WEBVTT NOTE Created by CaptionSync from Automatic Sync Technologies www.automaticsync.com 00:00:03.046 --> 00:00:03.756 align:middle >> Hello and thank you. 00:00:03.756 --> 00:00:04.656 align:middle Thank you, gracias. 00:00:04.656 --> 00:00:05.406 align:middle I'm very pleased to be here. 00:00:05.406 --> 00:00:10.916 align:middle I have a caveat, unfortunately, and that's that earlier this week I was released 00:00:10.916 --> 00:00:14.376 align:middle from the hospital after five days, and so one of the medications 00:00:14.376 --> 00:00:19.186 align:middle that I take, a side effect is coughing. 00:00:19.186 --> 00:00:25.196 align:middle So if I start to cough during this talk, I apologize and I'll stop as quickly as I can. 00:00:25.196 --> 00:00:27.676 align:middle But thank you, thank you for that. 00:00:28.306 --> 00:00:31.226 align:middle When I was executive director of the American Library Association, 00:00:31.226 --> 00:00:35.316 align:middle we had a case before the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court. 00:00:35.436 --> 00:00:40.606 align:middle It was ALA versus United States government, and we referred to it as freedom 00:00:40.606 --> 00:00:43.196 align:middle of the internet, access to the internet. 00:00:43.196 --> 00:00:46.336 align:middle This was the 1996 Telecommunications Act. 00:00:46.336 --> 00:00:52.636 align:middle Our attorney and their attorney, the government's attorney, were told, 00:00:52.906 --> 00:00:58.026 align:middle "You have three minutes, three minutes to make your case, because after that, 00:00:58.466 --> 00:01:01.946 align:middle the chief justices will start asking questions." 00:01:02.276 --> 00:01:05.826 align:middle Well, three minutes, three minutes isn't very long. 00:01:05.936 --> 00:01:12.586 align:middle It was suggested that I talk about what I've learned in my profession and that's daunting 00:01:12.586 --> 00:01:16.196 align:middle because I've been a librarian for 50 years. 00:01:16.386 --> 00:01:21.466 align:middle I know most of you weren't born then, but I understand how long that was. 00:01:21.796 --> 00:01:26.546 align:middle But I learned at three minutes, maybe I could do it for seven minutes, surely I could do that. 00:01:26.546 --> 00:01:29.046 align:middle And I learned to be fast, concise, and brief. 00:01:29.046 --> 00:01:31.966 align:middle I learned to be ready. 00:01:32.706 --> 00:01:36.396 align:middle I learned to be ready for opportunities and that's what I want to talk to you about today. 00:01:36.396 --> 00:01:42.846 align:middle Ready for the unanticipated, ready for the non-routine, ready for the great idea 00:01:42.846 --> 00:01:49.486 align:middle from a quiet staff member, ready for a door to open that appears to have been closed, 00:01:50.016 --> 00:01:55.496 align:middle ready for challenges to get things done, to make things happen. 00:01:55.496 --> 00:02:03.836 align:middle And somewhere out there in this universe of people attending this event, there's a friend, 00:02:04.236 --> 00:02:07.526 align:middle and I want to tell you a story about Dr. Anthony Bernier. 00:02:07.906 --> 00:02:09.076 align:middle Please forgive me, Anthony. 00:02:09.196 --> 00:02:15.096 align:middle When I was appointed director of the Los Angeles Public Library, it was a time of construction, 00:02:15.096 --> 00:02:18.606 align:middle the new Central Library after an infamous fire. 00:02:19.896 --> 00:02:24.366 align:middle The over half a million square foot new Central Library would be a blend 00:02:24.366 --> 00:02:31.116 align:middle of the 1928 Goodhue elaborate, magnificent building that had sculptures and mosaics 00:02:31.116 --> 00:02:40.506 align:middle and Mayan and Egyptian motifs, and an enormous astrological chandelier and the Rotunda. 00:02:40.506 --> 00:02:48.786 align:middle And it was to be blended with a seven-storey, very modern series of escalators that went 00:02:49.246 --> 00:02:52.656 align:middle up throughout the building, and it was surrounded by books. 