The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is saddened and horrified by the tragic murder of 49 people and the wounding of dozens of others in a shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Most of the victims were Latinx members of the LGBTQ community, for whom gay nightclubs like Pulse served as vital sanctuaries—safe havens from a society still subject to homophobia and racism.
The Association and its member libraries remain committed to likewise providing safe and inclusive spaces to all members of our communities, while also working—via education, policy, and advocacy—to reduce oppression and promote equality and social justice in and through our libraries.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at https://www.arl.org/.
