Closing Keynote by
Sandra Rios Balderrama
Director, ALA Office for Diversity

DIFFERENT VOICES, COMMON QUESTS
ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services Preconference
June 14, 2002

 

This closing keynote is dedicated to Satia Marshall Orange

Good morning.

Congratulations to each one of you.

Congratulations to the whole of you
*librarian, library worker, educator,
trainer, artist, brother, mother, grandchild, neighbor*
to the human being that you are and the human becoming that you will be.

Congratulations for being the people in our association and in our profession
- that are not afraid to say that the human element,
the human aspects of our profession
- that is -
the people we serve
- are primary, priority, vital.

Congratulations for all the work that you have done for the last day and one half day.

Two sunrises.

One moon.

One night of pouring rain.

Or did you notice?

Perhaps your time has been inside this hotel
*focusing on the tasks, thoughts, and opinions at hand.

Congratulations for all the work you have accomplished here
and the days before you arrived here
- to Atlanta*
for all the work that is NOT a "job"
for all the work that is a calling,
a craft,
a passion,
a "work" that you have done, are doing, and will continue to do*
as you make sure that the path of outreach stays clear and without hurdles and without obstacles.

It is a dirt path because my feeling is that your work is close to the earth.

And by being here at this OLOS Preconference you are insuring that the path stays clear.
It may have turns.
It may have detours. But it will not be cemented over.
It will not become a parking lot.
It will stay true*

Congratulations on this work.
This work of your hearts, heads, spirits, and hands.
This work on behalf of service, of coalition building, of libraries,
of something larger than yourself
- be it a drive, a belief, a value, an intent -
to insure that all people have an opportunity,
a right to library service*.

To see that all people have the opportunity
to look through the window
or sniff the aroma
or feel the air
of true and meaningful library work.

Usually you are in the "field" where our people are.
The field being the 'street',
the 'front line',
the community table,
the reference desk,
the children's desk,
the prison,
the places of learning,
the small building in the middle of wheat fields
or is it on a reservation, a pueblo?

Is your field a convalescent home,
a book cart in public housing?*
or is it another world that only you seem to see,
that only you seem to walk in effectively?

Wherever your field may be -
I know that you are in the REAL PLACES that people are*
these field(s) where you can taste and touch the diversity and civility of human life*

The PLACES where books,
access to a phone line,
access to a newspaper from the home country*

PLACES where the wonders of search engines,
electronic resources,
magazines,
exhibits,
displays,
cultural programs*

PLACES where a place to sit,
a time for repose
may be WATER ON DRY BUT NOT DEAD WEEDS*.

The PLACES where you connect libraries to people
may be the crossroads where "difference" and "distinction" occur.
When I say difference and distinction I mean:
the places where business is NOT done as usual,
where business is NOT rote,
where business is NOT ordinary,
where library ideals, values, and principles are not merely posted but enacted, demonstrated.
It is the place where I can be who I am without judgment.

I may not have a home (a house, an apt.) -
but you serve me with distinction.

I may be a young gay or lesbian teenager
that may not be sure that your environment is gay friendly -
but you serve me with distinction.

I may not have vision that is as clear as yours -
but you serve me with distinction.

I, like my grandfather,
may only sign my name with an "x" -
but you serve me with distinction.

This distinction is quality service.
It is tailored service.
It is alert, multi-sensory service.
It is listening service.
It is caring, compassionate, fierce service.
It is service that is bilingual at minimum and multilingual at best.

Outreach librarians are multilingual.

You are required to speak the language of the institution
and language of the "field".

You are required to speak the professional lingo
and the "home talk" of the "field".

By "home talk"
I mean that you must learn, read and respect
the expressions,
nuances,
words,
and values
of the people that you serve*
the people that are distinctive and diverse
and live distinctively from the mainstream.

You must speak the language of narrative
and the language of research.

You must speak the language of numbers
and the language of story.

The language of qualitative data gathering.

The language of quantitative gathering.

You must speak the language of "listening". Hearing.

To make sure that you are serving and not imposing upon.

