With Senate Bill 5 and Occupy Wall Street taking over Ohio’s media, labor history became the chosen theme for Alden Library’s Culture Showcase Series this quarter.
Tim Smith, reference librarian and member of Alden’s diversity committee, helped arrange this quarter’s two events based on labor movement connections to Southeast Ohio. Smith will speak today at 2 p.m. in the Friends of the Libraries Room on Alden’s third floor.
“(The committee) looks for something that might be of current interest, and in this case, we figured it would be interesting to have the fall theme based on labor and its history because of Senate Bill 5 in this state,” said Eileen Theodore-Shusta, chair of the diversity committee.
Ron Luce, executive director of the Athens County Historical Society and Museum, began the talk on labor history last month. He presented “From Coal Mines to National Unions: Southeastern Ohio's Role in the Labor Movement.”
Smith said he plans to continue the discussion and cover what led to the rise of the Industrial Workers of the World — or “Wobblies” — and the main principles and events in the history of the organization.
Although the Wobblies were never as big as unions such as the AFL-CIO, which was established in Southeast Ohio, there are still about 5,000 active members, Smith said.
“Wobblies were both a labor union and wanted to be a revolutionary movement,” he said.
Smith said he gained interested in the topic 30 years ago after the death of singer Utah Phillips, who was an IWW activist and described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action in his music.
“I think it will be interesting to the community and those who have interest in learning more about the background of labor history here in Southeast Ohio,” Theodore-Shusta said.
The University Libraries Diversity Committee’s Culture Showcase Series was created in 2008 with the intent of covering relevant issues that are normally ignored, she said.
“We look for people with expertise or interest on a topic, and it’s normally an even split between faculty on campus and people in the community,” she said.
After each event, attendees are asked to do evaluations and provide suggestions for future presentations and themes.
“We typically give speakers a broad topic and let them choose how to approach,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy and work on a lot of peoples’ part to plan these presentations.”
This is the first time Smith will be speaking on the topic. He has taken a long-term amateur interest in the Wobblies, he said.
“I have no expectations,” Smith said. “I’m just sharing something … that’s typically not taught in school.”
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