SRRT - Alternative Media Task Force

Alternative Media Task Force

What is the Alternative Media Task Force?

The Alternative Media Task Force (AMTF) was formed in 2006 as a combination of the Alternatives In Publication Task Force and the Information Policy in the Public Interest Task Force. It is a group of library professionals that promotes alternatives in publishing and the acquisition of alternative publishers' materials in libraries; challenges media consolidation; and promotes critical analysis of communication policies and practices. We believe that the "Library Bill of Rights" is realized by providing access to a diversity of materials, including those that lie outside the interests of commercial information providers.

We are a subgroup of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table, and therefore follow the charge of SRRT to "provide a forum for the discussion of the responsibilities of libraries in relation to the important problems of social change which face institutions and librarians." Members of the task force feel that protecting access to a wide range of information resources, even in the face of partisan and doctrinal objection or economic indifference, is a major responsibility of librarians today. Librarians are obliged to serve the public rather than the information industry.

Our Ongoing Activities

The Free Speech Buffet
AMTF hosts the Free Speech Buffet at every ALA Annual conference, providing an opportunity for independent publishers to exhibit their products in an affordable and informal venue, close to the convention hall.

Alternative Publishers of Books in North America

American Library Association, Social Responsibilites Round Table, Alternative Media Task Force; Byron Anderson, compiler. 6th edition, revised and enlarged.

This is a directory with descriptions of over 150 alternative presses, with a subject index, published by Library Juice Press under the auspices of the Task Force. A useful collection development tool.

Bibliographic and Web Tools for Alternative Publications
A useful bibliography by Byron Anderson.

Getting Alternative Press Titles into Libraries and Promoting Alternative Presses in the Library (PDF)

Beyond Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (PDF), a selected bibliography of sources for, reviews of, and film subscriptions to alternative media in film.