECESSARY ACTION. ON THIS SLIDE THIS DIAGRAM NOW DEMONSTRATES HOW THE GATE KEEPERS FILTER OUT GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL VOICES. THEY CONTROL INPUTS AND INTENDED OUTPUTS. THIS DECISION MAKING SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO AVOID CONFLICT AND BE FRICTIONLESS. IT IS CREATED WITHIN AND REINFORCES A CULTURE WHICH EFFICIENTLY TURNING INPUTS INTO OUTPUTS IS CELEBRATED OVER THE DEPTH AND BROADNESS OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. OFTENTIMES IT CREATES HEF DELEGATING MEASURES OF SUCCESS WHICH THE COMPUTATIONS THEMSELVESES SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO RECREATE EASILY MEASURED OUTPUTS. THIS IS THE WELL OILED MACHINE, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, THAT LIBRARY BOARDS LOVE. IN SUCH A SYSTEM MEASURES OF SUCCESS ARE INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS RATHER THAN TO RAISE AND THEN ANSWER QUESTIONS. REPEATED USE OF COMMUNITY COMPUTATION ALGORITHM TENDS TO REINFORCE THE STATUS QUO CREATING A CULTURE OR TRADITION THAT BECOMES DIFFICULT TO CHANGE OVER TIME EVEN AS INDIVIDUAL GATE KEEPERS CHANGE. NOTE THAT IN THIS SYSTEM HAVING INFLUENCE ON DECISION MAKING IS PRIMARILY THROUGH ADVOCATING TO GATE KEEPERS, ESPECIALLY BY REINFORCING THE GATE KEEPERS PRIVACY AND OFFERING YOUR OWN SELF-DELEGATING MEASURES OF SUCCESS. >> MARGO: YOUR TURN! NOW, WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW FROM YOU IS HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR LIBRARY OR YOUR DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE LIBRARY. DO YOU TEND TOWARD EFFICIENCY WITH CLEARLY ASSESSED GOALS BASED ON CORE TASKS AND SOUND LEADERSHIP -- OH, GENERAL, WILL YOU TURN ON THE ANNOTATION TOOL? OR DO YOU TEND WITH MORE COMMITTEE WORK, WHERE EVERYBODY GETS A SAY, OR MORE FOCUS GROUPED DRIVEN, WHERE GENERALLY SPEAKING YOU'RE MORE EFFICIENT AND YOU JUST DO THE PLAN, BUT THEN WHEN A MAJOR CHANGE IS ABOUT TO OCCUR, LIKE FACILITIES, OR PAY RATE CHANGE, YOU PULL IN GROUP DISCUSSION? >> MARGOT: THAT'S SURPRISING TO ME. I WORKED WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT TEND TO FALL SOMEWHERE BETWEEN GROUP FEEDBACK AND EFFICIENCY. SO, IT'S PRETTY INTERESTING TO SEE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE MANAGING ORGANIZATIONS THAT TEND TOWARD ITERATIVE FEEDBACK LOOP, AND A LOT OF -- A LOT OF TIME SPENT GATHERING OPINIONS BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE. >> ELI: ONE OF THE CHATS THAT POPPED UP, THERE'S NOT A TOP DOWN OPTION. I'M THINKING THE EFFICIENT LEADERSHIP IS THE MORE TOP DOWN APPROACH. >> MARGOT: YEAH. INTERESTING. OH, I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. OKAY. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. ARE YOU READY TO MAKE YOUR SYSTEM MORE COMPLICATED? >> ELI: YEAH. SO, RETURNING TO OUR DECISION MAKING STRUCTURE, NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE ADDED AN ALTERNATIVE THAT AT LEAST CLAIMS TO VALUE COMMUNITY INPUTS. AND THIS IS WHERE I WOULD SAY LIBRARIANSHIP IS RIGHT NOW, BY AND LARGE. THIS IS SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLEX BUT STILL VERY BASIC COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATIONAL DECISIONMAKING STRUCTURE. IT AT LEAST RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF GATHERING PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE COMMUNITY CAN BE FACTORED INTO COMPUTATION AND A PATHWAY TO GATHER THAT KNOWLEDGE CAN BE BUILT. IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE NOW SEE THE SAME STRUCTURE, BUT IT HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO BRING IN THOSE VOICES, AND TO SHARE THE POWER. WE SEE THAT THE GATES HAVE NOT ONLY BEEN CREATED, BUT THEY'VE LIEUTENANT BEEN OPENED UP WIDE. IN THIS DIAGRAM, INFLUENCE IS NOT ABOUT GAINING FAVOR WITH POWERFUL PEOPLE, PERCENT SE. IT'S MORE ABOUT BUILDING BIGGER