Draft Resolution/Petition on the Destruction of the Cultural Resources of Iraq
The following is a draft resolution by Michael Gorman and S. Michael Malinconico which will be placed before ALA Council at the 2003 annual conference of ALA. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the American Library Association.
WHEREAS, The US-British invasion of Iraq and overthrow of the Iraqi government created a state of violence and loss of civil order throughout that country, the cradle of civilization and a place of great historic, archaeological, and religious significance, AND
WHEREAS, those conditions resulted in, among other things, the arson, looting, and destruction of the National Library and Archives, in central Baghdad, causing the whole building to be gutted and its priceless and irreplaceable collections to be destroyed, AND
WHEREAS, a nearby Islamic library has also gone in up in flames destroying valuable literature including one of the oldest surviving copies of the Koran, AND
WHEREAS, the priceless collections of ancient artifacts (including some of the earliest known writings) held by the National Museum of Iraq were likewise looted or vandalized, AND
WHEREAS, the US military authorities were warned by scholars (well in advance of the military action) of the need to protect such cultural treasures AND
WHEREAS, the occupying US troops were in a position to prevent this cultural catastrophe, as they did in the case of the Iraqi Defense, Oil, and Interior Ministry buildings, but failed to do so,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the ALA Council expresses its deep sadness and disappointment in the failure of the US government and military forces to act to protect the precious cultural resources of Iraq, AND
BE IT RESOLVED that the ALA Council urge the US government to recognize that an occupying power is obliged, in all instances, to act to prevent such cultural catastrophes, and, further, that the US government should ratify and comply with The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, AND
BE IT RESOLVED that the ALA Council urges the US government to work with, and fund, UNICEF and other international bodies to do their best to remedy this catastrophic loss to the cultural record of humanity.
1. Michael Gorman ALA Councilor at Large 2. S. Michael Malinconico ALA Councilor at Large 3. Fiona Bradley Librarian Sydney, Australia 4. Alison M. Lewis ALA, SRRT, PLG Philadelphia, PA 5. Al Kagan SRRT Councilor 6. Mark Rosenzweig ALA Councilor at Large 7. Jenna Freedman ALA Councilor at Large 8. Stephen Carney Librarian Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 9. Stuart Spore NYU Medical Library New York City 10. Steven R. Harris University of Tennessee 11. Tiffani Conner ALA, SRRT, IFRT, PLG, NMRT Knoxville, TN 12. Celeste Tibbets ALA/SRRT Decatur, GA 13. Katia Roberto Carbondale, IL 14. Deborah A. Richards Archivist Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA (former ALA member) 15. Lisa Forslund Buffalo, MN MLIS Student College of St Catherine, St. Paul, MN 16. Kira Barnes ALA, ALCTS, ACRL Lincoln, NE 17. Jeanne Lauber Maryland Library Association Baltimore, MD 18. Peter Gunther Progressive Archivists, PLG (Non-ALA) Chicago, IL 19. Lynn Thitchener Reference Assistant (paraprofessional) Library School Student Cornell University Library Ithaca, New York 20. Melissa Morrone Librarian Brooklyn, NY 21. James Madigan Oak Park Public Library Oak Park, IL 22. Katharine Phenix ALA, SRRT, PLG 23. Jennifer A. Ferro Librarian Gilroy, California 24. Kathleen de la Peņa McCook USF SLIS (not speaking for) Tampa, Florida 25. Amy Booth Raff ALA Member #0222918 Tillson, NY 26. Nancy Fredericks Librarian Port Richey, Florida 27. Nancy Fredericks Librarian Port Richey, Florida 28. Jonathan Betz-Zall ALA member Everett, Washington 29. Arthur S.Kirschenbaum Sno-Isle Regional Library Marysville, Washington (Trustee) 30. Clare Murphy Pierce County Library System WA state 31. Carol D. Sinclair King County Library System Issaquah, WA 32. Lorelei Sterling Librarian Seattle, WA 33. Jane Cothron ALA, ALCTS personal member Newport, Oregon 34. Jim Kuhn ALA, IFRT, SRRT, PLG Takoma Park, MD 35. Catherine M. Given Queens College Flushing, New York 36. Tarnel Abbott Librarian Richmond California 37. Samuel Trosow University of Western Ontario Faculty of Information & Media