Cognotes 2017 Annual Conference Highlights - 11

2017 CHICAGO HIGHLIGHTS

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COGNOTES

We are the Sum of Our Stories
crafted stories. As we get older, we begin to
reject information we learn that conflicts
ugo Award winner and author of The with these stories, as it does not align with
Geek Feminist Revolution Kameron how we see ourselves or justify our deciHurley delivered an impassioned sions. Hurley poignantly stated, "People
speech about the way stories shape our lives don't want to change their stories because it
at the Library and Information Technology makes them feel like they're dying."
Hurley went on to explain how the
Association (LITA)'s President's Program.
rise
of the internet only contributes to the
She began with an allegorical tale about
llamas. She created a setting where a pack of proliferation of these false narratives. Given
llamas began to form different social groups the cloak of anonymity or physical distance,
and become isolated from each other, blam- people ruthlessly defend the narratives that
they were raised on, ening each other for the
tering binary arguments
problems in their society.
where no side represents
The moral of the story
Our
an objective truth. She
was that we are all more
understanding
spoke at length on this
alike than we are differof our country,
idea of binaries, and how
ent, we all just want the
our families,
the truth does exist, but
same basic things: to eat,
often not at the extreme
poop, and die after a long
our reality,
pole of the spectrum. She
life. The metaphor can
is all based
got a huge laugh after the
of course be applied to
on carefully
remark, "You either get
humans, and the different
crafted stories.
The Handmaid's Tale or
stories we tell ourselves to
Mad Max," when describjustify creating divisive
ing pessimistic outlooks
groups. All along, we just
of the future. Again, these binaries do not
want the same basic things as the llamas.
When we are young, our consciousness prove to be either useful or convincing to
only begins to form when we are able to either side. She stressed the importance of
recognize stories. They are fundamental in using stories rather than facts to tear down
our development, creating the ego itself. false narratives. It's hard to argue with a
Our understanding of our country, our person's experience, and easy to discredit
families, our reality, is all based on carefully statistics or studies.
Colleen Cirocco, Wayne State University (MI)

Creating a World Where
Everyone Has Value
ALCTS and LLAMA
Presidents' Program:
The Business of Social
Impact
Colleen Cirocco/Wayne State University (MI)

ollowing an award presentation
to Mark Sandler as the recipient of the 2017 Hugh Atkinson
Award, Dorri McWhorter delivered a
presentation for the ALCTS and LLAMA
Presidents' Program titled "The Business
of Social Impact: Creating a World Where
Everyone Has Value."
Formerly a CPA, McWhorter is currently the CEO of the YWCA in Chicago.
In her work, she strives to embody the
statement, "by being our whole empowered self, we improve the world." She
referenced businesses like Detroit's Shinola
and Missouri-based company Askinosie
Chocolate as examples of fair work environments, commitment to reduce, and
improving the lives of their employees.
Having worked in the private sector and
for a nonprofit, McWhorter fully believes
in doing good, defined as "creating a better
experience wherever you are."
While the YWCA is passionate about
the population it serves, through providing programs such as STEAM education
to teen and pre-teen girls, and helping
adult women gain construction training,
this passion does not come without welldeserved employee appreciation. One of
the most surprising practices that Mc-

Whorter shared was that they have done
away with performance evaluations. She
received feedback that the evaluations
were not useful, not met with compensation increases due to her budget, and were
sometimes demoralizing. The process
was replaced with voluntary one-on-one
conversations between employees and
supervisors. These meetings help the
employee get the support they need, help
the employee to reflect on their accomplishments, and provide an opportunity
for feedback on employee performance.
Through being available and open to
these meetings, McWhorter has created
a culture that shows her employees that
they are valued and listened to.
McWhorter shared three philosophies
that guide her work:
Everyone has value;
"You never change things by fighting
the existing reality. To change something,
build a new model that makes the existing
model obsolete" -Buckminster Fuller;
and "A solitary fantasy can totally transform a million realities" - Maya Angelou.
She invited the audience to stand,
with their right hands raised, as she led
them through a pledge. "Today I serve the
world by being my most empowered self!
I leverage my whole self and appreciate
others for doing the same! In being our
whole, empowered selves, WE improve
the world!"
She left the room with the knowledge
that before we can help others, we must
take care of ourselves.

Kameron Hurley speaks at the LITA President's Program: "We Are the Sum of
Our Stories."

In a climate where the mass media exhausts our capacity for critical thinking,
Hurley lauded praise on our libraries, as oases of knowledge and truth. She described,
however, the overabundance of information
and how that can limit a person's sense of
curiosity or desire to learn. She said that we
as information professionals need to help
our patrons navigate this "fire hose of information." Instead of just saying, "Well, here
it all is!" it's important to create guidelines

and show patrons the rules, giving them an
idea of where to start.
Hurley has spent a good deal of time
going to dark places in her fiction. Now,
though, she is moving in a more positive
direction. She imagines a future 30 years
from now, where we come out from the
other side of a dark age. She stated that the
only way she will survive is by being able to
imagine the other side, a side she will help
build through her stories.

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