PATHS OF CONTRIBUTION AND BIGGER GATES FOR PYM TO GO THROUGH. AND THIS IS THE RESULT. A SYSTEM IN WHICH COMMUNITY COMPUTATION INCLUDES ALL OF THE VOICES AND A ROBUST COMMUNITY DIALOGUE. SMALL INPUTS ARE TURNED INTO BIG OUTPUTS. THE ROLE OF GATEKEEPERS IS MINIMIZED AND INDIVIDUAL POWER IS RELINQUISHED. IT'S LESS EFFICIENT BY QUIET A LOT. DECISION MAKING IS ABOUT NOW, DELIBERATION, DIALOGUE AND ALLOWING FOR PERSPECTIVES. PREDICTABILITY HAS GONE WAY DOWN BUT THE ABILITY TO INVOLVE NEW CHALLENGES HAS GONE UP. DESPITE THE CONTEXT WE MITT CONSIDER SHIFTING AWAY FROM A EFFICIENCY MODEL AND TOWARDS A MORE DELIBERATIVE -- [ LOST AUDIO ] -- STRONG GATEKEEPERS AND EFFICIENCY AS BEING PRIME. IN DOING SO WE MISS OUT OF VOICES AN IDEAS AND LOSE TRACK OF OUR PURPOSE. DISSENTING WITH INTENTION AND WITH HUMILITY IS NOT ABOUT SAYING MY IDEA IS BETTER THAN YOUR IDEA, AS MUCH AS IT IS ABOUT SAYING WHOSE IDEA ARE MISSING. >> MARGOT: SO, I SUPER LOVE THAT. SO, OUR ABILITY TO DEFEND WHEN WE SEE SOMETHING AMISS IS INFLUENCED BY MORE THAN OUR BELIEF IN VALUES. IT ISN'T AS THOUGH ANY PERSON ON THIS CALL WAKES UP IN THE MORNING AND IS LIKE, I CAN'T WAIT TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE AND ALSO TO SEE RAMPANT INJUSTICE IN THE WORLD. LIKE IT'S NOT A THING THAT ANYBODY SEEKS OUT. SO, IT ISN'T ABOUT OUR BELIEFS AND VALUES, AS MUCH AS IT IS SOME NATURAL DISPOSITION THAT WE'RE BORN WITH. LIKE PERSONAL TOLERANCE THRESHOLDS, INCLUDING THRESHOLDS FOR INJUSTICE AND SEPARATE THRESHOLDS FOR DISCOMFORT. AND ALL OF THESE SORT OF INTERNAL MECHANISMS, INFLUENCE ONE ANOTHER WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE RISKS INVOLVED IN DISSENT WERE GOING AGAINST THE FLOW, OR WORTH IT. WE DIDN'T INCLUDE HERE ALL OF THE NUANCES THAT LAY ON THE RISK SIDE OF OUR TOLERANCE, LIKE OUR HOME CIRCUMSTANCE, WHICH MIGHT MAKE RISKING OUR INCOME UNTENABLE. FOR A SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLETE DISCUSSION OF THESE THRESHOLDS, I RICH CASS SUNSTEIN ACE VIDEO HIS TALK ON HOW CHANGE HAPPEN THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN IN DEATH IN THE BOOK. IT HAPPENS IN DEPTH IN DISCUSSIONS IN THE VIDEO. ALL OF THE LINKS TALKED ABOUT IN THIS PRESENTATION ARE ON OUR PREFERENCE AND RESOURCE LIST AS WELL. SO, THAT WILL BE THERE. FOR NOW, LET'S JUST LOOK AT OUR INDIVIDUAL THRESHOLDS, AND HOW WE DEAL WITH TOLERANCE FOR DISCOMFORT AND TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE. A COLLEAGUE RECENTLY SHARED WITH ME A STORY FROM A BOOK CLUB SHE WAS IN WITH OTHER FOLKS FROM HER PROFESSION. THEY WERE BROADLY HOE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY SOCIETY OF WHITE WOMEN AND NO ONE HELD POWER OVER THE CAREER OUTSET. WHEN READING A BOOK SOMETHING LIKE WHITE FRAGILITY. ONE MEMBER SAID SOMETHING THAT WAS CRINGY. THEY MADE COMMENTS LIKE NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE BUT NO ONE CALLED THE BOOK CLUB MEMBER INTO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT OTHERS PERCEIVED RACIST LANGUAGE. THERE WAS NO RISK BUT AWKWARDNESS AND DISCOMFORT. AND A REAL LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE APPROACH LIKE HOW WE DEAL WITH THOSE KINDS OF CONFLICTS WHEN THEY ARE ONE-ON-ONE, AND INJUSTICE WAS ABSTRACT. IT WAS FAR OFF. IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT ANYBODY WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIGHT THEN. THESE INTERACTIONS OF INTERNAL MECHANISMS ARE SUPER COMPLICATED SO WE JUST WANT TO REFLECT ON OUR PERSONAL TOLERANCES RIGHT NOW. SO, ON THE LEFT, THE TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE, I'M GOING TO SAY THAT SOMEWHERE MIDWAY ON THE TOLERANCE SCALE IS, YOU SEE SOMETHING HAPPENING IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT IT HAS NO IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL THREAT TO A HUMAN BEING. THAT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE SCALE