UMass Libraries Stand With Ukraine
UMass Amherst Libraries, as a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), affirms the statement issued earlier today by ARL that reads in part:
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We stand with and in support of our professional colleagues in Ukraine and with all caught in the humanitarian crisis and military action—and with their family and friends.
The full statement may be read at this link.
At this time there are discussions occurring across the university to identify ways we may provide support for community members affected by this tragedy; it is my intention that the Libraries be part of that discussion, as we have significant resources available to further research, expand scholarship, drive thought leadership, and deepen personal understanding of the social, political, and cultural costs of this war.
I also want to recognize that this is a complex situation, and that while we support the Ukrainian people’s sovereignty and rights as members of the international community and condemn the unprovoked military action that is causing death and destruction on a scale unseen in Europe for decades, we are not ignoring the effects this war has had on people of color attempting to flee Ukraine and experiencing discrimination as they try to find safe passage out of the warzone. Our thoughts are unequivocally with all those affected by this violence.
In a show of support for and solidarity with the embattled people of Ukraine, the campus has asked Physical Plant to install blue and yellow lights on the 26th Floor of the Du Bois tower for the next week, in a similar fashion to those that we lit for health care workers in the early days of the pandemic.
In solidarietate,
Sarah Hutton
Interim Dean of Libraries