Librarians and Human Rights: Dr. Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture

McCook to present 2010 Dr. Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture
By John Amundsen
Created 06/09/2010 - 18:41

CHICAGO – Kathleen de la Peña McCook, distinguished university professor at the University of South Florida, School of Library and Information Science in Tampa, will present the 2010 Dr. Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture from 8 a.m. to 10 am. on Monday June 28th in the Washington Convention Center Room 209 A/B, as part of the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C.
The lecture honors Dr. Jean E. Coleman, the first director of the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, for her work to ensure that all citizens, particularly Native Americans and adult learners, have access to quality library services. The lecture series continues to teach library professionals more about their roles in providing equity of access.

This year’s lecture, “Librarians and Human Rights,” will present a historical and cultural analysis of the librarian’s role in human rights, as defined by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. McCook will highlight the convergence of the goals of library workers and the human rights movement and how librarians can work to achieve a more equitable society in the United States as a compassionate nation among others.

“A human rights sensibility will characterize librarianship in the twenty-first century,” said McCook. “In the largest sense, librarians will contribute to the end of social exclusion and the achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals by commitment to the ideals of universal literacy and equal access to information.”

McCook is distinguished university professor at the University of South Florida, School of Library and Information Science in Tampa. She is the author of “A Place at the Table: Libraries and Community Building”; editor of the blog Union Librarian; and serves as a member of the Coordinating Council of the Progressive Librarians Guild. In 2002, she was selected by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, as the recipient of the Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the Year Award. She has received the ALA Equality Award and the Beta Phi Mu Teaching Award and was the inaugural honoree of the ALA Office of Diversity’s Achievement in Library Diversity Research. She served as chair of the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services Advisory Committee from 1994-1997.

The event is coordinated by the Subcommittee on the Dr. Jean E. Coleman Lecture, a subcommittee of the OLOS Advisory Committee. Thanks to the members of the subcommittee, Fantasia Thorne and Ann Sparanese, for their work in selecting Kathleen de la Peña McCook. For more information, visit www.ala.org/olos [1].

The mission of OLOS, as a part of the ALA Member Programs and Services Department, is to identify and promote library services that support equitable access to the knowledge and information stored in libraries. OLOS focuses attention on services that are inclusive of traditionally underserved populations, and people generally discriminated against based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, language and social class. The Office ensures that training, information resources, and technical assistance are available to help libraries and librarians develop effective strategies to grow programs and services for library users.