AND TOLERANCE FOR SOCIAL DISCOMFORT SCALE MID POINT IS THERE'S -- THERE COULD BE SOME CAREER BLOW WAC BUT NO IMMEDIATE RISK TO YOUR I'VELIHOOD OR DAILY JOB. THOSE ARE LIKE MIDWAY POINTS. SO, NO IMMEDIATE HARM. BUT A PERCEIVED FUTURE RISK. SO, WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO DO NOW, IS PLACE YOUR CHECKMARK SOMEWHERE ALONG THE BASH. YOU SHOULD HAVE A CHECKMARK ON EACH ONE DESCRIBING WHERE YOUR TOLERANCE LEVEL IS. AND, AGAIN TOLERANCE LEVELS AND TOLERANCE THRESHOLDS DON'T NECESSARILY RELATE TO YOUR VALUES AND BELIEFS. RIGHT? I WANT TO BELIEVE MY TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE IS REALLY LOW. BUT, I HAVE A REAL CHALLENGE WALKING UP TO SOMEONE AND TELLING THEM THAT THEY'RE WRONG, ESPECIALLY IF I'M NOT SURE THE CONTEXT OF WHAT I'M WITNESSING. SO, I -- THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING STATEMENT. I HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE IS A SUPER POWERFUL STATEMENT. I WOULD SAY WE ALL HAVE TOLERANCE FOR INJUSTICE. THERE'S NOT A -- I WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR ME TO IMAGINE THAT WE DON'T, OTHERWISE, MAYBE WE HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR WITNESSING INJUSTICE IN FRONT OF US, BUT THERE ARE A GREAT MANY UNJUST THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD THAT WE CAN'T DEVOTE ALL OF OUR TIME TO. INTERESTING. YEAH. I -- I -- I GUESS WE SORT OF SELF SELECTED FOR A TALK ABOUT DISSENT. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: THIS IS AWESOME, YOU SHOULD ALL BE SUPER ACTIVE, FIGHTING INJUSTICE. BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY HAVE THE TOLERANCE THRESHOLD TO ALLOW FOR ACTION, OR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF YOU. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: SO -- >> ELI: WHAT I FIND INTERESTING, IS THAT IN THE FIELD, WE'VE GOT A STRONG TENDENCY TOWARDS SUPPORTING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT ALL COST >> MARGOT: UH-HUH >> ELI: AND SUPPORTING THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND OFTENTIMES, IN PRACTICE, THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE NOT SUPPORTING JUSTICE, BECAUSE WE HAVE SORT OF A, I WOULD CALL IT A MYTH, BUT A -- AN ETHIC THAT VALUES NEUTRALITY IN ALL CASES. AND WHEN YOU'RE NEUTRAL, IT TENDS TO SUPPORT INJUSTICE, OF COURSE, NOT JUSTICE. SO, I THINK THAT BY AND LARGE IN THE LIBRARY WORLD, HOW WE THINK OF OURSELVES IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN HOW WE ACTUALLY ACT. >> MARGOT: INTERESTING. HEY, THANKS, EVERYBODY, I'M MOVING ON. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: SO, INTENTIONALITY, AND SELF DISSENT, ELI, GO AHEAD. >> ELI: OH, SURE. IN THE SELF ASSESSMENT GOES ALONG WITH THIS PROGRAM, YOU'LL FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SELF DISSENT, WHICH CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS AN AWARENESS OF YOUR OWN HABITS THAT KEEP YOU FROM BEING AN EFFECTIVE CO-CREATOR OF THE WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN. WE ALL DO THINGS THAT WE LATER THINK, OH, I WISH I HAD HANDLED THAT DIFFERENTLY. KEY TO INTERNAL DISSENT BECAUSE OF THAT, IS INTENTIONALITY. AN INTENTIONAL PRACTICE OF SELF REFLECTION CAN HELP YOU OVERCOME YOUR HABITS AND THE CULTURE IN WHICH YOU'RE LIVING AND WORKING, IT CAN HELP YOU CHECK YOUR OWN AUTHENTICITY, WHO YOU ARE ABLE TO SPEAK FOR, TO CHECK YOUR OWN PRIVILEGE, AND POWER, TO IDENTIFY MISSING INTELLIGENCE THAT YOU NEED TO GAIN, ALTERNATIVE MODES OF THOUGHT THAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND TO BETTER EVALUATE RISK FROM AN OBJECTIVE STANDPOINT, LIKE I SAID EARLIER. WHEN WE EVALUATE RISK OF DISSENT FIRST, WE SOMETIMES DON'T GET AROUND TO WEIGHING THE BENEFITS FULLY, WE JUST NEVER QUITE GET THERE. SO, WE ENCOURAGE YOU AS PART OF INTENTIONAL SELF DISSENT, THAT YOU WEIGH THE BENEFITS OF DISSENT BEFORE