00:02:52.656 --> 00:02:55.636 align:middle You could go up and down the escalators, see books all around you. 00:02:55.636 --> 00:03:00.896 align:middle It was called the Grand Canyon of Books by one of the TV anchors. 00:03:01.196 --> 00:03:04.506 align:middle There were gardens and there were fountains and there was a classy restaurant. 00:03:04.646 --> 00:03:06.626 align:middle There was a food court, there was a gift shop. 00:03:07.186 --> 00:03:09.326 align:middle There was a 250-seat theater. 00:03:11.046 --> 00:03:18.106 align:middle It was estimated that over 80,000 people attended, celebrities, authors, icons. 00:03:18.436 --> 00:03:22.716 align:middle I gave Big Bird a library card and he gave me a yellow feather. 00:03:23.346 --> 00:03:24.416 align:middle There were celebrities. 00:03:24.416 --> 00:03:26.646 align:middle It was a wonderful time for the community. 00:03:27.566 --> 00:03:31.576 align:middle But what was important is something that happened a week later, 00:03:32.456 --> 00:03:35.366 align:middle because a week later, a librarian asked to talk to me. 00:03:35.366 --> 00:03:40.876 align:middle If you've been to the Central Library, you know how magnificent it is and you ought 00:03:40.876 --> 00:03:43.356 align:middle to see the library director's office. 00:03:43.356 --> 00:03:46.366 align:middle It's pretty wonderful. 00:03:46.366 --> 00:03:49.116 align:middle So the librarian was Anthony Bernier. 00:03:49.116 --> 00:03:54.616 align:middle He wasn't Dr. Anthony Bernier yet, but he told me something that startled me. 00:03:54.616 --> 00:03:57.436 align:middle And I said -- he told me that in over -- 00:03:57.766 --> 00:04:01.656 align:middle the half a million square foot brand new magnificent library, 00:04:03.296 --> 00:04:06.946 align:middle there were less than a thousand square feet for teens. 00:04:08.396 --> 00:04:10.836 align:middle And I was shocked. 00:04:11.366 --> 00:04:13.156 align:middle I was an advocate for teens. 00:04:13.156 --> 00:04:13.856 align:middle I knew better. 00:04:14.416 --> 00:04:19.196 align:middle I hadn't been involved in the design of the facility, but I certainly was involved 00:04:19.196 --> 00:04:22.406 align:middle in everything else and including the opening and the management. 00:04:22.866 --> 00:04:29.346 align:middle And I knew that less than a mile from the new beautiful Central Library was the largest high 00:04:29.346 --> 00:04:32.176 align:middle school in Los Angeles. 00:04:32.176 --> 00:04:36.936 align:middle And those students could just come straight down the road to the new library. 00:04:36.936 --> 00:04:41.076 align:middle And we didn't have enough space. 00:04:41.076 --> 00:04:49.446 align:middle I left LA to be the executive director of the American Library Association, but Anthony stayed 00:04:49.446 --> 00:04:58.256 align:middle and he made sure that teens got space and the new teen space of Los Angeles Public Library, 00:04:58.816 --> 00:05:04.856 align:middle it proclaimed a new era in teen services by public libraries. 00:05:05.076 --> 00:05:06.326 align:middle Started an entirely new service. 00:05:06.326 --> 00:05:09.116 align:middle And I'm always grateful, a little embarrassed by what happened, 00:05:09.116 --> 00:05:11.366 align:middle but always grateful to have learned. 00:05:11.896 --> 00:05:16.536 align:middle Because he showed me that while I was involved with all of the politics in the opening 00:05:16.536 --> 00:05:21.516 align:middle and the media, I didn't pay attention to those details. 00:05:21.516 --> 00:05:22.156 align:middle And I should have. 00:05:22.156 --> 00:05:27.116 align:middle I'm a big picture person, but I need to know the details too. 00:05:27.116 --> 00:05:31.056 align:middle And Anthony talked -- he showed me that way. 00:05:31.056 --> 00:05:33.086 align:middle Thanks, Anthony. 