I'm just back from a terrific graduation weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some of you may know that, on top of full-time work, family, and city council responsibilities, I've also been a full-time grad student! This MA in Library & Information Studies is my second (back-to-back) masters, with my first one being in Instructional Technology from UNI (2014-2016). I added these two degrees to my undergrad in Government/Public Policy because I'm passionate about giving people the tools and information they need to be effective citizens.
At the Sunday ceremony for my master's program, the Information School gave the 77 of us up to two minutes for a short speech. Here's what I told my fellow newly-minted librarians..I'm sharing it here because it should give you, as residents and voters a sense for what matters to me, and my worldview of the role of information in civic life.
First, Happy Mother's Day and thank you to my wife Jocelyn...and to my two kids, Elsa and Ethan, for their support, understanding, and sacrifice these past three years. They're why I can stand before you today. I also thank YOU, the American people, for the G.I.Bill, which allowed me to achieve this degree.
Twenty years ago, I stood on the graduation stage of the U.S Coast Guard Academy, where I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Today, I stand alongside you with a new, yet related charge...to defend our communities and our country against ignorance, apathy, and sometimes, outright hostility to knowledge. In our new commission as Librarians, we must do all we can to ensure our fellow citizens have ready access to the world's accumulated knowledge AND the critical thinking skills to separate fact from fiction. Not telling them WHAT to think, but showing them HOW to think for themselves.
Today, you and I take on the mantle of a profession just as critical to the American democratic experiment as the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who fought, bled and died on battlefields near and far. We heed the call of Socrates and Plato, Thomas Jefferson and Cato, who knew that an informed and engaged citizenry is the heart of a vital and vibrant Republic. As Librarians, we must do our part to give our fellow citizens a fighting chance to preserve and pass on that Republic. Whether serving in academic or public libraries, or in another information science specialty, we must band together --- appreciating the unique role that Librarians play in American life. Through our expertise, resources, and the trust of the communities we serve, we must be a constructive force for restoring civic --and civil -- dialogue. We must advocate to provide our citizens the resources which help ensure government -- at all levels -- is transparent, responsive, inclusive, and data-driven.
Our communities and future generations are depending on Librarians. The challenge is great, but our resolve is greater.
Thank you, Librarians, and may God bless you in the years ahead.
During these past 17 months, I've greatly enjoyed providing information and resources through my annotated council packets, blogposts, and outreach activities...and I'm gratified that residents actually read them and find some value in them. I'm proud to have a librarian's mindset on City Council, and am honored to finally have the professional credentials to go with it! Now that I don't have a full-time classload weighing on me, I'm excited to have the time (and mental bandwidth!) to dig deeper into important city issues in the months ahead.
Go Badgers! Go Panthers! And Go You for reading to the end! :)