Last updated: January 19, 2021
Introduction to the Issue:
What RAILS Is Doing:
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The RAILS Board Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee. The committee will have it's second meeting on February 18, 2021 @1:30 p.m.
The committee charge is to:- Develop a shared understanding of the nature of systemic racism and bias in libraries and library-related organizations and how to combat it
- Advise the RAILS Board and staff about appropriate equity and accountability goals to which RAILS and libraries should aspire
- Recommend ways to assess progress toward achieving those goals
The committee will also help to: identify barriers in libraries and the library field and solutions to eliminate them; develop ideas and programs to increase awareness about systemic racism and bias among member libraries, staff and boards; and facilitate system wide discussion about EDI.
- Sparks Podcast Episode 28: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- RAILS EDI Mailing List
All RAILS member library staff members interested in sharing ideas and best practices related to EDI are invited to subscribe to our EDI mailing list by visiting the Email Lists page in the Members section of the RAILS website and clicking on the Subscribe link for this mailing list. - Internal RAILS Staff EDI Initiative
RAILS is beginning to work with a consultant on an internal staff EDI initiative. We need to examine and make the necessary changes to our own culture so we can authentically work with others on equity, diversity and inclusion. We will share our experiences as they develop via this pulse page. - RAILS EDI Goals and Objectives
RAILS is currently working with our board on a document that better defines our EDI goals and objectives and includes action steps for achieving them. This document will continue to change and develop. Review Draft RAILS Responsibilities to Build a Better Society document. - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team in Youth Services (EDITY-YS)
Library staff interested in meeting with like-minded youth services library staff to discuss diversity of all kinds are invited to join this networking group.
E-Resources
BiblioBoard:
- Celebration of You and Me: a collection of always available picture books about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the BiblioBoard Library.
- Lawrence Hill Books: quality nonfiction on progressive politics, civil and human rights, feminism, and topics of interest to African Americans and other underrepresented groups.
eRead Illinois Axis 360:
- eRead Illinois Axis 360 includes a curated list of racial justice titles with numerous anti-racism bestsellers. eRead Illinois Axis 360 members can access all of the titles in the bestsellers list. The list can also be added to an eRead library's Axis 360 site. See instructions.
Library Examples:
- Glen Ellyn Launches Series of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Talks
- Antiracist Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages (Evanston Public Library)
- Anti-Racism Resources (Oak Park Public Library)
- November 2019 RAILS Fast Facts: Libraries Providing Staff Diversity & Inclusion Training
Survey/Member Feedback
- Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Activities Survey
Please submit information about your library's EDI activities.
See survey results here.
Other Resources:
American Library Association Resources
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
- ALA Statement on Institutional Racism
- ALA Condemns Police Violence
- ALA Executive Board Stands with BCALA
- ALA Executive Board Stands with APALA in Condemning Xenophobia, Racism
- Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (ALA's Public Programming Office's Great Stories Club)
- Race and Place: A Personal Account of Unequal Access by ALA Executive Director Tracie Hall (American Libraries)
- ACRL Keeping Up with Implicit Bias (Association of College & Research Libraries)
- ALSC Supporting Diverse Communities Toolkit (Association for Library Service to Children)
Illinois Library Association Resources
LibGuides and other Academic Library Resources
- State of Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services LibGuide
- University of Central Florida special catalog with metadata reflecting different diversity characteristics
- University of Nebraska Libraries LibGuide
- University of Wisconsin's Disrupting Whiteness in Libraries and Librarianship: A Reading List
General Resources
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Library's Online Catalog, June 21, 2019
- The Bias Hiding in your Library, March 20, 2019
- Combating Racism in Libraries: Creating Spaces to Educate and Inform Our Communities, New York Library Association webinar series
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit from the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce
- Race Forward – Race Forward works with communities, organizations, and sectors to build strategies to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture.
- South Carolina State Library Collection Development Resources
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Comments
Becky Spratford replied on Permalink
Here is a great resource from NYLA: https://www.nyla.org/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=309...
After each presentation they will post the videos for free. All areas of public librarianship.