00:05:33.086 --> 00:05:34.746 align:middle I know you remember that. 00:05:35.406 --> 00:05:38.816 align:middle So what have I learned working in libraries for all these years? 00:05:39.186 --> 00:05:42.326 align:middle I've learned that change isn't really that difficult. 00:05:42.646 --> 00:05:44.046 align:middle All you need is ganas. 00:05:44.046 --> 00:05:47.046 align:middle G-A-N-A-S, ganas in Spanish means will. 00:05:47.046 --> 00:05:48.336 align:middle That's all you need. 00:05:48.966 --> 00:05:50.306 align:middle I learned that there's always money. 00:05:50.306 --> 00:05:52.116 align:middle Don't believe people who say there's no money. 00:05:52.266 --> 00:05:52.916 align:middle There's money. 00:05:52.916 --> 00:05:56.816 align:middle I learned how to find it, where it is, the different accounts, the different budgets. 00:05:56.816 --> 00:05:59.616 align:middle It's not in the budget everybody looks at. 00:05:59.616 --> 00:06:00.696 align:middle But I learned to find money. 00:06:00.696 --> 00:06:02.696 align:middle And I learned to find people who could donate money. 00:06:03.576 --> 00:06:05.716 align:middle I learned that policies are not laws. 00:06:06.816 --> 00:06:07.836 align:middle They can be changed. 00:06:08.956 --> 00:06:12.066 align:middle I learned that practice is only what we did yesterday. 00:06:12.066 --> 00:06:16.116 align:middle It's not what we need to do, you know, tomorrow. 00:06:16.116 --> 00:06:20.656 align:middle I learned to find colleagues who supported us, especially me. 00:06:20.656 --> 00:06:26.266 align:middle I learned to find and follow details that would become important in the future. 00:06:26.266 --> 00:06:31.376 align:middle I learned that staff know what is needed much better than I did. 00:06:31.616 --> 00:06:34.886 align:middle All I needed to do was say, yes. 00:06:34.886 --> 00:06:36.526 align:middle I didn't have to do it myself. 00:06:36.526 --> 00:06:39.386 align:middle They were perfectly capable and better at it. 00:06:39.386 --> 00:06:44.606 align:middle I learned to say yes to most requests, especially those who came for the public 00:06:44.606 --> 00:06:47.266 align:middle because they had great ideas for programs. 00:06:47.326 --> 00:06:50.416 align:middle I learned from my experiences. 00:06:50.936 --> 00:06:55.546 align:middle After watching a movie, the first Chicano movie, I Am Joaquin, 00:06:56.196 --> 00:06:59.296 align:middle a man who had been sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder. 00:06:59.296 --> 00:07:03.796 align:middle He tapped me on the shoulder and he said, or asked, 00:07:03.796 --> 00:07:06.746 align:middle "Are you the librarian working at East LA Library?" 00:07:07.336 --> 00:07:14.756 align:middle And before I could answer, before I could answer, he said, "We need you, we need you." 00:07:14.756 --> 00:07:17.616 align:middle Those words changed my entire career. 00:07:17.736 --> 00:07:22.706 align:middle My career path was set in stone from then on. 00:07:22.826 --> 00:07:30.096 align:middle It was a time when libraries did not have multicultural services, collections, 00:07:30.096 --> 00:07:33.376 align:middle books, staff who spoke other languages. 00:07:33.636 --> 00:07:39.106 align:middle It was very Eurocentric and very White centric and it didn't exist. 00:07:39.106 --> 00:07:46.346 align:middle So I became the first Chicano librarian, also the oldest Chicano librarian. 00:07:46.346 --> 00:07:52.416 align:middle So my career path changed, my profession opened up and I became an advocate 00:07:52.416 --> 00:07:54.696 align:middle for multilingual, multicultural services. 00:07:54.696 --> 00:07:58.186 align:middle And it's still something that I do. 00:07:59.186 --> 00:08:03.236 align:middle Libraries that had staff at that point didn't speak the languages. 