Collective Responsibility Labor Advocacy Toolkit

The Collective Responsibility Labor Advocacy Toolkit collects resources developed to document and change the landscape of contingent labor in Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAM). Read the Guiding Principles and learn more about who we are.

Talking About Contingency at Work

Talking About Contingency at Work is a set of scenarios for talking about contingent and precarious labor at work in libraries, archives, museums, and beyond. It started as a breakout group task at the second forum. Our main guiding principle is solidarity with and among contingent and precarious workers, recognizing that even “permanent” workers occupy the spectrum of contingency and precarity.

COVID-19 Emergency Resources

Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the economic disparity of our gutted social system and precarious structures. This collection of resources includes emergency funds, mutual aid networks, and additional resources to assist those who have lost jobs or income as a result of the pandemic.

Organizing Resources

The Secrets of a Successful Organizer website includes digital handouts which anyone can use. While these tools are directed toward unionization, handouts such as “Make a Chart, Too” can be used to organize for other goals. Note: record personal contact information vs. workplace contact information whenever possible.

Collective Equity Handbook

The outcome of the second Collective Responsibility forum meeting, Collective Equity: A Handbook for Designing and Evaluating Grant-Funded Positions is intended to shape the language and practice around the development and review of positions created through grant funding. Read it on this website or or download as a PDF.

Collective Responsibility White Paper

Our white paper, Collective Responsibility: Seeking Equity for Contingent Labor in Libraries, Archives, and Museums (PDF) was produced as one of the outcomes of the first Collective Responsibility forum meeting. In it, we describe our methodology for centering contingent worker experiences, share the results of our survey on the experience of contingent laborers in positions created through grant-funding, delve into themes and responsibilities which arose from the forum, and develop outcomes and next steps for the work of the Collective Responsibility project.

Do Better, -Love(,) Us

“Do Better” -Love(,) Us: Guidelines for Developing and Supporting Grant-Funded Positions in Digital Libraries, Archives, and Museums is a set of guidelines for granting agencies, grant writers, and grant reviewers supporting the ethical creation of contingent positions in digital library work. Created by members of the DLF Labor Working Group and informed by feedback from the Collective Responsibility forum.