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librarians are more freedom fighters than
shushers. - Carla Hayden, Ms. magazine http//w
ww.radicalreference.info
New Jersey Library Association April 28, 2009
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Mission Statement Radical Reference is a
collective of volunteer library workers who
believe in social justice and equality. We
support activist communities, progressive
organizations, and independent journalists by
providing professional research support,
education, and access to information. We work in
a collaborative virtual setting and are dedicated
to information activism to foster a more
egalitarian society.
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Community Needs Assessment 1. Who are our
patrons and how do we know who they are?
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Community Needs Assessment 1. Who are our
patrons and how do we know who they are? 2.
What do our patrons want?
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Community Needs Assessment 1. Who are our
patrons and how do we know who they are? 2.
What do our patrons want? 3. Who are we and what
can we offer?
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Community Needs Assessment 1. Who are our
patrons and how do we know who they are? 2.
What do our patrons want? 3. Who are we and what
can we offer? 4. Where, when, and how can we work
together?
The Importance of Community Needs Assessment in
Activist Work by Heather McCann and Lana
Thelen http//radicalreference.info/anarchistbook
fair/2008/cna
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• 1. Who are our patrons
• activists
• independent journalists and media makers
• progressive organizations
• other members of the library community

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• and how do we know who they are?
• 2004 RNC
• Connections to other groups
• NYC Grassroots Media Coalition
• Anarchist Bookfairs (NYC, Bronx, Mid-
• Atlantic)
• Anarchist People of Color
• Wetlands Preserve
• Library school students

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• Self-identification when asking a question
• My video collective is making a documentary
  (Aug. 04)
• I am working on a zine and I need a little
  direction (Aug. 2004)
• I need some information on the Military
  Commissions Act of 2006 so I can defend my
  abhorrence of it in a knowledgeable fashion.
  (Oct. 2006)
• Im trying to get some skillshares started at my
  library school. (Feb. 2009)
• Im preparing a presentation on the global
  financial crisis for community organizations in
  Philadelphia. (Feb 09)
• Im researching the countercultural implications
  of the LES music scene between 1960-1990. (Mar.
  2009)

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• Collecting patron info?
• Location
• Email or phone
• Urgency
• How did you hear about us?

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• 2. What do our patrons want?
• Access to trustworthy information, though they
  may be wary of experts
• Opportunities to find answers themselves
• Information opportunities where they are
• in the street
• online
• in the classroom

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• 3. Who are we and what can we offer?
• Radical Reference volunteers include
• Degreed librarians
• Library workers
• Library school students

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• Radical Reference volunteers work in and/or
  engage with
• - Academic libraries
• Public libraries
• Special libraries
• Archives
• Other information centers

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The Activist/Librarian Context
Blogs librarian.net, Librarian Activist, Library
Juice, RR member blogs
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• 4. Where, when, and how can we work
• together?
• In the street (reference)
• Online (reference)
• In the classroom (instruction)
• For some activists, we become the default local
  librarians.

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• In the street (reference)
• - Home base librarians and street librarians
• - Ready Reference kits and handouts
• Maps and travel info
• Organization contact info
• Legal info
• Basic medical info
• Calendars

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Other virtual question-answering services
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Online (reference) - Highly collaborative,
multilingual volunteer community using open
source tools - Reference as a constantly
evolving conversation (experts for people who
inherently distrust experts)
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• Other online features
• - Archive of answered questions
• - Reference Shelf
• Blogs
• Tag cloud
• Facebook (yes its true)

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In the classroom (instruction) ALA skillshares
at SRRT booth Anarchist Bookfairs (NYC, Bronx,
Mid-Atlantic) NYC Grassroots Media
Conference Women Media Conference
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What motivates this kind of service? Something
within the profession? Does it happen via
collectives or other extra-institutional
entities? Is it personal/individual?
Local collectives community