Explore the fundamentals of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and how to work in solidarity with all members of your library community.

In our new online course starting April 26, Equity in Action: Solidarity in Social Justice, you will learn the fundamentals of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and how to work in solidarity with all members of your library community -- including BIPOC, the disability community, the queer community, the undocumented and underserved.

Developed and led by experts in the field, this three-week program includes live sessions on Tuesday, April 26, May 3 and May 10, from 2:00-4:00 pm ET with an asynchronous, facilitator-led workshop in which you’ll define and complete a project that inspires action in your community.

We’re excited for you to learn from our guest speakers. Discover what it means to make your library a safe space, with Emily Knox, Associate Professor and Director of Programs at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Hear from Stephen G. Krueger, Scholarly Publishing Librarian at Dartmouth College, on including trans and gender inclusion in your work. And many more! See full program below.

Can’t make a live session? No worries!

All sessions will be recorded for on-demand viewing.

You’ll also have access to our foundational bonus content—rich supporting materials you can explore at your own pace, including readings, activities, videos and a series of webinars—from Library Journal and School Library Journal editors and contributors.

Register today with the Advance Rate

Contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co for discounted rates on groups of 3 or more!

We thank the following course advisors
who have helped shape the program and course work

Michelle Khưu, Experiential Learning Specialist at Skokie Public Library

Christina Fuller-Gregory, Assistant Director of Libraries, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville

Kiera Parrott, Director of Darien Library, CT

Program

Week 1: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Librarianship Rooted in Anti-Oppression and Inclusion

Building truly inclusive library spaces requires us to act in solidarity and invest in anti-oppression work. In this session, you’ll learn how to put a personal stake in your engagement with social justice issues by exploring what allyship looks like in the library context, as well what it means to focus on social justice as a cornerstone of a library culture. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of where information literacy and anti-oppression work converge, and how you can engage in this work from within your sphere of influence. We’ll also discuss emotional labor and understanding the toll of this work for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled librarians.

Speaker:

CJ Ivory, Assistant Professor & Instruction Librarian at University of West Georgia

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Dismantling White Supremacy Culture in the Library

Working to counter the harm caused by centuries of white supremacist ideology requires both the understanding of how white supremacy shows up in libraries, and an action-based commitment to shift from a more individualized change-based approach to a more systemic focus. In this session, you’ll learn how white supremacy is baked into our institutions and how it manifests on individual and systemic levels. In addition to learning how to identify explicit and implicit work-based racism and identify white supremacy, you will come away with a greater understanding of how this practice impacts libraries (public, school, and academic libraries) and the steps needed to dismantle this practice.

Speaker:

Karla J. Strand DPhil, MLIS, Gender and Women's Studies Librarian, Univ. of Wisconsin

Week 2: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

How to Handle Microaggressions in the Library and Workplace

Microaggressions often fly under the radar in workplaces and are therefore insidious in addition to being incredibly damaging. Left unaddressed, microaggressions can negatively impact organizational culture. Learning to spot microaggressions when they happen and address them proactively so that you can promote safety for patrons and staff is a key component of building solidarity with everyone in your library community – both internally and externally. In this session, you’ll learn what microaggressions are, how to identify them, and how to respond, so you’re prepared when they happen and can advocate for yourself and others within your community.

Speaker:

Alessandra Otero-Ramos, Arts and Humanities Librarian at SUNY Geneseo

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Aligning Accessibility and Inclusion

Learn how to advocate for disability justice at your library in this session. You’ll learn how to align your physical spaces and accessibility level with your commitment to inclusion and solidarity, and ensure that accessibility is a priority, not an afterthought. (This may include details that are not as obvious, like scents, lighting, stimming, sensory overwhelm, and seating to accommodate a range of bodies.) You’ll learn about short- and long-term changes you can make to improve accessibility at your institution, and ensure equitable services and access to members of your community and coworkers who have disabilities, both visible and invisible.

Speaker:

Clayton A. Copeland, Ph.D., Professor University of South Carolina

Week 3: Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Free Speech, the Myth of Neutrality, and Libraries as Intended Safe Spaces

What does an inclusive library look like? Does providing access to information include access to information that may be harmful such as hate speech or disinformation? What does it mean for a library to be a safe space? Is it possible for libraries to maintain neutrality in the face of oppression? In this session, we’ll discuss how to deal with real world manifestations of these important ideological questions. You’ll learn how to address these concerns when – and before – they come up, lead a conversation with fellow staff, and communicate your library’s stance to your community so that you’re thoughtful and clear about your stance while working to maintain solidarity.

Speaker:

Emily Knox, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Trans Inclusion in Library Work

Trans and gender diverse people are part of every aspect of libraries, from patrons to employees to students to volunteers. However, ignorance and bigotry around gender diversity remains prevalent, which means that library workers need to actively self-educate and take intentional steps to create safe and welcoming spaces for people of all genders. In this session, you will start by learning about why gender inclusion is an essential component of all library work. An overview of what this looks like in practice will be supported by specific examples from many different aspects of libraries. Finally, you will be guided through tools and resources that will enable you to continue your education and meaningfully incorporate gender inclusion into your own position.

Speaker:

Session 3 | 3:45-4:15 pm ET

How to Be a Driving Force for Change

Angela Davis famously said that “in a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.” Similarly, in the face of oppression, we must be anti-oppressive. And that means active solidarity that moves beyond performative measures to truly authentic advocacy and engagement. In this closing session, we’ll discuss how you can move beyond a personal understanding of the importance of equity and inclusion to a professional commitment to them, synthesizing what you’ve learned over the last three weeks into a professional statement and mission of allyship. You’ll hear ideas for how to move the needle within your larger organization, regardless of your role, and shift the culture of your workplace through your consistent and transparent actions toward equity.

Speaker: To be announced soon

Register today with the Advance Rate

Contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co for discounted rates on groups of 3 or more!