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NELA's Statement on the January 6th Capital Violence

NELA's Statement on the January 6th Capital Violence

The New England Library Association strongly condemns the storming and violent occupation of Washington DC’s Capitol by rioters. This is an affront to the ideals of democracy that are at the heart of librarianship, fueled by white supremacy and the incendiary remarks, conspiracy theories, and lies of a select group of powerful politicians.

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NELA Statement on Racism and Xenophobia

The New England Library Association (NELA) stands in solidarity with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in condemning violence and racism toward black people, indigenous people, and all people of color, and has endorsed BCALA’s statement condemning increased violence and racism towards Black Americans and people of color.  NELA also supports the right of citizens to peacefully protest white supremacy, police brutality, and institutionalized racism.

NELA has also endorsed APALA’s statement hat condemns the rise in xenophobia and racism due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and has signed the pledge to combat the rise of xenophobia and racism against Asians and Asian/Pacific Americans due to COVID-19.

Let us all stand together, build coalitions, and be each other’s accomplices in the struggle to end internal, interpersonal, and systematic forms of racism and all other forms of oppression.NELA urges its members to support both the BCALA’s condemnation of the systemic and systematic social injustices endured by black people and people of color, and to take the APALA’s pledge against xenophobia.  Racism, in all its forms, destroys our communities.  We must all proactively work on eradicating racism anywhere and everywhere it exists.

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2019 Emerson Greenaway Award Recipient

Fay Zipkowitz

NELA is pleased to announce Fay Zipkowitz as the 2019 Emerson Greenaway Award recipient.  Fay’s distinguished’s career as a dedicated New England librarian began in 1966 and has included technical services, reference work, administration, and library science education.  She has, rightly, been described by her colleagues as a true Renaissance librarian.

Right out of library school, Fay worked as a Readers Advisor at the Cleveland Public Library, followed by a position as an archivist at the Temple, on the campus of Case Western Reserve.  She then moved to New England, where she worked for 11 years at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in a variety of positions, including Head of Information Processing, Acting Head of Government Documents, and Assistant to the University Librarian.  During this time she also earned a Master’s degree in English at the university and worked on a doctorate in library science at Simmons College, which she received in 1977.  Fay then left UMass Amherst to become Director of the Worcester Consortium of Academic Libraries, followed by 5 years as Head of the Rhode Island Department of Library Services, where she also served as a member of the Governor’s cabinet.

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NELA Public Statement on Public Library Closures

The New England Library Association fully supports each state library association’s statements on COVID-19 as they relate to their state’s library institutions.

NELA continues to recommend the full closure of all public, academic, and school libraries until it is safe and advisable to reopen.

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