Patty Dineen Proposes Nationwide Effort to Discuss Iraq
Taylor Willingham wrote to us recently about a proposal to America’s librarians from Patty Dineen from the National issues Forums. It is based on an article in the NY Times titled Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian’s Journal. This article describes the daily journal being kept by the Director of Iraq’s National Library and Archive at the suggestion of the National Archives in Britain. Patty Dineen from the National Issues Forums network recently posted a response to the NY Times article and an impassioned plea to America’s Libraries. Her response is on a team blog set up for a research project we’re doing with grad library students from UIUC.
Here is her plea:
In solidarity with the librarians of Iraq, and for the benefit of the American public, give people a place and a way to gather and talk about what is happening in Iraq:
- Begin a nationwide effort to use libraries as centers for serious, non-agenda-driven conversation about Iraq and our role there (past, present, and future)
- Put a process and materials in place for libraries to use
- Train (online or in person) facilitators to help people use this process
- Send out the word to media, the public, and yes, even the elected officials who by now might welcome having somewhere to go to be able to listen to people who are willing to talk together about this problem.
Click here to read Patty’s complete posting: How Many of Your Colleagues were Assassinated Last Year? A Proposal (a Plea) to America’s Librarians.