YOU WEIGH THE RISKS. THE INTENTIONAL CALL TO DISSENT THAT WE WANT TO SUBMIT TO YOU DIE IS ABOUT RESISTING HYPERBOLE IN THE FIELD. >> MARGOT: SORRY, ELI. I JUST SAW A POP-UP THAT SAID, THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT QUOTE, AMBER. BUT I DIDN'T ACTUALLY READ THE QUOTE. SO, JENNIFER, COULD YOU SAY OUT LOUD WHATEVER PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT. >> JENNIFER: YEAH. WELL, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF QUOTES. ONE WAS FROM MARTIN LUTHER KING, INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE ANYWHERE. WE ARE CAUGHT IN AN INESCAPABLE NETWORK OF MUTUALITY TIED IN A SINGLE DWARMT OF DESTINY. WHATEVER AFFECTS ONE DIRECTLY AFFECTS ALL INDIRECTLY. >> MARGOT: OH. >> JENNIFER: YEAH. >> MARGOT: OH, I HAVE A THING TO SAY ABOUT THAT. SORRY TO INTERRUPT. SORRY, ELI TO PUT OFF THE NEXT SLIDE. IT'S -- I RECENTLY READ A PIECE THAT WAS WRITTEN IN 2016 THAT I FOUND REALLY INTERESTING THAT WAS AN INTERPRETATION -- WAS ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OR ITERATION ON THAT IDEA. IT'S AN IDEA THAT POPS UP A LOT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE HE WORKING WITHIN SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. BUT, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, I AM A WHITE WOMAN, RIGHT, ELI IS A WHITE MAN, AND WE'RE BOTH BORN IN THE UNITED STATES. AND I AM INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC OF DISSENT, AND I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS THE MOST POSSIBLE PATH TO MY OWN LIBERATION. I BROUGHT UP THE THING ABOUT PEOPLE BEING SELF INTERESTED AS A MOTIVATION FOR CHANGE, BECAUSE, WELL, FOR MANY REASONS, BECAUSE IT'S TRUE, BUT ALSO, BECAUSE I AM SELF INTERESTED IN ENGAGING IN THIS CONVERSATION. I WILL HAVE A BETTER LIFE, AND MY CHILDREN WITH HAVE A BETTER LIFE, IF WE ARE LIBERATED FROM THE PRISON OF OUR SKIN AND OUR BIRTH. THESE THINGS HAPPENSTANCE. SO, IT IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST, AS THOSE WHO HAVE HONORED PRIVILEGE, TO WORK TOWARDS DISMANTLING THAT PRIVILEGE. EXCELLENT. THANKS FOR THAT QUOTE. I SUPER DUPER LOVE IT. JENNIFER, WHAT ELSE HAPPENED? >> JENNIFER: THE OTHER ONE SOMEONE BROUGHT UP WAS THE CONCEPT THAT WE JUDGE OURSELVES BY OUR INTENTIONS AND OTHERS BY THEIR ACTIONS. >> MARGOT: GENTLEMEN, LEGIT. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: YEP. AS WE WORK -- THE NEXT THREE SLIDES ARE ALL ABOUT SORT OF INTERNAL WORK, AND CRITICAL THINKING AND INTENTIONALITY. I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUOTE TO JUST HOLD IN YOUR MIND AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR WORK, LIKE OUR INTERNAL WORK, THE REAL WORK IS OUT IN WORLD AS WELL AS SELF CHECKING OUR SHOULDER PADDING, NOT LIKE '80S SHOULDER PADS, BUT LIKE, HEY, I DID SUCH A GREAT JOB. WE DIDN'T DO SUCH A GREAT JOB. NONE OF US HAVE DONE SUCH A GREAT JOB. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. I WOULD LIKE IT IF WE STARTED ASSESSING BOTH OUR INTENTIONS BEFORE WE ACT, BUT THEN THE IMPLICATIONS AND OUTCOMES OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID. DID IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN IT PROBABLY WASN'T THE RIGHT PATH TO TAKE AND WE NEED TO RETHINK. THANK YOU. >> ELI: YEAH, AND TO ADD TO YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE SELFISH MOTIVATIONS FOR ENDING OPPRESSION, THAT INCLUDES THE PROFESSION AS WELL. WHEN I IMAGINE A LIBRARY PROFESSION THAT'S NOT AS WHITE AS IT IS, BUT IS OPEN AND WELCOMING AND TRULY INCLUSIVE, IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL IMAGE, AND WE WILL BE A MUCH STRONGER AND BETTER PROFESSION BECAUSE OF IT. ONE OF THE -- ONE OF -- WE'RE GOING TO PRACTICE DISSENT NOW. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE NOTICED, AND ONCE YOU'VE NOTICED IT, MAYBE YOU ALREADY HAVE, YOU'LL -- IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED IT YET, YOU'LL START TO NOTICE IT, IS THAT IN THE PROFESSION, WE LOVE TELLING EACH OTHER THAT LIBRARIES MUST DO THIS AND THAT THEY MUST DO THAT. IT'S OFTEN IN THE CONTEXT OF A TOPDOWN WEST PRACTICES APPROACH, OR AN INCORPORATING FUTURE TRENDS OR TECHNOLOGIES. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'LL OFTENTIMES HEAR THINGS LIKELY BROTHERS MUST ADOPT DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING IN ORDER TO STAY RELEVANT. THIS IS SOMETIMES A SYMPTOM OF REDUCTIONIST THINKING AND MAY ACTUALLY BE UNAVOIDABLE IN A PARADIGM THAT SEES LIBRARIES AS PERPETUALLY CHASING RELEVANT. THE MUST IS OFTEN WITH GOOD INTENTION OFTEN BY LIBRARY LEADERS OFTEN IN KEYNOTE ADDRESSES BUT CONSIDER THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR SOMEONE TELLING YOU THAT ALL LIBRARIES MUST DO SOMETHING, THE DOWN SIDE OF JUST LETTING IT GO WITHOUT CRITIQUE, AND CONSIDER BEING THE PERSON THAT ASKS THE HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY WE'RE RESORTING TO HYPERBOLE. >> MARGOT: YEAH, MAN. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: SO, REALLY, THIS ENTIRE PROJECT OF BEING MORE WILLING TO STAND UP, STAND AGAINST BOTH POTENTIALLY BAD DECISIONS IN OUR ORGANIZATION, AND IN OUR PROFESSION, AS WELL AS INJUSTICE, DEPENDS ON OUR ABILITY TO WILD PROFESSIONAL CULTURE OF CRITICISM. WE THINK PART OF THE REASON ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS ARE MORE WILLING THAN PUBLIC LIBRARIAN YARNS ON THE WHOLE, AND TAKE ACTION ON RACE, BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE APT TO WORK WHERE THERE'S AN INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE OF CRITICISM. THEY'RE MORE PRACTICED AT IT. ALSO THERE MAY BE MORE PEOPLE TO TALK TO SO WE CAN END INTO A SORT OF MOVEMENT THINK THAT CAN BE REALLY USEFUL WHERE PUBLIC LIBRARIES ON DON'T HAVE VERY MANY PEOPLE TO TALK TO. THERE ARE STRUCTURES IN CONTEXT WHICH SUPPORT CRITICISM AND WE INCLUDED SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES AS LIKE REFLECTIVE QUESTIONING THAT MIGHT HELP APPLY CRITICAL THINKING TO DIFFERENT ARENAS OF WORK. IT'S NOT LIKE AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. WE WANTED TO HAVE A FEW EXAMPLES OF HOW, WHEN WE HEAR SOMETHING, WE CAN START ASKING CRITICAL QUESTIONS. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO BE CONTRARIAN ABOUT EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE HEAR, THIS T JUST MEANS WE CAN PRACTICE, WE FLECKED THIS MUSCLE OF CRITICISM MORE OFTEN. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I'M A WHITE U.S.-BORN AMERICAN, I'M ALSO PERCEIVED TO BE A CISGENDERED ABLE-BODIED WOMAN, LIVING THIS BEAUTIFUL HETEROCLASS LIFE. AND ALTHOUGH I'VE HAD SOME OBSTACLES, AND FOUND MYSELF CONTEXTUALLY OUT OF POWER OR OUT OF POWER DISADVANTAGE AT TIMES IN MY LIFE I'M A BENEFICIARY OF RACE PRIVILEGE. THAT'S AN ADVANTAGE TO ME, SOMETIMES TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF OTHERS. AND IT DOESN'T MAKE ME HORRIBLE, IT MAKES ME SUPER COMMON ESPECIALLY AMONG FOLKS ON THIS CALL AND WITHIN OUR PROFESSION, LIKE 80 PERCENT OF US. SO, IT ALSO MAKE HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT I DO WITH THE POWER I NOW HOLD. AND I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW I VIEW AND INTERACT WITH THAT PRIVILEGE. SO, WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF I INTENTIONALLY APPLY THAT FRAME, AND THAT LENS OF POWER AND PRIVILEGE WHEN I'M EXAMINING A PROJECT I'M ABOUT TO TAKE ON AND I'M CRITICIZING A BODY OF WORK, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER. GETTING BACK TO AMBER'S QUOTE, YOU HAVE TO BE APPLY THE FRAME WHILE YOU'RE DOING THE WORK AND ALSO ASKING THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS AFTER ABOUT ITS OUTCOMES AND ABOUT ITS REAL LIFE, REAL WORLD IMPLICATIONS. