Cognotes 2017 Annual Conference Highlights - 9

2017 CHICAGO HIGHLIGHTS

Clinton

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COGNOTES

9

Clinton: Librarians Make a Difference

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the difficult period after the 2016 election.
Clinton acknowledged many specific bonding points between herself and the library
community. In her opening remarks, she
lightheartedly referenced the "important"
work librarians put into the conference such
as "debating topics in archiving," and "taking
home heavy boxes of books."
But she then talked only about libraries'
importance. With the theme of "reading
changes lives," she shared that some of her
favorite memories were of she and Bill [Clinton] reading to their daughter Chelsea as a
child, and now reading those same books,
such as Curious George and Goodnight Moon,
to her grandchildren. She juxtaposed those
fond memories with some unsettling statistics, such as, only one in three low-income
children are read to in their first two years of
life, and that by the time they are four years
old they have heard 30,000,000 fewer words
than their affluent peers. They are set up for
a drastic disadvantage from the start.
She asserted that raising readers means
raising good citizens. Reading helps to develop
empathy; by putting oneself in the shoes of the
characters, you begin to understand different
ways of living, different ways of thinking.
Libraries are places where
communities come together
Clinton referenced a recent visit to a public
library in Queens, N.Y., where she realized
that the library is the only public space that
people of all races, genders, religions, and
sexual orientations utilize. She described her
visit as "thrilling," seeing the broad range of
public programming, such as story time, coding club, job interview training, and language
tutoring. Remarking on the essential services
libraries provide, she referenced the statistic

that there are five million children who do not
have access to the internet, in an age where
much of their homework requires it. She also
praised the dedication of librarians, citing one
recent example in Philadelphia, where some
are being trained to administer antidotes to
patrons suffering from drug overdoses, during
this extreme epidemic. "Librarians are literal
lifesavers."

We need critical thinkers
more than ever
"Long before fake news and alternative
facts, libraries have been teaching media
literacy." Clinton praised the
work libraries do in helping
people learn to "build arguments on rational evidence."
She referenced the quote by
former senator Daniel Patrick
Moynihan, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but
not his own facts." Libraries are
places to delve deeper into the
facts, and to learn about opposing points of view. "Libraries
and democracies go hand in
An ALA attendee takess photos of Hillary Rodham hand," Clinton stated. She
praised librarians as "guardians
Clinton as she delivers the ALA Closing General
Session keynote.
of the First Amendment" who

COGNOTES

ISSN: 0738-4319 * Volume 2017 Issue 12
Reporters
Michelle
Kowalsky
Rowan University
Glassboro, N.J.

Photography
Curtis Compton
Vincent Johnson
Armando Solares
Kris Tripplaar

Publisher/
Managing Editor
Deb Nerud
Vernon

Production
Tim Mercer
CustomNews, Inc.
Media Manager
Fiona Soltes

Videographer/
Video Editor
Andrew Franks
Guido Ronge

stand up to censorship and foster an open,
inclusive, and diverse space. She implored
the audience to "fight to defend evidence,
truth, and facts."
Clinton beamed admiration for librarians,
and displayed a deep understanding of not
only the financial, but also the emotional

hardships that the profession entails. "You
are making a difference, even when it feels
hard and thankless." It was clear that every
person in the auditorium left feeling appreciated and motivated to go back to their work
with a renewed sense of drive, dedication, and
compassion.

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