Dear colleagues,

We're writing to let you know about conversations that are starting about abolition work in special collections. We’ve formed a small group to talk through these issues and start working toward abolition in special collections spaces.

For those who may be new to the topic, abolition here refers to divestment from policing, surveillance, and carcerality. The group is intended to provide a space for folks who are committed to abolition work to consider how to work toward abolition in special collections contexts. Folks who are curious and want to learn more are very welcome to join us, with the caveat that we won't spend much time providing an introduction to the topic and won't spend time debating the merits of abolition as a goal or framework. The Progressive Librarians Guild Black Lives Matter resource guide provides relevant resources: http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/pdf/plg_blm.pdf 

The group is currently doing some brainstorming work on focus areas, and we anticipate meeting again in late September (time TBD).

If you’d like to join us, please join our RiseUp email list: https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/abolition-in-special-collections 

We’ve started a scratchpad for ideas on subcommittees based on interest at our first meetings. You can take a look at our ideas and sign up for subcommittee groups in this Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TGUF27yj0yljzehhWC57DMH7jcjfg0m1DDYHqpddvks/edit#heading=h.pxaz1ku287c4

We'll communicate about our work via the RiseUp list and will use Google Drive for collaborative document work. Please let us know if you have any concerns about those platforms, or any other questions about the group and its work. Our email addresses are below. Please note that participants are welcome to use the RiseUp list to communicate about related projects, ideas, etc., in addition to the work of the group.

Be well,