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, WE JUST CONTINUE THE SAME CYCLE, BUT WE MIGHT END THE CYCLE WITH SOME MORE BACK PADDING. AGAIN, NOT SHOULDER PADS. AND AS WE THINK ABOUT THIS, ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT REALLY STICKS IN MY MIND ABOUT THIS, IS HOW WE, BEGINNING WITH NO. 2, IS HOW WE FAVOR DESIGN THINKING MINUS CRITICAL THINKING. WE, AS A PROFESSION, HAVE BECOME REALLY HOT FOR IDEAL AND DESIGN THINKING AS A THING THAT WE SHOULD, WE MUST ALL START DOING, IN ORDER TO INFO SEPARATE SO WE CAN BECOME REAL. IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE DESIGN THINKING FOR LIBRARIES TOOL KIT, IF YOU JUST DO CONTROL F THROUGH ANY OF THE THREE DOCUMENTS, CRITICISM AND CRITICAL NEVER COME UP. IT'S ALL OF THE BRAINSTORMING PART AND PROTOTYPING WITHOUT THE CRITICAL THINKING THAT'S NECESSARY TO THE DESIGN PROCESS. IF ANY OF YOU WENT TO ART SCHOOL, YOU'D KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. WE HAVE TO FLEX THE MUSCLE OF HEARING THAT OUR IDEA IS NOT THE BEST IDEA AND FLEXING IT WITH OTHERS AND LISTENING TO OTHERS' IDEAS EVEN IF THEY RUN CONTRARY TO OUR OWN. SO THIS WORKSHOP, THIS WEBINAR IS FOOT ABOUT US BECOMING MORE COMFORTABLE, BECOMING MORE COMFORTABLE WITH DISSENTING OURSELVES, BUT ALSO AS INDIVIDUALS AND POSITIONS OF POWER WITHIN THE LIBRARY, BECAUSE YOUR LIBRARY ACTUALLY ITSELF HOLDS A POSITION OF POWER, LET'S MORE COMFORTABLE HEARING VOICES THAT YOU'RE NOT USED TO HEARING AND VIEWS AND OPINIONS THAT YOU'RE NOT USED TO HEARING. ALONG THE LINES OF NO. 3, WHICH IS THERE IS A HEGEMONY IN THE UNITED STATES THAT SUPPORTS RACIST, CLASSIST AND SEXIST CULTURES. THAT'S HAPPENING. THAT'S A SYSTEM THAT EXISTS. SO, IF SOMEONE SAYS, ON YOUR BOARD, BUT MY MINORITIES USE VIEWS THAT I'M USING TO DISSENT IS SAYING THE WHITE MAN IS UNDERPRIVILEGED NOW. I WOULD SAY THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY A MINORITY VIEW. MAYBE IT IS WITHIN THAT SPECIFIC ROOM, WITHIN THAT SPECIFIC CONTEXT BUT IT SUPPORTS THE HEGEMONY. RIGHT? I'M TERRIBLE PRONOUNCING THINGS. IT SUPPORTS THE CONCEPT THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES. SO, IF WE DON'T THINK IN TERMS OF THOSE PROBLEMS AND WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY EXIST AND THINK SYSTEMICLY ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS THEM, OUR INCLUSIVITY, INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS AND PLAN WILL ALWAYS BE GREAT IN INTENTION AND HOLLOW IN ACTION. SO, THOSE ARE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE POSIT. DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? [ LAUGHTER ] >> JENNIFER: YEAH, I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO POST QUESTIONS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY HUGE. THERE'S SO MUCH. OUR MINDS ARE SATURATED BUT, PLEASE, WE REALLY WANT TO USE THE REST OF THIS TIME TO REFLECT ON YOUR QUESTIONS. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING EARLIER ON, SOME FOLKS NOTED THAT ACADEMIC LIBRARIES COULD LOOK AT DISSENT AS PART OF THE SCHOLARLY CONVERSATION. 124 YEAH >> JENNIFER: AND SCHOLARSHIP BEGINS WITH DISSENT REALLY. I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING. >> MARGOT: YEAH. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY A MODEL THAT PUBLIC LIBRARIANS MAY WANT TO EXAM WHEN IT COMES TO STAFF MEETINGS AND OTHER ARENAS WHERE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SPEAK FREELY ABOUT PURPOSE AND INTENTION. THE REASON I SAY THAT IT'S A USEFUL MODEL, IS BECAUSE IT FLEXES MUSCLE, BUT IT ALSO, BECAUSE IT'S THE CULTURE OF A SPECIFIC ARENA, HERE WE'RE GOING TO ENTER INTO THIS ROOM AND IN THAT ROOM, WE DO THIS OR WE BEHAVE IN THIS WAY. IT BECOMES LESS PERSONALLY RISKY. IT'S PART OF THE RULES AND POLICY AND PRACTICES OF THAT ROOM. SO, IT'S NOT YOU THAT DECIDED TO TAKE THE BIG RISK AND TELL EVERYBODY THAT THEY'RE BONKERS, BANANAS FOR DRIVING TO ABILENE, IT'S EVERYBODY ENGAGING IN A HARDY DISCUSSION OR CONVERSATION ABOUT A PURPOSE, INTENTION, OR PROJECT OR IDEA. >> ZEN FEHR: EXCELLENT. >> ELI >> THERE'S A QUESTION HOW BEST PRACTICES SUPPORTS HEGEMONY. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'LL GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE BUT THE WAY WE SEE BEST PRACTICES IS AS A TALK DOWN APPROACH TO SEEING POLICIES AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND SOLUTION DEVELOPMENTS BEING ONE SIZE FITS ALL, AND COMING FROM ELSEWHERE TO OUR LOCAL LIBRARY. BY ITS NATURE, BEST PRACTICES CIRCUMVENTS HEARING VOICES IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND WHEN YOU RAISE UP BEST PRACTICES TO BE THE BEST, WHAT YOU ARE OFTENTIMES DOING IS NOT HEARING FROM THE PEOPLE ON YOUR STAFF, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A STAKE IN THE DECISIONS THAT YOU'RE MAKING. SO, WE ENCOURAGE THAT WHEN BEST PRACTICES ARE OFFERED TO YOU, THAT YOU SEE THAT AS INFORMATIONAL, BUT THAT YOU ALWAYS START FROM IDENTIFYING ALL OF THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE AFFECTED AND HEARING FROM THEM FIRST. >> MARGOT: YEAH, I WOULD SAY -- YEAH, I'D SIMPLY SAY THAT DEFAULTING -- YEAH. BEST PRACTICES DEFAULT TO THE PRACTICE E-RATHER THAN SOLICITING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND IT CURBS ITERATION, IT CURBS THOUGHTFUL ITERATION AND REFLECTION AND PERCEPTIONS BECAUSE SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE DECIDED IT WAS BEST. AND I HEARD IT FROM A PROFESSIONAL EXPERT, SO NOW I IMPLEMENT IT. I ALSO VIEW, I THINK A SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING ABOUT WEST PRACTICES AS A SYMPTOM OF A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM, IS THE SIMPLE USE OF THE WORD "BEST." SO, IF YOU JUST EXAMINE THAT, IF I SAID IT WAS A BEST PRACTICE, THEN THAT MEANS I KNOW BEST, PERIOD. AND THAT NO OTHER INSIGHT OR EXPERIENCE WOULD BE VALUABLE WITHIN THAT CONTEXT. SO, I THINK THAT'S LIKE AT ITS CORE, THE MOST PROBLEMATIC PART OF BEST PRACTICES AS WHAT HAS BECOME A PROFESSIONAL IDEAL FOR EFFICIENT DECISION MAKING AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS. >> ELI: IN RECENT YEARS, I THINK WE'VE BOTH HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING AND SEE TWO VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRATEGIC PLANNING ONE IN WHICH AN OUTSIDE EXPERT COMES IN AND IMPOSES BEST PRACTICES AND ANOTHER WHERE WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME FOCUSING ON TALKING ONE ON ONE, ESPECIALLY, BUT ALSO IN GROUPS, TWO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND ALLOWING FOR PLANNING TO COME FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THEMSELVES. AND WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN THOSE TWO VERY DIFFERENT PROCESSES AND THE RESULTS IN ACTION, IT BECOMES PRETTY CLEAR, AND YOU SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE DIFFERENCES AND HOW SERVICES ARE DEVELOPED GOING FORWARD FROM A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT REALLY COMES FROM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK, AND REALLY DOING A LOT OF LISTENING, RATHER THAN IMPOSING BEST PRACTICES WHICH IS WHERE OUR COMFORT ZONE GENERALLY LIES. >> MARGOT: I WANT TO ADDRESS A DISCUSSION HAPPENING REAL QUICK, THAT DESIRES MORE THAN REAL QUICK ADDRESSING BUT WHATEVER, WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES SO I'M GOING TO SPEND THEM. THERE'S A DISCUSSION HAPPENING ABOUT SEX DISCRIMINATION AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE WITHIN LIBRARIAN SHIP AND SOMEONE POSED THE PHRASE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT SEXISM IS STILL A THING IN LIBRARIANSHIP. I DEFINITELY DO BELIEVE IT. IT'S A THING. AND THEN ONE OF THE RESPONSES GOT AT EXCEPTIONALISM, AND INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. AND SO, WHAT -- WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SYSTEMS, AND