Words & Music

For anarchism today, reality is to be found in a diversity of activity we have outlined previously; anarchist living can adapt itself to a multiplicity of forms, beginning with the revolutionary demands of anarchosyndicalism and concluding with the libertarian presence in urban neighborhoods, in universities, in teaching…. The libertarian presence in neighborhoods must learn how to introduce practical activities leading to self-management. The citizen living in a particular neighborhood tries to understand the problems of that neighborhood and what to do about them. This is the first step toward achieving a community that is controlled by the citizens who live there, rather than by leaders. This is democracy raised to its highest level. This is government of the people by the people.

from Anarchist Organisation: The History of the F.A.I. by Juan Gomez Casas.

For the past two-plus years, I’ve been working with a stellar group of folks on the daunting and somewhat quixotic task of setting up a new library and educational center. Located at Stony Point Center about 40 miles north of New York City in the scenic Hudson Valley, the Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice has a fantastic collection of books and periodicals in the fields of biblical study, the social sciences, and the history of activist and progressive movements.

The current collection comes largely from the personal libraries of three biblical scholars who pioneered the use of social sciences in biblical scholarship. Norman Gottwald, John H. Elliott and Herman Waetjen generously contributed a curated selection of their books to this venture. This is a collection of texts that would do any any major research library proud, let alone a theological library.

Not only did Herman, John and Norman donate their books to this venture, they have also all given substantially of their time, energy and wisdom to assist in the planning and implementation of this project. Thanks to their efforts, as well as the work of a small group of dedicated activists, librarians, educators and scholars, we were able to incorporate as a nonprofit organization, move over 800 books from the west coast to their new home, catalog and shelve them, and put up a website in a very short amount of time. The library officially opened this past weekend, with a series of cultural and scholarly events.

Although I’m hardly a disinterested party, I think the opening of this library is a really significant event. First of all, it addresses a particular need, one that I think is only going to grow exponentially in the coming years. As scholars reach the age of retirement, many of them will find themselves with vast collections of books and other materials, collections that they love dearly and want to see used and loved by another generation of scholars. However, the libraries of the universities and colleges to which these scholars belong are no longer focused on acquiring physical books, and many of them do not have the physical space to store additional volumes, particularly ones that may be outdated, annotated, or in less than ideal condition. What are these scholars supposed to do with their beloved books?

Second, it’s hardly revolutionary at this point to say that libraries are facing serious challenges to their traditional role as “the place where the books are kept.” With a growing emphasis on remote access and electronic resources, libraries are desperately searching for reasons to maintain themselves as brick-and-mortar institutions. Around the world, libraries are closing, and those that aren’t are making dramatic changes to their service models, trying to build their digital collections and online presences.

The CLBSJ moves in the opposite direction. Instead of privileging virtual space, we value physical space. Instead of focusing on a social media campaign, we’re trying to build a community of people dedicated to keeping the (very real) doors of our library open. Instead of an online conversation, we’re committed to bringing people together in a room where they can have transformative conversations, face-to-face. You could almost say we’re so old-fashioned we’re cool.

Of course, we’re hardly the only ones thinking creatively about what libraries can be. We have some really great company in the Read/Write Library and the Storefront Library project, to name two. We’d love to hear your feedback, and wholeheartedly welcome your partnership in continuing to build the future of this project.

Come visit us! Come join us!

Theodore Roosevelt used to say:
“If you want peace
prepare for war.”

So everybody prepared for war
but war preparations
did not bring peace;
they brought war.

Since war preparations
brought war,
why not quit
preparing for war.

If nations preparing for peace
instead of preparing for war,
they might have peace.

Aristide Briand used to say:
“The best kind of disarmament
is the disarmament of the heart.”

The disarmament of Germany
by the Allies
was not the product
of a change of heart
on the part of the Allies
toward Germany.

The French believe
that trade follows the flag.

So do the English,
so do the Germans,
so do the Japanese,
so do the Italians.

Italy is in Ethopia
for the same reason
that the French
are in Algeria,
the English in India,
the Japanese in Manchuria.

The Italians say
thatthe Ethopians
are not civilized.

The last war proves
that Europeans
are no more civilized
than the Africans.

So Europeans
ought to find a way
to become civilized
before thinking
about the best way
to civilize Africans.

To protect the British Isles
the English took the sea.

To protect the sea
the English took Gibraltar,
Canada, and India.

To protect India
the English went to Egypt.

To protect Egypt
the English took the Sudan.

To protect the Sudan
the English forced the French
to leave Fashoda.

To protect the Cape and Natal
the English took the Transvaal.

To protect South Africa
the English prevented the French
from giving Agadir
to Germany.

So the English
are just as good
or just as bad
as the French.

The Society of American Archivists’ annual meeting (held this year in Chicago) ended almost two weeks ago today and, while it’s hard to believe it’s already been that long, I wanted to get down a few thoughts about the conference before it all fades away.