00:08:03.236 --> 00:08:07.836 align:middle Libraries didn't have collections or histories or programs about other people. 00:08:08.366 --> 00:08:10.526 align:middle And that started to change. 00:08:10.896 --> 00:08:14.436 align:middle Today, it seems normal and natural, but it wasn't then. 00:08:14.436 --> 00:08:21.696 align:middle In the 70s, I established four ethnic resource centers, the first ones in Los Angeles County 00:08:21.696 --> 00:08:26.606 align:middle and in the nation, the American Indian, the Asian Pacific Islander, 00:08:27.156 --> 00:08:29.846 align:middle the Black and the Chicano ethnic resource centers. 00:08:29.846 --> 00:08:36.526 align:middle They're still thriving today and they collect, manage and you can have access to all 00:08:36.526 --> 00:08:42.016 align:middle of the documents of local history on all the cultural peoples of Los Angeles County. 00:08:43.536 --> 00:08:45.656 align:middle I also learned how to stand up to my community. 00:08:45.916 --> 00:08:50.616 align:middle A world famous architect designed a library that librarians didn't like. 00:08:51.506 --> 00:08:58.126 align:middle The community liked it, the children liked it, the city liked it, but librarians didn't 00:08:58.126 --> 00:09:00.276 align:middle because it was very hard to supervise. 00:09:00.276 --> 00:09:03.256 align:middle It wasn't a big room where you could look out and see everything. 00:09:03.256 --> 00:09:10.186 align:middle It was instead, as the architect said, "I want people to go room to room and discover books." 00:09:10.306 --> 00:09:11.936 align:middle And that's what they did. 00:09:12.436 --> 00:09:16.426 align:middle A little reading tower, a little garden, places where you walk 00:09:16.526 --> 00:09:19.516 align:middle and you could read and you could enjoy the library. 00:09:19.826 --> 00:09:21.796 align:middle But I learned to speak up about it. 00:09:21.846 --> 00:09:27.406 align:middle I learned that yes, I would have to pay twice the cost to staff that facility 00:09:27.406 --> 00:09:32.146 align:middle because it wouldn't be easy, but it was worth it because that's what the community wanted. 00:09:32.296 --> 00:09:35.056 align:middle I also learned about wonder. 00:09:37.006 --> 00:09:43.906 align:middle When a librarian at Michelangelo's library in Florence said to me, "Elizabeth, 00:09:43.906 --> 00:09:51.346 align:middle we know who you are and we have something we think you would enjoy looking at." 00:09:51.616 --> 00:09:59.416 align:middle Well, to my surprise and enjoyment, she pulled out an enormous metal, big metal book. 00:09:59.616 --> 00:10:03.806 align:middle It was leather and it had a big key and it had a big lock. 00:10:04.096 --> 00:10:08.896 align:middle And she opened it up and she said, "This is a Mayan codex." 00:10:09.106 --> 00:10:16.906 align:middle And she gave me time to look through the pages, beautiful, brilliant paintings of all colors 00:10:16.906 --> 00:10:21.946 align:middle of wildlife and birds and clothes and food and mountains, people. 00:10:22.226 --> 00:10:24.936 align:middle It was an encyclopedia of the Mayan culture. 00:10:24.936 --> 00:10:27.456 align:middle And I spent time with that. 00:10:27.456 --> 00:10:33.976 align:middle And I learned about wonder. 00:10:34.046 --> 00:10:36.196 align:middle When the millennium was approaching, 00:10:36.336 --> 00:10:38.996 align:middle I was looking for the Andrew Carnegie of the 21st century. 00:10:38.996 --> 00:10:42.146 align:middle Why? Because as executive director of the American Library Association, 00:10:42.146 --> 00:10:46.596 align:middle I knew that most libraries did not have computers or the internet. 00:10:47.146 --> 00:10:52.306 align:middle How could you enter a 21st century, the century of technology, how could you enter 00:10:52.756 --> 00:10:56.806 align:middle without computers and access to the internet? 