In Evaluating, Auditing, and Diversifying Your Collections starting October 19, you and your colleagues will 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; learn how to include diverse books, wider perspectives, #OwnVoices; and discover how to be both more responsive to the community you serve and more reflective of the diversity of our world.

The course mixes a live guest speaker program and a facilitator-led workshop, where you will cover a range of topics focused on how to evaluate books and media through an inclusive lens. This includes the experiences of LGBTQIA people, people of color, and ethnic, cultural, religious minorities, and more. (When you sign up as a group, your team will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.)

The speaker program runs on October 19, 26, and November 2, 2:00-4:00PM ET (on-demand recordings available) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over three weeks.

Register yourself or your group  today!

Certificate of Completion Provided
15 PD credits available

Register today!

Week 1: Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 2:00-4:00PM ET

Session 1 | 2:00-3:00PM ET
Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers
Being aware of a lack of diversity in your library collections and having the intention to make a change is important, but having a plan of action to address these problems is where the magic happens. In this conversation between Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford, you’ll learn concrete strategies for making lasting change in your approach to collection development and readers’ advisory, ensuring your library’s collections and suggestions are diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist. 
Speakers:

Robin Bradford, Collection Development Librarian, Pierce County Library System (WA)

Becky Spratford, Readers’ Advisory Specialist

Intermission | 3:00-3:15PM ET

Session 2 | 3:15-4:00PM ET
Conducting a Diversity Audit of Your Collections
In this session, we’ll discuss both the process of conducting a diversity audit and what comes next after you’ve successfully audited your collection. You’ll learn how to plan a diversity audit, which salient data points should be included, how to gather the requisite information, how to set goals to address gaps, and how to make diversity and inclusion natural parts of collection management and promotion. You’ll also come away with an understanding of what to do with your data once you have it, how to create a plan of implementation, and where to go next.
Speakers:

Betsy Bird, Collection Development Manager, Evanston Public Library (IL)

Dontaná McPherson-Joseph, Collection Management Librarian, Oak Park Public Library (IL)

Session 3 | 4:00-4:30 pm ET
Sponsor Session: Learn Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Analysis: Demo of collectionHQ
Deliver a collection that reflects your community and provides readers with a larger window to the world around them. Learn how in this demo of collectionHQ, the diversity, equity and inclusion analysis tool that provides a data-driven first step to identify DEI material in your collection.  

This session will help you interpret item-level data to make it actionable on the shelves.  It will also address next steps to encourage circulation of your current collection, while using your data to aid in the selection of new material to meet community DEI goals. Bring your questions for the Q&A.
Speaker:

Elizabeth Duffy, MLIS (she, her, hers)
Senior ESP Project Manager, Baker&Taylor

Week 2: Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 2:00–4:15PM ET

Stereotypes, Tropes, and Cultural Appropriation: A Collection Development Deep Dive
Some common stereotypes in books and media are easy to spot—others require a more fine-tuned understanding of culture and history. In this series of enlightening sessions, you will learn how to spot problematic stereotypes and tropes and how to avoid unintentionally perpetuating such depictions. You will hear from several experts in the field about the ways that specific marginalized cultures—Native American, Asian American, African American, and LGBTQIA+—are portrayed in mainstream media, their cultural traditions misunderstood or misrepresented, and their stories appropriated by cultural outsiders. You’ll walk away with the knowledge you need to build a more representative, inclusive collection at your library or institution.
Speakers:

Session 1 | 2:00-2:30PM ET

Jennifer Baker, Writer, Editor, Advocate, and Founder, Minorities in Publishing podcast

Session 2 | 2:30-3:00PM ET

Mahasin Abuwi Aleem, Childrens Collection Management Librarian, Oakland Public Library (CA), Co-Founder, Hijabi Librarians

Hadeal Salamah, Lower and Middle School Librarian, Georgetown Day School, Washington DC

Intermission | 3:00-3:15PM ET

Session 3 | 3:15-3:45PM ET

Carson Williams, Adult Services Librarian, Benson Memorial Library (NM)

Session 4 | 3:45-4:15PM ET

Kara Stewart, Author, Teacher, Literacy Specialist

Week 3: Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 2:00-4:00PM ET

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45PM ET
Reading, Writing, and Reviewing Diverse Books: A Conversation
There’s more to building diverse collections than auditing! In this session, we’ll approach diversifying your collections from new angles, considering the author and reviewer’s perspectives in the process. You’ll hear why one author started writing, what they found missing from the books they were seeing on the shelves, and what improvements they’ve seen since they’ve been in the business. You’ll also hear from a collection development expert and reviewer on both the great benefits and the limitations of the review. This session will help you broaden your approach to collection development and enhance your ability to build a more equitable collection.
Speakers:

TJ Klune, Lambda Literary Award-winning and NYT Bestselling author

Kristi Chadwick, Science Fiction & Fantasy Columnist, Library Journal, Consultant, Massachusetts Library System

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45PM ET
Librarianship During a Racial Reckoning
How do our personal identities impact the culture of our libraries? A truly inclusive library culture begins, first, with ourselves and considering how our blindspots can impact what our library spaces become. Creating libraries that reflect, and are safe for, BIPOC children and youth, is an active, ongoing practice requiring intent and unflagging effort. In this closing keynote, Dr. Kim Parker will help you think through how you can create an environment that is liberatory and reflective of diverse populations, on your shelves and beyond.
Speaker:

Dr. Kimberly N. Parker, Director, Crimson Summer Academy, Harvard University (MA)

Add on this one-day course: From Collection to Action: A One-Day ‘Read Woke’ Mini Course with Cicely Lewis

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2:00-4:00 PM ET

When you attend the Read Woke online mini-course, you’ll come away with: 

• A clear goal and mission statement for the program you want to implement
• A Read Woke reading list
• Ideas for school-public partnerships
• Fundraising solutions to consider
• Lesson plan ideas to incorporate ReadWoke into classroom

Certificate of Completion Provided

15 PD credits available

Register for both Evaluating, Auditing, and Diversifying Your Collections and A One-Day ‘Read Woke’ Mini Course today and save!

Send your team and increase your impact!

Contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co for group discounts.