First of all, I had a fantastic time. There was a lot of unfortunate drama surrounding the labor dispute before the conference that led to my being pretty ambivalent about going. In fact, the day before I left I was feeling tired, bummed out, and not at all enthusiastic about trekking to Chicago. That all disappeared as soon as I met up with some of my good archival friends and colleagues; a good reminder that, when all is said and done, the best part about these conferences is really meeting new people and bonding with those you already know, usually over a glass of something alcoholic.

As always, I ended up feeling like I learned a lot and missed a lot. There were three sessions that stood out for me. The first was Session 210: Genuine Encounter, Authentic Relationships: Archival Covenant and Professional Self-Understanding, in particular Brien Brothman’s presentation, which was unfortunately truncated, but nonetheless heady, provocative, stimulating and mind-blowing. I seriously considered kidnapping Brothman and making him do the full presentation, but I couldn’t find any accomplices. I also really enjoyed Session 304: Archives in the Web of Data: Toward a Virtuous Flow of Data in the UK and Beyond, where a group of folks from the UK talked about using linked data to open up archival description in new and exciting ways. After sitting through what seem like countless presentations on the potential of linked data, it was great to see a real-world example of someone in the world of archives actually using linked data. Finally, Session 601: Rappin’ with a Fiddle: a 360 Perspective of Music Archives was really fantastic. I particularly enjoyed Courtney Chartier’s presentation on the Tupac Shakur Collection, and all the connections that could be made to the Woody Guthrie Archives.

There are a couple things I learned this year that are going to shape how I approach future SAA conferences. Mark Matienzo put together a good list (which, as he admits, he stole pretty much wholesale from the awesome Declan “Big D” Fleming) over on his blog, so mash up the two and I think you’ll have a pretty good guide to navigating the annual meeting.

• You get what you give. The more involved you are, the more people will know you and/or want to know you. Participate in smaller groups; run for office in a Roundtable or volunteer to serve on a Subcommittee or Task Force. Help organize informal or unofficial gatherings like the Tweetup or Beer Roundtable.

• Think carefully about what technology you bring with you. This year, there was no wireless internet access at the conference, which made 3G capable devices (like smartphones or tablets) the only option for internet access during session. Decide whether or not you need a device with a physical keyboard. And you’d probably do well to bring an extra battery for whatever device(s) you decide to take with you, since outlets in session rooms are few and far between.

• Don’t be afraid to session-hop. I used to avoid this because I thought it was rude (and maybe it is), but some of the best sessions I went to were those that I stumbled into. Keep an eye on Twitter to see which sessions are generating a buzz.

• Consider staying somewhere other than the conference hotel. A lot of people stayed away from the conference hotel this year because of the labor dispute. However, I’m starting to thing it’s not necessarily a bad idea to stay in a nearby hotel if the price is roughly equal. Generally speaking, conference hotels are pretty massive, not particularly friendly, and difficult to navigate. Having a little separation from the conference can be a good thing in terms of maintaining your sanity, and you’ll probably end up staying in a better hotel.

• Stick around post-conference. Because of Hurricane Irene, a bunch of us East Coasters were forced to stick around in Chicago post-conference. While this was not in my original plan, I had some of the best conversations of the conference during the few extra days I was “stuck,” and it was kind of nice to have a few extra days to decompress and ease the post-conference crash.

To protect French citizens
living in Algeria
the French took Algeria
from the natives.

To protect Algeria
the French took control
for Tunisia.

To protect Senegal
the French took Dahomey,
the Gabon, and the Congo.

To protect the isle of Reunion
the French took Madagascar.

They took Madagascar
for another reason.

The other reason was
that the English
wished to take it.

When the English
take something
the French say:
“The English do that
because they are grabbers.”

When the French take something,
the French say:
“We do that
because we are
good patriots.”

Some people say:
“My country
is always right.”

Some people say:
“My country
is always wrong.”

Some people say:
“My country
is sometimes right
and sometimes wrong,
but my country
right or wrong.”

To stick up for one’s country
when one’s country is wrong
does not make
the country right.

To stick up for the right
even when the world is wrong
is the only way we know
to make everything right.

The Catholic Worker believes
in the gentle personalism
of traditional Catholicism.

The Catholic Worker believes
in the personal obligation
of looking after
the needs of our brother.

The Catholic Worker believes
in the daily practice
of the Works of Mercy.

The Catholic Worker believes
in Houses of Hospitality
for the immediate relief
of those who are in need.

The Catholic Worker believes
in the establishment
of Farming Communes
where each one works
according to his ability
and gets according to his need.

The Catholic Worker believes
in creating a new society
within the shell of the old
with the philosophy of the new,
which is not a new philosophy
but a very old philosophy,
a philosophy so old
that it looks like new.

Democrats believe
in universal suffrage,
universal education,
freedom of opportunity.

Democrats believe
in the right of the rich
to become richer
and of the poor
to try to become rich.

Democrats believe
in labor unions
and financial corporations.

Democrats believe
in the law of supply and demand.