00:10:57.246 --> 00:11:03.306 align:middle My staff had calculated that it would take $900 million to get every public library 00:11:03.306 --> 00:11:09.016 align:middle in the country computers, public computers not just for staff, public computers, 00:11:09.016 --> 00:11:11.896 align:middle software and access to the internet. 00:11:12.556 --> 00:11:16.036 align:middle Well, who has $900 million? 00:11:16.316 --> 00:11:19.106 align:middle So I asked Bill Gates. 00:11:20.466 --> 00:11:23.716 align:middle I thought he's a 21st century icon. 00:11:24.656 --> 00:11:25.946 align:middle We gave him a proposal. 00:11:27.736 --> 00:11:34.056 align:middle And 18 months later, he called and said, "I'll give you 200 million." 00:11:34.056 --> 00:11:41.196 align:middle And that's for libraries that are in what were then called the governments for zip codes. 00:11:41.196 --> 00:11:45.716 align:middle So with $200 million, we could equip libraries with computers. 00:11:46.766 --> 00:11:49.066 align:middle Imagine that, today they're everywhere. 00:11:49.676 --> 00:11:53.346 align:middle Then they were the first. 00:11:53.926 --> 00:11:57.896 align:middle My staff and I were ready for this big project. 00:11:57.946 --> 00:12:03.236 align:middle I also learned that some challenges are very personal, became very personal, 00:12:03.656 --> 00:12:07.976 align:middle because I had heard and I certainly experienced and testified to the fact 00:12:07.976 --> 00:12:10.346 align:middle that the profession is not diverse. 00:12:10.756 --> 00:12:13.206 align:middle It wasn't then and it's not now. 00:12:13.206 --> 00:12:20.956 align:middle It's still 90% librarian, non-librarians of color. 00:12:21.326 --> 00:12:26.026 align:middle So I gathered a group of friends, California friends, you know, 00:12:26.026 --> 00:12:28.706 align:middle the friends that you don't have to tell them what it's about. 00:12:28.706 --> 00:12:30.956 align:middle You don't have to justify you don't have to document it. 00:12:30.956 --> 00:12:35.216 align:middle You don't have to convince people, friends who know the issue. 00:12:35.806 --> 00:12:38.316 align:middle And I contacted them. 00:12:38.316 --> 00:12:39.696 align:middle And so we gathered. 00:12:39.946 --> 00:12:41.686 align:middle We gathered in Pasadena. 00:12:41.716 --> 00:12:44.436 align:middle Luis Herrera was the library director and we met with him. 00:12:45.126 --> 00:12:53.736 align:middle And it was Cheryl Metoyer, Cherokee, Janice Koyama, Japanese American, Binnie Tate Wilkin, 00:12:54.016 --> 00:12:58.106 align:middle Black American, Patricia Tarin, Mexican American. 00:12:58.106 --> 00:13:00.876 align:middle And the six of us got together and said, 00:13:01.426 --> 00:13:04.966 align:middle "How do we start the diversification of this profession?" 00:13:05.206 --> 00:13:07.436 align:middle So we made a plan. 00:13:07.656 --> 00:13:12.256 align:middle The plan was to ask ALA for $1.5 million. 00:13:12.256 --> 00:13:16.906 align:middle This was 1996, $1.9 million. 00:13:17.166 --> 00:13:25.856 align:middle And we wanted five years, 50 scholarships, 50 scholars a year, and each would get $5,000. 00:13:26.266 --> 00:13:27.946 align:middle And that would be the beginning. 00:13:28.116 --> 00:13:34.876 align:middle Well, Spectrum was established, it became a hot commodity 00:13:34.876 --> 00:13:36.986 align:middle and people now support it wholeheartedly. 00:13:38.966 --> 00:13:46.506 align:middle And there's over 3,000 Spectrum scholars, librarians now, 3,000 we didn't have before. 00:13:48.276 --> 00:13:51.046 align:middle So things can happen. 00:13:51.346 --> 00:13:54.356 align:middle The challenge is that we just have to be ready. 00:13:54.526 --> 00:13:59.956 align:middle And you have to take the consequences of those who don't always agree with you. 00:13:59.956 --> 00:14:10.966 align:middle Recently, I had a call from a former ALA friend and she said, "Elizabeth, 00:14:10.966 --> 00:14:16.506 align:middle I want you to help us recruit scientists of color, scientists." 