Over the past several years, public, state, academic, and law libraries have increasingly sought to serve people in prison through a variety of services. Now, with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Ithaka S+R is undertaking a planning project that will set the stage for future partnerships to develop and pilot wrap-around library services to meet the information needs of people who are currently incarcerated.
Intentional integration of diversity ideals in academic libraries: A literature review
Diversity is a cornerstone of the library profession and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has recently announced a renewed emp…
Letter of Concern to FBI Regarding Threats of Violence in Libraries
During the Summer and Fall of 2022, threats directed to public and school libraries and library workers escalated, including the forced temporary closure of five public library systems due to bomb and shooting threats. On September 27, the executive board of the American Library Association (ALA) transmitted a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray expressing concerns about the threats directed to public and school libraries and library workers.
Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice
ACRL announces the publication of Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice, edited by CJ Ivory and Angela Pashia, which explores the opportunities and challenges of moving the discussion about open educational resources (OER) beyond affordability to address structural inequities fo
Here are the finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards
Three of the five finalists for fiction have been nominated for their debut novels, while all five finalists for young people's literature are being honored for the first time.
Welcome Back! The law library is developing a collection of materials we are calling the Antiracist Collection. The items in this collection include cross-disciplinary resources in addition to boo…
Voice of Witness (VOW) is an oral history nonprofit that advances human rights by amplifying the voices of people impacted by—and fighting against—injustice.
VOW’s work is driven by the transformative power of the story, and by a strong belief that social justice cannot be achieved without deep listening and learning from those marginalized by systems of oppression. Through our programming, we work with communities to ensure that:
voices of marginalized and silenced communities are centered in narrative contexts (education, media, movements, and policymaking);
students and communities have the tools and training to tell their own stories through oral history;
storytelling practitioners and institutions use ethics-driven methodologies to gather narratives.
The VOW Book Series depicts human rights issues through the edited oral histories of people, VOW narrators, who are most deeply impacted and at the heart of solutions to address injustice. The series explores issues of race-, gender-, and class-based inequity through the lenses of personal narrative.
The VOW Education Program brings unheard stories and our ethical oral history methodology to classrooms and organizations across the US, connecting students, educators, and advocates with training and tools for storytelling in order to advance social change.
Through our partnerships and consulting, VOW offers expert storytelling and program support to nonprofits, activists, schools, foundations, and more. These customized projects and workshops use VOW’s award-winning approach to promote empathy, build relationships, and amplify community voices.
Public Library Association (PLA) releases refresh of strategic goals, positioning Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice (EDISJ) at center
CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) Strategic Plan 2022—2026 is now available on the PLA website, following its unanimous approval by the PLA Board of Directors in June 2022. Informed by member surveys, member and partner interviews, and PLA leadership and staff engagements, the PLA strategic plan centers Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (EDISJ) and expands PLA’s role as a platform for innovation and amplifier for sharing public library community impacts. The PLA Board of Directors began the process of updating the strategic plan in 2021.
As AALL and RIPS committee work ramps up again this fall, the RIPS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force is off and running. Not familiar with the Task Force? Let me get you up to …
This collection of resources is designed to be of use both to new collection development librarians as well as those … "Collection Development Resources on the Web"
To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People
The enemy of well-intentioned DEI initiatives is backlash — and not just from people from privileged groups. Backlash from all directions is often due to DEI initiatives being framed as solutions to individual problems to be fixed rather than to correct for systemic issues at play in an organization. To reframe the conversation the author recommends five steps to implement in your DEI strategy: 1) Collect data to diagnose specific inequities in your organization, 2) communicate about initiatives using a systems-focused framing, 3) as change-making efforts begin, appeal to “fairness,” 4) clearly lay out expectations for change alongside resources and support, 5) sustain momentum by affirming effort and celebrating wins.
Every Library Card a Miracle: Rural and Small-Town Libraries Are a Boon to Society | The Daily Yonder
Libraries do a lot of the heavy lifting for society. They not only circulate books, but also provide crucial Internet access for job seekers and students
It’s Time to Repeal the ABA’s Law School Testing Mandate
Law schools should be free to individualize admission criteria, argue two law school deans, a chancellor, and a law professor. They call on the ABA to repeal the requirement that applicants for J.D. programs submit standardized test scores for admission.
Using data from the Access to Higher Education Survey, a nationally representative sample of adults ages 18 to 40, researchers from the Williams Institute in collaboration with the Point Foundation examine the school experiences and higher education environments of LGBTQ people of color.
Racial Justice Resources - Social Justice Film Institute
In response to protests around the country and around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police we at the Social Justice Film Institute feel it important to honor the social justice moment we're living in right now.
This document is intended to share films and reading inspired by the mission of social justice and racial equity and resources to donate in aid of those fighting for black lives and protesting police brutality.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
The Social Justice Film Festival stands in solidarity with black communities and with organizers and protestors demanding justice and equity across the nation. We are committed to a global culture where it is not just equality but equity that is achieved on all levels. We will work to affirm the artists who make the art of filmmaking and the public bearing witness from our personal lens and from the streets an integral part of social change.
Justice Matters. Black Lives Matter.
By Mikayla Redden I hadn’t been in graduate school more than a month when I noticed something alarming about the Library of Congress (LoC) classification system—the alphanumeric system we, in acade…
Activist makes list to bust imposters claiming to be Native American
A list of allegedly fake Native Americans has begun circulating in tribal and academic circles, accusing 195 people of falsely claiming an Indian identity for personal gain.
Diversity initiatives in the US workplace: A brief history, their intended and unintended consequences
Diversity initiatives are designed to help workers from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve equitable opportunities and outcomes in organizations. However, these programs are often ineffective. To bett...
Diversity Census and Inclusion Survey Insights Report - Prepared for the Canadian Association of Research Libraries May 2022
The intent of this report is to provide meaningful data and analysis to the Canadian Association
of Research Libraries for the purposes of informing future decisions on issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in the workplace.
The data we provide and the insights we derive from the data are based on proven statistical
methods to determine significant associations between certain identities and workplace
opportunities, in terms of hiring and advancement and other talent management processes.
Unfortunately, the data does not tell us why a particular trend is happening or not happening.
We can only use our experience and expertise combined with relevant research to provide
insights, to the best of our ability, on what the potential reasons might be for one trend or
another. Based on these potentialities, we also provide recommendations for next steps to
address the key findings presented by the data.
