Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is by Terri Teleen, President, Americas, Emerald Publishing and Kathleen McEvoy, Senior Policy Fellow, EveryLibrary Institute
Scholarly Kitchen readers well know that the new U.S. administration has begun what can only be described as a direct assault on the foundations of our democratic republic. (Chefs have shared reactions in this post, and Roohi Ghosh looked at what’s ahead.) Bedrock principles that have made the United States a leader in research and innovation and helped our economy remain strong are under attack. The cancellation or reduction in funding have forced some clinical trials already underway to pause and have delayed starts to new research projects; several universities have had torescind admissions to graduate programs. These actions will set the country back a generation in scientific research and cause us to lose our competitive edge in technology. The anti-DEI measures taken by the current administration and in some states limit free speech, risk creating blind spots in research, and embolden an atmosphere of discrimination.
We applaud the organizations and individuals who are warning of the damage that will result from cuts to research, education, and — per an executive order released on Friday evening March 14 — library funding. We salute our own community’s efforts to fight back, including through this Declaration To #DefendResearch Against US Government Censorship. We believe that stakeholders across the scholarly publishing enterprise must actively find ways to collaborate and support each other in defending universities, libraries, and the professionals who make these organizations work. We are pleased to see others making this point as well.
Librarians in public and school settings have been under sustained attack in recent years, with book bans and criminalization efforts threatening their livelihoods and making it difficult to do their jobs and serve their users effectively. Since 2018, the EveryLibrary Institute (ELI) has been supporting these libraries and librarians, helping them navigate the complex political and legal challenges they face through training, research, and support. ELI is a companion organization to EveryLibrary, the first national political action committee (PAC) for libraries. The EveryLibrary team is tuned in to the policy environment at both federal and state levels and is well-positioned to help inform the library community about what might be coming and how best to manage obstacles.
As defenders of school and public libraries and builders of support for libraries and library funding since the 501c4 EveryLibrary was founded in 2012, the EveryLibrary team tracks and understands the legislation, policies, and tactics being crafted. They develop strategies for fighting back, providing library professionals with the tools to understand the fight and the best ways forward. Examples of ELI’s work on behalf of public and school libraries include a report on the link between literacy skills and economic development, a white paper on the demographics of book bans, a training guide on responding to anti-library sentiment, and a webinar providing practical information about defending funding. In recent days, ELI released a guide to understanding the language used in the Executive Order impacting the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
The EveryLibrary team has long understood that academic institutions and information providers would come under fire, and that academic library professionals would have a role to play and an opportunity to lead as their institutions faced mounting pressure. A recently announced partnership with Emerald Publishing will bring the EveryLibrary Institute’s expertise to the academic library community, enabling ELI to share the knowledge gained from their efforts and those of EveryLibrary as the U.S. government attacks extend to institutions of higher education. Academic librarians exist at the nexus of institutional strategy, research, teaching, learning, publishing, and information technology. In a war against science, truth, and learning, there are few who are better placed than these information professionals to champion the principles of democracy.
With Emerald’s support, ELI is holding a series of informational webinars beginning in mid-April. The inaugural event will provide an overview of the evolving policy and funding environment in the U.S. by EveryLibrary Institute Executive Director John Chrastka. John will provide insight into potential future scenarios as well as tips and tricks for navigating the changing landscape day to day. We will ask for feedback at that session on what the academic library community would most value in terms of support and information from EveryLibrary Institute, and we will use that to help shape subsequent events in the series.
It took many decades to develop the infrastructure that makes the U.S. a world leader in research and innovation, and it will take many voices to defend it. We urge other stakeholders in the scholarly publishing ecosystem to support the work of the EveryLibrary Institute.
To register your interest in the EveryLibrary Institute/Emerald webinars, please email americas@emerald.com.