00:14:16.506 --> 00:14:18.856 align:middle And I'm thinking, I've never done that before. 00:14:19.396 --> 00:14:22.626 align:middle Didn't say anything, but haven't done that before. 00:14:22.966 --> 00:14:27.756 align:middle But I was ready, I was ready to help a colleague who wanted 00:14:27.756 --> 00:14:30.266 align:middle to diversify the scientific community. 00:14:30.486 --> 00:14:36.086 align:middle And so she says, "You know, senescent cells, senescent cells, yes. 00:14:36.086 --> 00:14:40.166 align:middle You know, the cells that don't multiply, the cells in your body that don't multiply, 00:14:40.166 --> 00:14:43.396 align:middle and they're connected to the elderly. 00:14:43.396 --> 00:14:45.916 align:middle So this is a pilot project. 00:14:46.226 --> 00:14:48.976 align:middle There's new research, it's going to be fantastic. 00:14:49.306 --> 00:14:52.646 align:middle We want you to help us recruit scientists of color 00:14:52.846 --> 00:14:56.186 align:middle and place them in labs all around the country. 00:14:56.186 --> 00:15:01.886 align:middle So college students, 16 of them last summer, were placed at MIT and Stanford and Duke 00:15:01.886 --> 00:15:11.966 align:middle and Yale and Northwestern and throughout the country to study senescent cells. 00:15:12.046 --> 00:15:15.286 align:middle And I think what taught me was that there's always time to learn something new. 00:15:15.286 --> 00:15:18.406 align:middle I'm not a scientist. 00:15:18.406 --> 00:15:21.126 align:middle I'm not even in bioinformatics. 00:15:21.126 --> 00:15:23.436 align:middle She said to me, "Don't worry about it. 00:15:23.806 --> 00:15:28.536 align:middle We'll get a researcher or a PI to give you a crash course and you'll know all 00:15:28.536 --> 00:15:30.876 align:middle about senescent cells, you know, in a week." 00:15:30.876 --> 00:15:40.126 align:middle So be ready to learn, be ready to wonder, be ready for the challenges that are ahead of you. 00:15:40.826 --> 00:15:43.096 align:middle Be ready to leave your mark on the profession. 00:15:43.096 --> 00:15:48.466 align:middle Think about when you're almost ready to retire, I know that seems like a long time now 00:15:48.466 --> 00:15:51.746 align:middle and people aren't retiring, but think about it, when you leave one job 00:15:51.746 --> 00:15:54.726 align:middle to another job, what did you leave behind? 00:15:55.256 --> 00:15:56.646 align:middle What did you accomplish? 00:15:56.956 --> 00:15:58.476 align:middle How did you help other people? 00:15:58.476 --> 00:16:00.086 align:middle Whose doors did you open?" 00:16:00.086 --> 00:16:02.526 align:middle Because many people opened my doors. 00:16:02.526 --> 00:16:08.106 align:middle I couldn't have done half of my accomplishments without somebody else helping me. 00:16:08.706 --> 00:16:12.006 align:middle And so be ready, be ready. 00:16:13.106 --> 00:16:14.976 align:middle Leave evidence of your good work. 00:16:15.406 --> 00:16:20.816 align:middle Be excited, be ready for wonder, be ready for the excitement of a new profession, 00:16:21.176 --> 00:16:23.316 align:middle meeting new people and new colleagues. 00:16:23.576 --> 00:16:27.356 align:middle Be ready for an opportunity to do good for your community. 00:16:27.356 --> 00:16:31.516 align:middle So my question to you now is, are you ready? 00:16:33.296 --> 00:16:38.316 align:middle Are you ready for the opportunities that this profession is going to provide for you? 00:16:38.886 --> 00:16:42.206 align:middle Because that's where you are, you're ready to step into that profession 00:16:42.556 --> 00:16:44.276 align:middle and the opportunities will be there. 00:16:44.276 --> 00:16:50.376 align:middle So congratulations and welcome to the librarian's world of opportunities. 00:16:50.376 --> 00:16:51.576 align:middle Thanks a lot.