New librarians network in solidarity with Palestine launches

A new network of information workers in solidarity with Palestine has been launched on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP), a group that emerged from a 2013 delegation to Palestine of information workers from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Trinidad & Tobago, announced the new website, network, and updated name, on June 5. In doing so, LAP declared its commitment “to ongoing work on projects of solidarity in support of Palestinian libraries and archives”.

The new site, librarianswithpalestine.org, offers visitors information about research and cultural organisations visited by the group in 2013, as well as offering the opportunity for global information workers to become a member and contribute to solidarity projects. Since the 2013 visit, the librarians and archivists have presented and discussed their experiences in Palestine “in local activist spaces, at scholarly conferences, and in publications”.