Good Afternoon These are thought provoking questions. I believe that the initiative by President Obama is a good first step and at least there is some conversation now about the deep need for action. I think that the library could have a role as a place to bring all of the important individuals together in neutral territory to talk about what could reasonably be done in the short and long term and if there are any immediate steps that could be taken. Librarians know how to find information and how to bring people together. A forum series in the library on hot button topics could be a way to keep the communication going. Partnering with Public libraries is a great idea, some of the forums could be held at various libraries or simultaneously if there is enough interest. As for other organizations, Active Churches, Fraternities and Sororities are also good partners. Libraries could think about an exhibit or forum again (sorry I know that I am hitting that idea hard) on the impact of the accessibility of HBCUs to low income and disadvantaged populations. I do not have the numbers at my fingertips but we know that HBCUs graduate a significant number of minorities particularly in the STEM areas. So making sure that that information is better known nationwide is a role that we might consider taking on. Perhaps that could be something where the Alliance might have a role? Cynthia Cynthia L. Henderson, MILS, AHIP Executive Director Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library Howard University 501 W Street, NW Washington, DC 20059 cynthia.henderson@howard.edu<mailto:cynthia.henderson@howard.edu> 202.884.1723 voice 202.884.1733 fax http://hsl.howard.edu/ From: hbcu-libadmin-bounces@lists.hbculibraries.org [mailto:hbcu-libadmin-bounces@lists.hbculibraries.org] On Behalf Of Offord, Jerome Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2014 10:42 AM To: Hbcu-lib@lists.hbculibraries.org; Hbcu-libadmin@lists.hbculibraries.org Subject: HBCU Leaders Seek Inclusion Colleagues: Good Wednesday morning! At a time when our nation is struggling to address issues internally, and deal with the multi-layered international situations, our President, Barak Obama has launched the Brothers Keeper Initiative. The initiative focuses on black and Hispanic young men. There are critics in the Black community that say our leader is a day late and a dollar short. There are others who are applauding his efforts. HBCUs are saying, we've been at this for years, so please invite us to the table (see chronicle article http://chronicle.com/article/HBCU-Leaders-Seek-Inclusion-in/145073/). In the article, it mentions two member institutions and their programs. My questions, to my esteemed colleagues, are: 1. Is there a role for the library in these initiatives? If so, what? 2. Is this an opportunity for the HBCU library to partner with public libraries or community organization to help with this initiative? 3. Is there an opportunity to introduce the LIS profession in programs such as these? 4. Is there a role for the Alliance in these initiatives? I look forward to the chatter. The aforementioned is food for thought. Jerome Jerome Offord, Jr., MS,MLS Chief of Staff to the President and Dean of Library Services and University Archives Lincoln University (MO), Inman E. Page Library 712 Lee Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65101 Tel: (573) 681-5501 Fax: (573) 681-5157 "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history" Mohandas Gandhi CONFIDENTIALITY: This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential, proprietary and privileged information, and unauthorized disclosure or use is prohibited. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete this e-mail from your system.