For libraries to effectively meet their mission of serving the educational, informational, and entertainment needs of their communities, their collections must be diverse and inclusive, offering windows into and mirrors of the vast array of perspectives and stories that make up our world.

Library selectors and readers’ advisors must have a keen understanding of the basic frameworks for building and maintaining collections through an equitable lens, including the ability to recognize harmful stereotypes and apply that knowledge to a collection audit.

Certificate of Completion Provided
15 PD credits available

Early Bird Discount!
Register by August 31 and save 20%

Speaker Spotlight!

Ozy Aloziem

Ozy Aloziem currently serves as the Community Connection Program Coordinator for Denver Public Library. She is leading the Building A Pipeline of Community Connection, DPL's grant project examining equity in the library workforce funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. In addition to her role at DPL, Ozy serves as racial equity & racial healing consultant for several organizations across Colorado. Ozy received her MSW from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work in 2019, where she was awarded the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work’s Jean Peart Sinnock award, the highest honor given to a graduating social work student, for her antiracist research and advocacy. Ozy is a social work scholar that is deeply committed to liberatory education, social justice, and research, has been the lead researcher for several projects in over four countries, and has presented at countless research conferences in various disciplines. 

Jennifer Baker

With almost 20 years’ experience in publishing in a range of roles, Jennifer currently works as a managing editor, is a contributing editor to Electric Literature, and is the creator and host of the podcast Minorities in Publishing (a finalist for the 2018 and 2019 Digital Book World Best Use of Podcasting in Book Marketing).  Jennifer Baker was named the 2019 Publishers Weekly Star Watch “SuperStar.” She is the recipient of a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship and a 2017 Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant in Nonfiction Literature for her WIP essay collection. Her essay “What We Aren’t” was also listed as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2018.

Ariana Hussain

Ariana is a school librarian in the Twin Cities metro area and was previously a children’s librarian in public libraries. Ariana was selected as an American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leader for 2014, sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). She is a proud lifetime member of APALA.

Ariana currently chairs the ALSC Grants Administration Committee and was recently elected to the ALSC Board of Directors. Ariana reviews for Kirkus, Horn Book, and has reviewed for School Library Journal.  

Ariana identifies as a Muslim Indonesian-Okinawan American woman, who wears and accepts the colloquially used term, hijab. She was born and raised in California. Her pronouns are she/her/hers.

Kara Stewart

Kara Stewart, tribally enrolled Sappony, is a literacy coach and reading specialist in the North Carolina public school system. She is the author of Talent, which won Lee & Low's 2014 New Voices Honor Award, and a SCBWI Carolinas member. She is a former Sappony Tribal Council member, and a former member of the North Carolina State Advisory Council on Indian Education. Follow her on twitter @KaraDStewart.   

In this course, you’ll learn from an outstanding group of experts as they explore key concepts essential to cultivating and promoting inclusive and equitable collections. You’ll conduct a diversity audit of your collections, and learn how to include diverse books, wider perspectives, #OwnVoices, and how to be both more responsive to the community you serve and more reflective of the diversity of our world. 

The course will cover a wide range of topics, helping teach librarians how to evaluate books and media through an inclusive lens that includes the experiences of LGBTQIA people, people of color, and ethnic, cultural, religious minorities, and more.

Live guest speaker Sessions: Tuesdays: October 20, October 27, and November 10 from 2-4 PM ET. Bridged with small group workshop where you’ll receive one-on-one feedback from expert mentors on your work each week. Plus, when you sign up today, you’ll receive access to our self-guided curriculum and bonus LJ/SLJ keynotes so you can begin learning right away.

Can’t make a live session? No worries. All sessions will be available to you “on-demand” following the initial broadcast.

Learning Outcomes:

• The ability to assess current library collections, book promotions, and displays through a diverse lens in order to assess gaps in collections and service areas.
• An understanding of key diversity and cultural literacy concepts such as white privilege, unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, and intersectionality.
• The ability to recognize common problematic stereotypes, tropes, and microaggressions in media.
• The ability to assess the diversity and inclusiveness of current collection development and RA practices.
• Guidance on planning and executing a diversity audit.
• Tools, tips, and advice on how to better diversify collections and displays.
• A plan of action to better diversify your library collections and address gap areas that will transform your understanding of your library users and the services you provide.

Discounted group rates are also available!
Please contact us at libraryjournal@edmaker.co
for discounted rates

Can't make it this time, but know someone who might benefit from this course?
Please forward this email.