Loida Garcia-Febo: High possibilities for librarians to collaborate globally to positively impact humans and nature

Loida Garcia-Febo is a celebrated international library consultant. She was the President of American Library Association (ALA 2018-19), Chair of ALA 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Task Force, Chair of ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, and she has also worked for IFLA in different capacities. She is the founder of New Librarians Global Connections and actively engaged in many professional assignments of global importance. 

In this interview with Sarika Sawant, for Open Interview, Loida Garia-Febo shares her inspiring professional journey and her views on the ongoing developments in the library profession at global level. Having rich experience of closely working with the prestigious library associations, she observes that associations have done a great job in bringing libraries closer to the users during the challenging times. She believes that the libraries can do wonders if they collaborate strategically to address the global issues concerning access, technology, environment, etc.   

.

.

First of all I would like to know the ongoing trends in the library and information science (LIS) profession globally, especially in the times of pandemic? What has changed now?

I appreciate and thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts through you for Open Interview. Our professional world has changed significantly due to COVID-19. One of the major areas of change is the digital transformation we have and are experiencing. The United Nations says,

“While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are “the what” the world is aiming for by 2030, digital technology will be central to shaping the “the how” in terms of reaching this destination and accelerating action at scale”.

More libraries, health providers, cities and government agencies have increased services online. This has also brought challenges related to copyright and legal matters and accessibility about which library associations all over the world are advocating to continue providing access to information to their library users.

Other areas that are affecting our world and our libraries include climate change and the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns. All over the globe, we are experiencing fires, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The library associations including IFLAand ALA have taken environmental changes and issues seriously and have established groups to discuss and develop resources to help libraries and librarians to understand sustainability and environmental challenges.

A last area I would like to mention has to do with the wellness of library workers whose stress and anxiety levels, along with millions of people around the world, have increased due to the pandemic. As I have published, it is of utmost importance for library workers to receive the support and help they need to continue to provide services. During my term as President of the American Library Association, my team and I updated resources to help support the overall wellness of library workers. This really helped many. 

---

Every sector has gone through a tough time during the pandemic period and technology has really helped sustain the functioning of some sectors. What’s your take on the library sector? Do you believe that technology has saved the image of libraries in the challenging times?

Yes, I believe that technology has allowed many libraries to continue providing access to information, helping bettering the education of individuals, and dispelling mistrusts during the pandemic. However, there are still libraries of some regions that are yet to reach digital connectivity and therefore they were/are unable to participate in the digital transformation. This demands for more digitally connected world. To achieve this, each one of us ought to join efforts from library associations in coalition with civil society groups to continue advocating for broadband, internet and digital connectivity for all on our planet.

---

Has the pandemic given an increased opportunity to the LIS professionals to explore and expand their professional network? What’s your personal experience as you have a strong web presence and professional network? 

Yes, very much. In my experience, the increased use of technology during the pandemic has also increased opportunities for library and information professionals to expand their professional network by attending online events (either as contributor, participant or learner) from different regions of the world. Many times those events include functions of chat where librarians interact with others from different countries and forge connections. Librarians are also connecting through conversations on social media. I know of many colleagues who are collaborating with others they met through social media or on online events to publish joint articles and research, to speak and lecture at events, and to coordinate online events for their country libraries. Personally, I am receiving more invitations to lecture from countries on the opposite side of the world (from New York where I reside). I love these connections. Joining colleagues who are producing resources to help librarians and help communities in areas such as human rights, social justice, digital connectivity, and libraries in the midst of climate change to mention a few areas.

---

During the pandemic, library associations of different countries (no matter how small or big they are) have worked hard to connect, engage and guide the libraries to tackle the situation. What is your overall observation on the library associations during the tough time?

This is indeed a positive trend, I must say. Library associations, everywhere, really stepped up to help their members. IFLA produced a remarkable website including links to resources from library associations and partners from all over the world.

The ALA developed a website including four sections under which they grouped information to help libraries, librarians and library advocates. One section is about Advocacy and Policy that includes first-time ever published tools to help library advocates to advocate for libraries virtually. Another section is Education with free educational resources for librarians. The section of Guidance and Protocolsprovides information on how to protect staff and community as libraries reinstate full services. The section on Data and Research gives insight from latest research on how covid-19 impacts libraries, library staff and services to the community.

I have collaborated with many library associations in all regions of the world and all of them have done something to help their members and libraries. Other examples come from the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Central American library associations developed a strong group to present online events to support each other during the pandemic. The Association of Caribbean, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL), my first library association, also developed a fantastic series of webinars in languages spoken in the Caribbean to help librarians in the Caribbean.

All those efforts are beautiful and speak about how even though we are still experiencing a pandemic, library associations have grown like giants to support librarians, libraries and by doing so, the communities they serve.

---

You were an avid library user when you were studying in school and college. Had you ever thought that one fine day you would have a successful career in international librarianship?

Education begins at home. In my case professional education began at home itself as my mother was my school librarian during my entire school education. She gave me a strong library education and when I got to college, by that time, I knew how to search databases and find books in the library. Spending time at the library was a wonderful part of my college life which I still cherish.

Being from Puerto Rico, a Caribbean Island which is a territory of the USA, I traveled a bit to some islands and to the USA. I enjoyed traveling and always wondered about working with librarians from other countries. I started collaborating with international colleagues when I was living in Puerto Rico and when I moved to New York City, these collaborations increased. Fast forward, many years, for this woman who grew up in the mountains of Puerto Rico, it is truly a dream come true to know and collaborate with many wonderful professionals from all over the world. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had to advocate for libraries at the United Nations, the European Union Parliament, the US Congress, and City Halls and streets of states in the US.

