Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

Though many library staffers receive physical first aid and CPR training, mental health first aid training happens far less often. However, it can defuse tense situations, provide needed resources, and help patrons through crises.

Accessibility.com provides resources related to digital accessibility for websites, mobile applications, kiosks, documents, and more.

If a disability is invisible, people may be reluctant to request support in the workplace. Find out how your business can be more accommodating here.

Texas courts generally look to federal courts’ interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws to assist in interpreting the anti-discrimination provisions of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). However, the provisions of the TCHRA do not always exactly mirror the language of parallel federal anti-discrimination laws. The Texas Supreme Court recently examined such differences in interpreting the scope of the anti-retaliation provisions of the TCHRA.

In a story that went viral, an employer recently learned an expensive lesson after allegedly ignoring a worker's anxiety disorder.

The Vera Institute for Justice in New York City has five tip sheets for " Designing Accessible Events for People with Disabilities and Deaf...

An online resource for legal professionals, continuing legal education courses, law schools, students and others dedicated to protecting the rights of people with developmental disabilities.

Voters in Jamestown Township decide in November whether to fund the community’s only library.

On March 25, word started to spread on Twitter that a multitude of LGBTQ books—many of them by debut authors—were inexplicably missing from Target’s website, despite a number of the titles having previously been listed for pre-order.

Arizona state senators gave preliminary approval to a measure directing the Department of Education to come up with a list of books to ban in public schools.

Supporters say Senate Bill 5 is meant to protect children. Opponents ask, which children?

Taapwaywin is a new series hosted by Ry Moran on truth before reconciliation and it harnesses the power of podcasting as an important and vital way of sharing knowledge beyond classrooms and campus.

Beyond revamping misleading terminology, some library science scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders are looking at how to index library materials in ways that reflect Indigenous knowledge.

Two years after banning the use of public funds for so-called “critical race theory,” a Queen Creek Republican lawmaker is now going after programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.SB 1694 would make the use of public funds for such programs illegal. That covers not just state and local governments but also universities and community colleges.Also forbidden under the proposal by Sen. Jake Hoffman would be requiring workers for any of these entities to participate.

By: Lourdes Pereira

Gender Transition and Transgender Inclusion in the Museum Workplace: A Toolkit for Trans Individuals, Institutions, and Coworkers is the result of three teams of trans and allied museum professionals working across the country to create resources that are approachable even to those without any prior knowledge about the trans community. The Toolkit comes at a time when the transgender community is constantly under attack. The education and knowledge it provides can create a path for those interested in becoming allies and can foster a more inclusive atmosphere within the museum field. We hope that the Toolkit will prove useful to those who are transitioning or those who wish to improve the diversity and inclusion policies around them.

Institutional Assessment Worksheet Take a Closer Look: How Inclusive Is Your Library to Transgender and Non Binary Folks? Your Library Challenges for transgender folks Possibilities for change Policies -What do nondiscrimination policies include? -What do harassment and disruptions pol...

Trans people often experience stigma and discrimination, hostility from others, and pressure to “manage” their identities in social settings, including the workplace. These experiences can set in motion a host of psychological responses that have devastating consequences for trans individuals’ job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and emotional well-being. Despite growing public awareness of the struggles that trans individuals often face, many employers remain ill-equipped to create policies and workplace cultures that support their trans employees. Fortunately, a growing body of research suggests how they can more effectively attract, retain, and promote the health and success of these workers. Interviews with and surveys of more than 1,000 trans people over the past six years reveal four key areas of intervention that can cultivate a more trans-inclusive workplace: (1) basic signs of trans inclusivity involving bathroom use, dress codes, and pronouns; (2) effective support for gender transitions; (3) trans-specific diversity trainings; and (4) interventions to build resiliency.

The Trans and Gender Diverse LIS Network is an informal community of trans and gender diverse people who work in libraries. At the moment it consists of Slack and Discord spaces where members can share experiences and get feedback. The group was started in 2017 as a way for trans and gender diverse library workers to connect, as many of us are the only people of our identity in our workplace. If you are a library worker or LIS student who identifies as trans or gender diverse (including but not limited to binary trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, and more), fill out this form for an invitation to the group.

IntroductionThe topic of this paper was literally dropped in my lap-or rather my inbox-in the form of a series of questions from a fellow student in my Information Science Master's program ethics course at the University of Wisconsin. My colleague, hoping in all earnestness to understand why organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA)-a group I had mentioned in an earlier class discussion-are "necessary" in the professional world of infor- mation science and librarianship, turned to me for answers. She did this, I was happy to realize, because she recognized my willingness to openly discuss the subject; but perhaps she also turned to me because I was the only self-identified GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender) member of our class of some 30 graduate and undergraduate students. The latter fact, in and of itself, speaks to how far, even in 2004, gays and lesbians have yet to come in our ability to fearlessly proclaim to others our di∂erence! Her questions to me included the following:...MLA [Medical Library Association] has a Gay and Lesbian Caucus and you say ALA has a round table. I have often wondered why. I am at a loss to understand why those kinds of groups are necessary. Do a person's private sexual practices or orientation come up at work? (I never noticed this in any of my jobs-but perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.) Are gays and lesbians feeling threatened at work? If so, then the groups would make sense to have. ... I think everyone should be able to have whatever orientation they want and it should not be an issue at work or school or in the community- so I just do not understand this. I hope you help me understand the need for these groups."The exchange that resulted from this honest, if perhaps troublingly naive, query served, in part, to remind me of the many ethical questions, not to mention professional and personal dilemmas, which a∂ect GLBT librarians each and every day as they strive to both live their lives and do their work as fully and as openly as is possible and/or prudent given the particular societal, local, and institutional circumstances in which they find themselves. By examining several of the questions posed to me by my colleague, I will, in this paper, consider some of those ethical issues, professional dilemmas, and attendant impacts as they relate to the following:* Are groups such as GLBTRT necessary?* What purpose(s) do such groups serve?* Is sexual orientation an issue in the library workplace?* Should orientation even be an issue in the workplace?* Are GLBT persons feeling "threatened" at work?* What should libraries do with regard to GLBT employees and issues?The Past Is Prologue?In a September i992 editor's note in American Libraries, then-editor Thomas Gaughan reflected on the backlash of librarian reaction and complaints surrounding publication of a photograph (see p. 45), of the ALA "Gay and Lesbian Task Force" marching in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, which appeared on the cover of the July/August issue of American Libraries-an episode in our professional history that I will examine in more detail below. He acknowledged a sadly-learned lesson: that even among allegedly "tolerant" and politically-correct librarians and library supporters, homophobia, the fear and hatred of homosexuals, was alive and vociferously apparent, and that it was, in e∂ect, "the last socially acceptable prejudice" (Gaughan, i992). Unfortunately, more than a decade later, this prejudice remains, to a far too significant extent, socially acceptable to many Americans. One need only recall, for example, the recent rise in anti-gay and homophobic speech surrounding the debate over gay marriage. In 2ist-century America, homophobia continues to survive and to play itself out in our culture and institutions-as it does, every day, in a variety of guises, in many of our i06,000-plus public, academic, and school libraries. …

Senate Bill 81 would open the door to criminal liability for the distribution of “obscene” content by school and public libraries.

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DEI Consulting Practice brings the LGBTQ+ Bar's unique expertise to your law firm, law school, or company in order to help you foster a most supportive, welcoming, and knowledgeable LGBTQ+-inclusive environment.