To make sure that you are not always doing the talking.
Talking at.
Talking to.
To make sure that if you like to talk a lot -
you must learn restraint.
The language of listening is the language of respect.

This code-switching (if you will),
this consistent awareness of languages*
some more comfortable to you than others -
needs energy and uses energy.

I said earlier that the service is fierce.

I would say in general that if you are doing this work within our "institutions"
be they an actual library organization or a parent organization
such as a university or a city/county system
or a school system -
there has to be an edge.

A bit of a guard up (not guard down).
Most likely you might be working solo - even within a system.
This can be fun*but also isolating.
It can be autonomous and allow for creativity
but you may not get the feedback
or dialogue that you need.

It may be independent
but your resources may be too small
and remain small
particularly if you are successful at what you do.

A negligent cycle.

I imagine when you return from the field that is your reference desk
or that is your bookmobile
and return to the home office
or main office or library branch -
*that you might be crossing borders into another country when you "return".

Your language must change.

Your energy must be re-focused.

Sometimes you may have to debrief, de-escalate*
because you are "returning" to where people that you work with
may not truly understand
or even respect
this so called "outreach" work that you do.

Your work is "outside" their peripheral vision.
They can't "see" it so may never be quite convinced of its necessity.
Its worth.
Its rationale.
Its value.

They may not understand
that work "outside" the library
requires 2-3 years of consistent visibility
and communications
and actions
and energy
beyond the ordinary -
in order to establish rapport, trust, confidence
with your target group.

And in those 2-3 years
- although your energy, creativity, is expended -
results are not immediate.

Why?
Because working with people that are not part of this mainstream -
either because they are excluded
or because they have made a choice of not participating -
takes TIME.
Time to build relationships.
Time to build rapport.
Time to earn respect.
Time.
Time.

The language of time.
A few sunrises.
A few moon crossings.
A few seasons.
A few birthdays.
Maybe a couple of children are born.
Maybe there is a loss of an elder.

I am not talking generations and lifetimes
but I am talking about time*
a distinctive way of looking at and feeling time*.

But with an outreach plan
time and tracking
you will be able to measure impact
on your target group
using both quantitative and qualitative measures -
in "due time".

In the time it takes to "earn respect and confidence" among your target group.

Many times
- fellow librarians, administrators, library workers
are NOT comfortable with time
because there are budget concerns,
timeframes,
deadlines,
limited resources,
and mindsets.

Most times
there are organizational systems and cultures
that lack vision
or that accommodate obstructions and obstructionists.

These blockades
- perceived or real -
impact the earth path,
the dirt road that I spoke of earlier.

These blockades -
challenge the "craft" and "technology of "library outreach".

The craft of outreach
- I would say-
requires distinctive competencies, skills and requirements.
And often times
we are measured or appraised
by people
called supervisors and managers and directors
or others of "authorized leadership"
that don't understand these skills,
this work,
this road.

The craft of outreach
is the technology of interpersonal relations.

The craft of outreach
is the technology of cross-cultural communications.

The craft of outreach
is the technology of designing, reinforcing, implementing, maintaining, developing and evaluating

It is the craft of "building"

The craft of building
requires architecture, design,
careful use of precious resources,
and actual nailing, hammering*
in order to create habitats of humanity
*yes*
habitats of humanity that are the places in your fields*

That habitat
may be a small library
in an uncommon place.

That habitat
may be the domain
where you intersect with a patron at the reference desk.

That habitat
may be the van
that drives people from the center for people with developmental disabilities to the nearest library branch.

You know where that habitat of humanity is.

So - to be a professional outreach person one must have
planning skills,
marketing skills,
public relations skills,
intuitive skills,
customer service skills,
grant writing skills,
ability to work independently,
must be resourceful,
must be a builder*
must be aware of print and electronic resources,
must speak more than one language
*What have I missed?
What else in your repertoire?

And let me say
from my point of view
if we are to be relevant
- in the 21st century
- this new century where we hear of demographics,
lifestyles,
non-traditional families,
diversity by sexual orientation,
by ethnicity,
by capabilities and distinctions*
- this new century
where we are approaching a society with no mainstream*
We look to the models of success*.