WE DON'T REALLY GET INTO THIS IN THIS TALK, IN THE SORT OF WAY IT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED AND REALLY GRAPPLED WITH AND STRUGGLED WITH, WHEN WE'RE DISCUSSING SYSTEMS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACTUAL SYSTEMS, WHICH -- WHICH WE CAN SEE THROUGH PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR AND REWARD AND COMPENSATION. SO, IF YOU FEEL AS THOUGH WHAT YOU ARE WITNESSING IS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR THAT EXPANDS BEYOND A SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE, BECAUSE THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE. BUT THE SYSTEM STANDS, AND IT IS SEXIST, AND IT IS RACIST, AND IT IS CLASSIST. I RECOGNIZE YOU LOOKING AT WAGE STUDIES, OR PUSH -- IF YOU'RE IN A LARGE INSTITUTION, PUSHING YOUR INSTITUTION TO DO A TRANSPARENT WAGE STUDY. IT WOULD -- IT'S SUPER USEFUL. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DID IT AS THE FIRST STEP OF THEIR DISCUSSIONS OF DIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY, AND FOUND THESE HUGE WAGE DISPARITIES BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN AND THEN BETWEEN BLACK WOMEN AND EVERYONE ELSE, AND THEN BETWEEN BLACK MEN AND THEIR COLLEAGUES, BUT THEY WERE STILL COMPENSATED AT RATES HIGHER THAN ALL WOMEN. SO, THERE IS -- DISPARITY IS REAL. LOOKING FOR PATTERNS IS ONE WAY TO EXAM THE SYSTEM, THAT REACHES BEHIND -- IT'S ONE WAY TO SORT OF DEPERSONALIZE LOOKING AT A SYSTEM AND SEEING UNFAIR ADVANTAGE, OR DISADVANTAGE. AND WE WON'T EVEN GET INTO HOW PARENTS ARE TREATED IN PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTS. GEEZ LOUISE. THE ART LIBRARIAN'S CONFERENCE PRICE CHILD CARE AT A DISCOUNTED RATE DURING THE CONFERENCE AND I FIND THAT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING ON EARTH. DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WE ONLY HAVE TWO MINUTES LEFT, BUT WE WOULD TAKE THEM >> JENNIFER: I'M NOT SEEING ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU ALL. LOTS OF GREAT DISCUSSION. I LOVE BEING IN THE ACTIVE CHAT. A REMINDER MARGO AND ELI HAVE PROVIDED THEIR E-MAILS SO FEEL FREE TO TAG THEM ON ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT COME UP FOR YOU, BUT THEY HAVE SHARED A WEALTH OF RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON THEIR DISSENT -- ON THEIR HOORAY 4 PAGE, BUT WE'VE GOT THEM ALL LINKED THROUGH THE WEBJUNCTION EVENT PAGE. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK HERE AND HOPEFULLY YOU ALL WILL COMMIT TO WORKING SOME OF THESE THROUGH COLLEAGUES. PICK A PARTNER TO LEARN ALONG WITH. I THINK THESE -- JUST THE WHOLE IDEA OF DISSENT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO WORK THROUGH IT WITH. SO, USE THOSE RESOURCES. THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GUIDES THAT CAN LEAD YOU THROUGH SOME OF THESE PROCESSES, USING THE MODS THAT THEY'VE SHARED. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH MARGO AND ELI. GO AHEAD. >> MARGOT: RYAN NORMAN WHO HAD THE QUESTION OF THE EXAMPLE OF DISSENT, SEND ME AN E-MAIL SO I HAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS AND I'LL RESPOND TO YOU WITH AN EXAMPLE OR FIVE. [ LAUGHTER ] >> MARGOT: USE OUR E-MAILS. IF YOU LOSE ALL OF THIS YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND THERE'S A CONTACT. IT COMES TO ME. >> ELI: THANKS, EVERYBODY. >> MARGOT: THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> JENNIFER: THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. I'LL SEND YOU A CERTIFICATE IN A WEEK. AND WE ASK YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE TO PLEASE COMPLETE THE SORT SURVEY THAT'S THERE. WE'LL PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK TO MARGO AND ELI AND IT ALSO HELPS IN OUR UPCOMING PROGRAMMING DECISIONS. THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR WEEK. >> ELI: BYE. >> MARGOT: BYE /*