NYC Local Collective Meeting Notes, October 2010

October 21, Housing Works

Setting: Unexpectedly, it was karaoke night at the bookstore

Present: Lana, Melissa, Nikki

Essentially we spent the meeting talking (read: shouting over the music) about whether there is still a need for an NYC collective of Rad Ref (and a need for Rad Ref in general?). We agreed that NYCRR provides a necessary progressive perspective in the NYC librarianship community that complements the work of the Desk Set and Urban Librarians Unite. If nothing else, we can continue to host events at places we love and that love us, such as the Brecht Forum and Bluestockings.

Examples of topics:

  • public library closures and how that affects increasingly-limited public space
  • the changing information landscape/privacy issues

(With regard to the subject of public library closures, Melissa noted that there was a lot of ULU activism here, but NYCRR as such was not involved.)

The Library of Congress Subject Heading action day was cited as an example of a good one-shot project that's political, structured, and finite.

Nikki suggested that we have a group work day, maybe at an archive, a la Hack Day.

Lana will talk to Jenna about reaching out to Bluestockings and suggesting a Rad Ref-curated series (monthly?) there.

Melissa recently found out that it is possible to get Internet access via the staff laptop at the Park Slope Food Coop and may pursue conducting an "Internet for activists" type of workshop there.

Nikki suggested that we reach out to the Catholic Worker to offer a library session.

Lana suggested we meet quarterly rather than monthly, as Portland Rad Ref had started to do.

It's mostly LIS students who express interest in RR -- we should make more of an effort to connect with local LIS programs.

The next NYCRR meeting should be a time to brainstorm project ideas, more social than a regular meeting. Maybe the week before the Biblioball? I think this would be the last weekend in November, but I've forgotten the exact date of the 2010 Biblioball...