Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility @ UToledo Libraries: For Library Employees

The U.S. and the world are currently facing the challenge of misinformation, disinformation and fake news in a way that is truly endangering the future of democracies and of humanity itself. As trusted information sources, librarians have a responsibility to confront this challenge. We need to help the public not only with distinguishing among misinformation, disinformation and facts but also with learning the basic tools and processes of critical thinking to analyze local, national and international events.
Whether it is climate change or immigration, the war in Ukraine or the protests in Iran, there are current world events that the public is hungry to hear discussed in a coherent, thoughtful, informative, analytical manner, rather than through sound bites or quick tidbits on the news interrupted by commercials.
Guided by PEN America's media literacy guidelines, each session of this series will focus on a particular news topic by discussing two articles from highly reputable and credible sources such as The New York Times, The Economist, The Guardian as well as smaller news sources such as Truthout and ProPublica. Facts and events will be examined within the historical and global context in which they take place. They will also be examined from the vantage point of diversity, inclusion and social justice. Our goal is to promote global awareness and to facilitate a truly educational, fruitful and civil discussion on a regular basis. We are also aiming to discuss creative solutions to problems.
When: Two Saturdays each month, for 1 hour
Who: Open to library staff and their patrons! Organized and facilitated by members of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table's Programming Committee

Coming Up Next: Abortion and Reproductive Rights
When: Oct. 28, 2023, 2 PM Eastern - Register
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to abortion that U.S. women had gained after the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. What changes have taken place in the U.S. in terms of laws and public opinion and activism since then? What is the state of access to abortion and reproductive rights? What is the state of reproductive health? What are the debates among reproductive rights activists about the vision and future of this struggle?
Please be sure to check out these two articles for background information. Even if you do not finish reading them, please join us anyway!
• Kate Zernike. "How A Year Without Roe Shifted American Views on Abortion." New York Times. June 24, 2023
o Read online
o Printable PDF
• Emily Badger et al., "States with Abortion Bans Are Among Least Supportive for Mothers and Children." New York Times. July 30, 2022
o Read online
o Printable PDF

How: Join us via Zoom - specific dates and registration links below

A YouTube video of the Webinar

Webinar information (June 15, 2022)
During the spring 2021 semester, librarians and instructional designers at W Frank Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University facilitated a series of focused conversations with library personnel centered on introducing ideas of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (IDEA) related to different workflows and functions in our library (collections, hiring/leadership, customer service, and teaching). At the conclusion of the conversation series, a list of actionable items was generated and shared with the entire library. Presenters will describe their experience, as four white women, facilitating these conversations, including their challenges and share best practices for creating safe spaces for meaningful discussion. Presenters will discuss next steps and how we are turning these conversations into actionable and measurable library wide projects. The program will conclude with a brief discussion on initiating these challenging, but crucial conversations when your organization has historically lacked diversity.

Speakers: Andrea Brooks (Northern Kentucky University); Stephanie Korslund
(University of Cincinnati); Georgia Knuehl
(Northern Kentucky University); Crissy Ross
(Cincinnati State Technical and Community College)

Libraries strive to serve their communities with important services and programs, and they also contributed to our nation’s history of creating racial inequity by enforcing racialized laws. Although racial discrimination is illegal, many long-held library practices perpetuate racialized outcomes and maintain libraries as white spaces—often unintentionally.

This webinar, presented by the Race Forward Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), presented an overview of concepts and approaches libraries are using to reduce racial barriers in their work. Case examples from “Advancing Racial Equity in Public Libraries: Case Studies from the Field” shed light on ways that focusing on racial barriers is yielding improved service for all patrons and staff.

Originally presented October 10, 2018.

Kymberlee Powe, Children and YA Consultant for the Connecticut State Library Division of Library Development, dives into the makeup of the publishing industry. You will learn how to identify the difference between a diverse collection and an inclusive one, and walk through the logistics of performing a diversity audit of your collection. The examples and resources provided in this session will focus on youth collections; however, the methodology of performing a diversity audit, and the reasons to do so, are universal to all collections.

This presentation is brought to you by the Connecticut State Library, in collaboration with the Indiana State Library, the Library of Michigan, and the State Library of Ohio.