2018 MLA Annual Conference

Segregation was prevalent in Southern libraries, with separate and unequal facilities for white and black patrons, which continued until the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Less institutionalized but equally insidious prejudice existed in libraries in northern states, including Minnesota. The presenters will discuss their research into the racism that has been present throughout the history of libraries in the United States and Minnesota, challenging the concept of libraries as entirely neutral and benign organizations. Attendees will better understand the ways that past actions have forged our present and will be better placed to consider the implications of that history as we examine ways to move forward to collaboratively shape libraries into institutions that work towards justice and liberation.