Hi all,

An academic librarian originally from Winnipeg contacted me about possibly presenting, with the draft abstract below, and wanted to know if we might

be interested in receiving such a proposal. Any thoughts?

Cheers,

David

Libraries, Labour, and the Strike.

The library, whether public or academic, can be a site of public engagement, but only if it recognizes its position between the public and the institutions of the state. Embedded within municipalities, including the City of Winnipeg, and institutions of higher learning, like the Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, but in many ways independent of both, libraries have the power and capacity to provide access to historical content and the context in which to understand that content. But libraries can only be successful at this if they give up the myth of neutrality, and take a committed, principled stand on class, workers’ history, and lived experience. This presentation will outline some of the opportunities and challenges to libraries in the specific context of the Winnipeg General Strike.

David Camfield

Associate Professor of Labour Studies & Sociology

116 Isbister Building

183 Dafoe Road

University of Manitoba

Winnipeg

Manitoba

R3T 2N2

phone: 204-474-9117

fax: 204-474-7869