New Online Trade Union Poster Collections

On September 27, the Victoria University of Wellington Library will launch two online historical poster collections, The Dan Long Union Library Poster Collection and the Therese O'Connell Poster Collection.

From the article:

The Dan Long Union Library Poster Collection and the Therese O’Connell Poster Collection offer a unique opportunity to examine digital images of over 400 posters created during the last 50 years by trade union, protest organisations, government departments and other groups from New Zealand and overseas.

The collections include posters published by groups like the New Zealand Public Service Association, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, and International Labour Organisation, promoting the cause of trade unionism and taking positions on important issues of the day.

Regional Newspaper Archives Closing in UK

Trinity Mirror, a newspaper publisher in the UK, will be closing all regional newspaper archives and transferring their contents to a central archive in Watford. Eleven jobs will potentially be made redundant, while eight others will be created at the central archive. The National Union of Journalists has expressed their opposition to this plan.

Egyptian librarians organize

After lots of bad news in recent posts, here's something much more uplifting: over 200,000 librarians, archivists, and information workers have unionized in Egypt.  The development was a long time coming and was built on the efforts of information workers from all manner of libraries and archives as well as students in the field.  Congratulations to our comrades in Egypt and solidarity in their struggle as workers!

UAW Research Library Closed

In disheartening news, the United Auto Workers have shut down their own Research Library and its unionized staff (represented by OPEIU) have either been re-assigned or laid-off.  This is a double blow to the profession as it represents the loss of an imporant research resource and it directly relates to the union movement in its subject and governance.

All of Us or None

If you're in the Bay Area of California, be sure to check out this exhibit of special collections material at the Oakland Museum of California: All of Us or None: Social Justice Posters of the San Francisco Bay Area.

From the site:

"Celebrating the recent acquisition of the renowned All Of Us Or None (AOUON) poster collection, OMCA presents the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the poster renaissance that started in the mid-1960s as both a legitimate art form as well as a powerful tool for public debate on social justice issues. Presented as a companion exhibition to The 1968 Project, the exhibition features 50 original political posters framed and traditionally hung, in addition to over 200 posters digitally printed at size and wheat pasted to the gallery walls, a method similar to how they were originally displayed.

"This exhibition is guest curated by collection archivist and author Lincoln Cushing. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog published by Heyday Press."

Lincoln Cushing, by the way, is an active member of the PLG.  Congratulations, Lincoln!