Transform your library culture and services in this online workshop and guest speaker program February 15, 22, and March 1 with live sessions at 2 pm Eastern Time.

Course Overview

Through this course, you’ll learn about the concrete actions library leaders are taking to help cultivate an antiracist, inclusive library culture—from reflecting on their own implicit biases, to evaluating spaces, programs, and services and examining policies and practices through an antiracist lens. Practical coursework, along with targeted support, will take you from theory to application, providing tools and resources that will help you to transform your library culture and services to more equitably meet the needs of your community. 

You’ll complete assignments to create your own equity-based initiative over 3+ weeks in an interactive online classroom environment with personal coaching from an expert in the field. In addition, you’ll have access to our foundational bonus content—rich supporting materials you can explore at your own pace, including a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors, readings, activities, and videos.

The transformational speaker program has given thousands of librarians the tools and vision for meaningful change. The live sessions run on Tuesday, February 15, 22, and March 1, from 2:00-4:30 pm ET (recorded for on-demand viewing) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!

 

When you attend this interactive online course, you’ll come away with:  

• Deeper self-reflection and self actualization

• The tools necessary to assess current library programs, staffing, hiring, equity statements, and more through a culturally competent, antiracist lens

• The ability to recognize common problematic stereotypes, tropes, and microaggressions 

• A refresher on key diversity and cultural literacy concepts such as white privilege, unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, and intersectionality

• An equity-focused project that you initiate, define, and work on in a group workshop with feedback from a group facilitator

Who should take this course

Any educator or librarian wanting to help contribute to an antiracist culture in their institution.

Live sessions are also available on demand 

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand following the initial broadcast.

Certificate of completion provided 

15 professional development credits are available

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

 

This is a companion course to How to Build Diverse Collections, which we recommend taking before or after How to Build an Antiracist Library Culture. 

 

 

Course Format

Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Facilitated Group Workshop for Project-Based Learning

Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats, and workshop practical solutions in groups, with guidance from an advisor, to map out your own equity and inclusion initiatives. You’ll leave with well-developed strategies designed to make a lasting impact on your community.

Online Course Features

• Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

• Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward)

• Workshop assignments to help you make progress on your goals

• Individualized attention from course facilitators who work with you in a coaching environment in the workshop to help sort out challenges

• Ongoing group conversation via discussion forums

• Supporting resources (articles, videos, worksheets) in the online classroom to provide a foundation for your work

• Access all course content for six months after the course ends

• Bonus: Register early and get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses and other bonus content

 

 

2022 Advisory Committee

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

 

 

	Michelle Khuu, 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
	Klem-Marí Cajigas, Family Literacy Coordinator, Bringing Books to Life, Nashville Public Library		Sandra Farag, Head of Youth Services at Kalamazoo Public Library
	Nikhat Ghouse, Associate Librarian for the Social Sciences and Coordinator of the Diversity Alliance Residency Program, American University (DC) and Organization Development Consultant and Facilitator, Jehan Consulting

 

 

Group Rates

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. 
To get details on group pricing, contact us. 

 

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

Week 1: Tuesday, February 15, 2022

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

Critical Conversations: Addressing the “Elephants” in the Library

Reimagining our libraries as antiracist spaces requires us to initiate and navigate high stakes conversations on complex issues such as race, identity, white supremacy, social consciousness, gender and more. In this session, you’ll hear two expert conversation-makers share their intention and techniques for cultivating dialogue that can redefine and revolutionize the culture of your library.

Speakers:

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

Using Local History to Combat Racism

Learn how connecting to your community’s past and confronting its racist history can open up rich conversations about the future in this inspiring session. Angel Jewel Tucker, Youth Services Manager at the Johnson County Library will share how Race Project KC has opened up awareness of the systemic injustices of redlining, racially restrictive covenants, and more among the young people of Kansas City. This session provides a deep dive into how librarians can use their institutions’ historical collections and resources to help patrons, students, and community members explore, critically analyze, and combat systemic racism.

Speaker:

Week 2: Tuesday, February 22, 2022

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

Antiracist Collection Development 

In this session, you’ll hear from an expert collection development librarian on how to take an antiracist approach to your collection development strategies. They’ll discuss how conducting regular audits of collections, displays, and ordering will help you keep track of how equitable and diverse your collections are. This vital work will help you align offerings to community needs, identify gaps in service, and set benchmarks for equity, inclusion, and diversity. You’ll hear about key considerations for ordering, weeding, handling challenges to materials, dealing with problematic titles, and how to make diversity and inclusion integral parts of collection management and promotion.

Speaker:

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

Building Antiracist Programming for Your Library

Learn how to develop antiracist programming for your library in this practical and inspiring session. We’ll discuss how to assess your current library programs and services and develop a proactive plan of action for the future. We’ll take you through examples of antiracist library programs, how they were conceived and how they were executed in this session designed to help you tackle gaps in your programming and address barriers to access in your community.
 
Speaker:

Week 3: Tuesday, March 1, 2022

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

Antibias/Antiracist Hiring Practices and Recruitment

Creating an antiracist culture at your library must involve consideration of staff culture and hiring practices. In this session, you’ll learn how to develop and implement antiracist/antibias recruitment and hiring practices (including antiracist interviewing and candidate selection), steps to take toward fostering inclusive workplaces, and how to conduct an organizational talent equity audit at your own library.

Speaker: TBA

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

Your Sphere of Influence: Doing the Work From Where You Are

In this closing session of our course, you’ll learn how to make valuable change from within your sphere of influence, regardless of your institutional support system or lack thereof. You’ll learn about what you can do as an individual to tap into your power to combat racism and promote antiracism in your library and community. You’ll also learn practical ways to navigate organizational politics and power structures, and come away with ideas for where to go next, now that you have the tools you need to dig deeper into cultivating actively antiracist practices at your library.

Speaker:

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

acist, inclusive library culture—from reflecting on their own implicit biases, to evaluating spaces, programs, and services and examining policies and practices through an antiracist lens. Practical coursework, along with targeted support, will take you from theory to application, providing tools and resources that will help