I was invited to speak at the ACRL Delaware Valley Chapter Fall Forum at beautiful Swarthmore College last Friday, November 11 (thank you, Sarah Elichko!). The days leading up to the event were, to say the least, emotional. On Tuesday, Nov. 8 my family and I stayed home from work and school to celebrate the birth, death, and brief, in-utero life of my son Connor. We planted tulip, daffodil, and crocus bulbs; made a chocolate pie; took a family trip to show that we were with Her; and generally just spent time together.

We also watched the election results.

I went to bed on the verge of tears, hating that what should have been a day of remembrance and celebration turned into an evening of fear, anxiety, and disgust. I woke up on Wednesday like so many others–angry, disbelieving, horrified. I exchanged hugs with students and colleagues on campus, and listened to people sharing their broken hearts. Then it was time to drive to Pennsylvania.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel speaking in front of and being around a crowd, but thankfully, I was among friends. The topic of the forum–Critlib: Theory and Action–should have been a signal that these were exactly the type of people I needed to be around at that moment. It was inspiring to hear from Jeremy McGinniss, Romel Espinel, and Adam Mizelle about the work they’re doing in their own libraries. Also, the closing activity led by DeVon Jackson at Villanova University just tied everything together beautiful. It was a day of sharing, but also a day of planning the resistance for the four years to come.

I thought I’d share my slides which include the text of the talk with you, in case you’re interested in reading it (you can open the speaker notes by clicking on the gear below, or just clicking on the linked text above). I think now more than ever we’re going to need critical voices in librarianship and in our country. I might still be sad, disheartened and angry, but I’m also ready for the fight ahead.