Where has diversity been reached?
- in the field of outreach programs.

Where has it convened? -
in the auditoriums, meeting rooms of libraries

Where are the skills to be found? -
in our library outreach workers that have been doing "this" for a long time*

I know that you are working hard locally
but this effort to come together nationally is commendable.

Your different voices must become one voice
on the national forefront
Of the delivery of library and information services
to the diverse society
that is coming,
that is now,
that you have been serving
- already -
for many years.

Nationally
- despite your own distinctions -
in service delivery
you must focus
- yes, on the common quest
- as your preconference theme suggests -
that is the pillar, the core, the maypole*
this is the issue of SHARED SIGNIFICANCE
and the shared issue of significance
at the center of our distinctiveness
- is the delivery
of quality library and information services
to the underserved.

Therefore,
if gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender services
are endangered
then this problem
must not only be the problem of the GLBT Round table.

If services to people with disabilities
or different capabilities
are endangered
then this must be a common problem,
a common issue of concern.
If services to people with disabilities
and or differing capabilities
are endangered
that it can not only be an ADA Assembly problem.

If services to immigrant populations
are endangered
then so goes prison populations,
and bookmobile users
and services to non-traditional students in academic libraries.

If rural services
are endangered
then so goes adult literacy.

You must keep the connections between you
at the maypole,
at the center,
at the iris,
the peach kernal
- whatever your metaphor that describes your center -
to insure that your issues are on the national association platform.

This takes extra energy yes*
because if there is another target group that you are not comfortable with
you will have to stretch
in order to connect with their humanity*
in order to see that your legacies, histories,
are their histories and legacies
- distinctive yes, but intertwined*
and with this connection
come the shared competencies of outreach work
that must have a place on the national platform
of core competencies and core values of library work.

Do not silo yourselves.

Keep and maintain the connections you have made at this preconference.

Reach out to one another.

Take time to articulate what you do
using the language of the profession.

You have different voices yes*
but you must CONNECT on that dirt road
toward a common quest
of continued visibility
at the national table.

You are communities of one
but you must simultaneously build coalitions and cooperatives.

You have the skills to do this.
You turn your outreach skills inward -
at pre-conferences such as this
and you learn from one another,
mentor one another,
get to know one another
because we are not born with a diversity gene.
We have to learn about one another's target groups
and how they are served.
This shared knowledge
and shared accountability
is critical to national leadership on this issue.

The craft and technology of creating communities and connecting with communities must be respected and retained.

So my message to you - and I hope it was clear*
Is "thank you".
You and you and you and you.
You have courage.

I know you take the road of most resistance
because there is a strong will and desire.

I know you take the road of most resistance
because there is a strong fear
that our libraries will become elite and exclusive.

You have specific and specialized skills and specialties.

Some call them "touchy-feely".
Some call them "soft".
This business of people.

I call the skills "state of the art".

You are the state of the art.

The state of the art of quality delivery of library and information services in all arenas, all fields, in all languages, in all habitats of humanity.

Don't let anyone tell you differently.

You are the state of the art technology.

The technology of creating communities
and crafting partnerships
and respecting diversity.

You are the state of the art
of continual learning
because serving and working with diversity
requires ongoing learning.

You are the arms,
the legs,
the circulation flow
that insures library and information services are DEPLOYED
beyond the four walls
and accessible
to all those that find their way
to the four walls*
but that have been traditionally underserved.

You are the highest caliber of leader.

Leaders founded on the tenet of "spirit of service".

I dedicated my talk to Satia Orange
because I can assure you*
that I Have borne witness to her actions.
At the management tables,
at the Executive tables,
she is explicit and relentless
about the needs of the people you serve
and your needs.
She is often a lone voice.
But she takes the path of most resistance
- like you -
on behalf of something much larger than herself.

Thank you and take great care of one another.

Sandra Rios Balderrama, ALA Office for Diversity - Director