“Obligation to Endure” screening highlights librarians’ role in saving EPA libraries

CHICAGO — The Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association will present a screening of the documentary short “Obligation to Endure” from 11 - 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, 2011 in the Morial Convention Center, Auditorium C during the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. Admission is free to conference attendees.

Directed by Julie Fergus, “Obligation to Endure” recounts the attempted shutdown of the EPA's library system, the world's foremost source of environmental information. In an age of climate change, natural disasters and terrorism, the EPA libraries provide an invaluable source of information. How could their closing be possible and what were the real reasons behind the closures? “Obligation to Endure” looks at the unlikely heroes who fought to preserve these important institutions. This 2010 documentary short was an official selection of the Sacramento International Film and Music Festival, the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, the Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival, the Riverside International Film Festival, the Santa Cruz International Film Festival and the Long Island International Film Expo.

Fergus is a a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre. She has acted in film and television and performed in and directed plays around the world. She has recently started writing and directing films. “Obligation to Endure” is her first documentary.

The Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association works to make ALA more democratic and to establish progressive priorities not only for the Association, but also for the entire profession. Concern for human and economic rights was an important element in the founding of SRRT and remains an urgent concern today. SRRT believes that libraries and librarians must recognize and help solve social problems and inequities in order to carry out their mandate to work for the common good and bolster democracy. SRRT's main Web site is hosted at http://libr.org/SRRT.