Program
Librarians are committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion, but what does this mean in today’s political climate? We are frequently required to make decisions that pit free speech against the comfort and safety of other patrons (e.g. allowing political or hate groups to use our meeting rooms), or called upon to defend our collection, exhibit, or program decisions in the face of patron challenges. Even our decisions about configuring the space in our libraries may create controversy - gender neutral restrooms, prayer rooms, lactation rooms, or how we make our buildings accessible. This program will bring together a diverse group of speakers who have handled these challenges. They will share their experiences and how they dealt with various situations. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions and interact with the speakers and each other. They will leave the program with strategies from different libraries to consider when examining their own perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion and how to address these issues in their libraries. The program is co-sponsored by the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom.
ALA Unit/Subunit: ACRL,ACRL_WGSS,OIF
Meeting Type: Program
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Laura Bonella
Academic Services Librarian
Kansas State University
Jennifer Dean
Dean of University Libraries and Instructional Technology
University of Detroit Mercy
Kristin Pekoll
Assistant Director
ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
Raymond Pun
Instruction/Research Librarian
Alder Graduate School of Education
Julia Eisenstein
Associate Librarian
University of Detroit Mercy