Studies / Faculty of Law 38. Rhonda Smith Lake-Sumter Community College Leesburg, FL 39. Rekesha Spellman University of Pittsburgh, Student ALA Pittsburgh, PA 40. Emily W. Edwards Librarian (ALA member) East County Regional Library Lehigh Acres, Fl 41. Mark Hudson ALA, SRRT, PLG University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA 42. William Shakalis GSLIS student Simmons College Boston MA 43. Terry Nordbrock Librarian, Tucson, AZ non-ALA member 44. David Roycroft Student, Graduate School of Library and Information Science Simmons College, Boston 45. Jean Andrews University of South Florida Library Science graduate student 46. Jennifer Hart Cambridge, Ma 47. Elizabeth Xavier ALA Student Member 48. Brenda Joyce Patterson Fine Arts Librarian, ALA Lakeland, Florida 49. Jenny Smilovitz Aspiring Archivist / Librarian Somerville,MA 50. Doris Phelan Smart Faculty Librarian Edmonds Community College Lynnwood, WA 98036 51. Diedre Conkling ALA Councilor at Large 52. Martha A. Penzer Simmons College M.A. candidate, Library and Information Science 53. Martha A. Penzer Simmons College, M.A. candidate Library and Information Science 54. Athalie Kirschenbaum Edmonds Library Friends Sno-Isle Reg Lib Sys Edmonds, WA 98020 ALA member, WLA 55. Roberta Frye Librarian Los Angeles Public Library 56. Patrick W Haggarty Oakland (CA)Public Library 57. Georgann Funke Student and employee Graduate School of Library Sciences Simmons College Boston, MA 58. Judith Rockwell ALA,IFRT,PLA Elkhorn,WI 59. Maximilian Fleischman Library Assistant Massachusetts Institute of Technology 60. Julia Petipas student, Simmons GSLIS Boston, MA 61. Carrie Dye Librarian Olympia, WA 62. Miranda Smith Simmons College Boston, Massachusetts 63. John Buschman Acting Dean Rider University Libraries 64. Dorothy Warner Associate Professor - Librarian Rider University Library 65. Liz Gray AASL Board Member Wellesley, MA 66. Tom Twiss Government Information Librarian University of Pittsburgh 67. Carmine J. Bell Florida Library Assn Univ of South Florida School of LIS, Tampa 68. Sherry Durren Librarian, Georgia Perimeter College Clarkston, GA 69. Mary Engle University of California 70. Elena Bianco Shoreline Community College Library Shoreline, WA 71, Melissa A. Culp Concerned Student of Pasco Hernando Community College, Florida 72. Ann Sparanese ALA Councilor at Large Englewood, NJ 73. Shannon Sheppard Director Holt Labor Library San Francisco, CA 74. Sheila Reardon Spalding Archives Technician The Mary Baker Eddy Library Boston, MA 75. Lynn Marsh Medical Librarian Redwood City, Ca 76. Walt Kloefkorn WLA Trustee- Stevens County Rural Library Dist., Wash 77. Rory Litwin Librarian Sacramento, California 78. John Wylder School of Library and Information Science University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 79. Heather Smith Reference Librarian (ALA, ACRL member) Oberlin, Ohio 80. Jessica Grim Instruction Coordinator (ALA, ACRL member) Oberlin OH 81. Dawn M. Grattino ALA, SRRT, IFRT Librarian-Cleveland Public Library Cleveland, Ohio 82. Kate Connolly Librarian Richmond, CA 83. Brian Hasenstab Carbondale, IL 84. Catherine Lord Librarian SeaTac, Washington 85. Adriana Edwards-Johnson Member: ALA & ACRL Librarian Edmond, OK 86. Anthony Auston Librarian Chicago, IL 87. Virginia Wolter Toledo (OH)-Lucas County Public Library 88. Jim Dwyer Bibliographic Services Librarian CSU-Chico, Chico, CA 89. Julie Herrada ALA/SRRT University of Michigan< 90. Wendy Diamond California State University, Chico 91. Carolyn Caywood Member ALA & FTRF Virginia Beach, Virginia 92. Amanda Etches-Johnson Librarian Toronto, Canada 93. Melinda Brown ALA, ACRL, GLBTRT Nashville, TN 94, Judy Din Washington, D.C. 95. Kelly Hovendick Librarian Syracuse, NY 96. Christian Dupont Librarian, ALA/RBMS Syracuse, NY 97. Michael Pasqualoni Reference Librarian Syracuse University Library 98. Elizabeth Wallace Librarian Syracuse, NY 99. Adina Mulliken Librarian Syracuse University 100. Judy Din Washington, D.C. 101. Smyth Lai M.S.L.S. Student UNC-CH Chapel Hill, NC 102. Elaine Coppola Librarian Syracuse, NY 103. Charles F. Tremper Librarian Syracuse University 104. Peter S. Graham University Librarian Syracuse University ALA member 105. Tasha Cooper ALA member/Librarian Syracuse, NY 106. Sarah Regan Librarian Winchester, MA 107. Garrett I Lambrev Librarian Oakland, CA