---

Great to know such an inspiring journey. You were the president of ALA in 2018-2019. Would you please share with us what change this position brought in your personality?

During my term as ALA President the collaborations with thousands of library workers in the US and also internationally brought new and deep dimensions to my professionalism, tenacity, perseverance and commitment to libraries, librarianship, librarians and the communities they serve.

I love communities and many of the stops in my Presidential National Library Tour were at public libraries to connect with community members, leaders, library patrons and encourage them to support libraries. The campaign titled “Libraries=Strong Communities” and the tour, together, were advocacy efforts. I went to the radio, newspapers, podcasts, and TV stations in many of these cities to advocate for libraries. I saw a renewed interest in supporting communities and libraries as centers in the communities. Some very special proofs of the support for libraries were proclaims that the governor of Massachusetts gave me to celebrate libraries, proclaims also came from cities like Seattle and North Miami- this city even titled their month-long celebration of Black History Month in February 2019 after my Libraries=Strong Communities. I went to Los Angeles City Hall to speak about libraries. My turn to speak there was right after the Los Angeles City Council approved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for a celebrity. I also went internationally to various countries and to the European Union Parliament to advocate for libraries speaking at an advocacy event there. In total, the tour fueled 17 visits, rallies and talks. Tours in 8 countries including academic, public and school libraries. And media attention that by June 2019 had more than 200 mentions reaching more than 56 million consumers in the US alone.

---

In your IFLA President election campaign, I did find a mention about “diversity makes us great”. Will you please elaborate it?

Our world is very diverse. We have diversity of race, ethnicity, language, gender, LGBTQIA, culture, religion, abilities and much more! Metropolises across the world are hugely diverse and all these ways in which people are alike and different make our world a wonderful place; makes us great! I believe that librarians everywhere need to strive for a more diverse profession. Diversity would enrich librarianship and the work librarians do. For example, it is inspiring to see how Diversity is a Key Action area for ALA. This is ongoing work that we need to embed in our library services and library associations strategies.

---

IFLA’s New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG) that you started in 2004, the activities of NPSIG are interesting right from fashion, love story, music. What is next? 

I love to see the NPSIG grow and grow each year with dedicated leaders from different continents. I am still very much in contact with the NPSIG and both advise and collaborate in different projects with them. I believe next, or really ongoing, is to continue empowering newer library and library associations leaders.

The NPSIG has presented joint webinars with IFLA Continued Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section (CPDWL) since 2012 and will continue to do so. They are also collaborating as part of the team presenting webinars from IFLA Education and Training Section (SET), and will be involved in webinars to be presented by IFLA Management of Library Associations Section (MLAS). The NPSIG leaders are full of energy and are absolutely committed to supporting new librarians globally.

---

You are currently chairing the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) of ALA which works to ensure that the association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field. What is the working of the Committee and what difference do you think you can make?

The charge of COSWL is very comprehensive because human issues are women’s issues. Therefore, everything we do in librarianship impacts women and women librarians. During my tenure as Chair, COSWL introduced webinars to its activities. Last year we hosted webinars about topics that came from informal surveying our members. These included:

• How Employers Can Support Library Workers Who Are Caregivers During COVID-19;
• Anti-Racism Work and Women in Librarianship;
• Bridging the Gap: In Support of Female Librarianship;
• Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Salaries and Working Conditions in Libraries.

One significant development is that the event on “Bridging the Gap: In Support of Female Librarianship” is now a series that we have presented not only hosted by COSWL, but we were invited to present this event at two other conferences. The format of the event is a conversation where women librarians answer questions sent by librarians where we seek to empower women. We presented an online event at The National Conference of the African American Librarians from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), and we presented a half-day pre-conference part of the REFORMA National Library Conference VII (RNCVII). REFORMA is the National Library Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. These events are making a difference. The pre-conference we presented at RNCVII was the first-ever conference about women issues presented at a national conference. It is hard work, COSWL members are wonderful, and I am committed to this work. The conversations are beautiful, moving and powerful. More importantly, we have moved into action. A document with actionable items and best practices resulting from conversations from the pre-conference is available online to conference attendees.

---

A strong image and voice of a librarian is today’s necessity. What is your take on this?

This is a great question. As a librarian, one example of the power of librarians is related to the impact we can have in global matters. I love the opportunity I had to advocate on behalf of IFLA and libraries at the United Nations to bring support for culture, education, access to information and ICTs. With team work from librarians worldwide and together with civil society groups, we placed access to information on Goal 16 of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Target 16.10. I was there, I met with countries’ ambassadors, with NGOs supporting access to information and I advocated for libraries at the UN for some years. Based on this experience, I can say that it is indeed possible for librarians, globally, to collaborate together, united, in a cohesive effort to positively impact humans and nature on our planet. We need more of that type of collaboration! I truly believe there will be more of them!

* * * * *

Note · All the answers/ opinions expressed in this interview/document are of the interviewee.

---

[Disclaimer, Volunteer, Translate]

---

Cite · Sarika Sawant (2021 November, 20). Loida Garcia-Febo. High possibilities for librarians to collaborate globally to positively impact humans and nature [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://openinterview.org/2021/11/20/high-possibilities-for-librarians-to-collaborate-globally-to-positively-impact-humans-and-nature-loida-garcia-febo/

---

Credits  · Loida Garcia-Febo’s photo: business.facebook.com/Loida4ALAPresident/  Research assistance – Santosh C. Hulagabali, PhD; Technical assistance: Sneha Rathod

---

Sarika Sawant, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the SHPT School of Library Science, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai. She has several papers to her credit published in international and national journals. She has great interest in research and completed three minor research projects. She has presented papers in several international platforms including IFLA 2016 and 2018 conferences.