Transform your library culture and services by learning how to build and maintain momentum toward your equity goals.

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 examining the impacts of implicit bias, to evaluating spaces, programs, and services and examining policies and practices through an antiracist lens—to ensure that there is a shared value of antiracism at the library.

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 by examining them through an equity lens. 

You’ll complete assignments 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 Tuesdays, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and 10 from 2:00-3:45 pm ET (recordings available) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!

 

Learning Outcomes

When you sign up early, you’ll have immediate access to our Early Access On Demand Resources—a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors along with rich, supporting materials in the form of readings, activities, and videos—to explore at your own pace.

When you attend this interactive online course, you’ll gain the tools to:  

• Evaluate your current DEI practices to engage in more authentic self-reflection and self-assessment

• Use data to assess your organization's progress on antiracism initiatives 

• Use data to center communities and understand their programming and service needs

• Employ participatory design to build programs and services hand in hand with communities

• Recognize implicit bias and maintain a commitment to equity and antiracism during conflict

• Recognize key diversity and cultural literacy concepts such as white privilege, cultural appropriation, and intersectionality

• Assess current library programs through a culturally competent, antiracist lens,

• Recognize problematic stereotypes, tropes, acts of implicit/explicit bias, and microaggressions,

Who should take this course

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

Expected time commitment: 

If you attend or watch the recordings of all live sessions and participate fully in the asynchronous workshop, you'll spend approximately 3-4 hours per week on this course. You'll earn 15 hours of PD credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion. 

Live sessions are also available on demand for six months

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast. Asynchronous workshops allow you to complete assignments and receive feedback from experts.

Certificate of completion provided 

15 professional development credits are available

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

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature live captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email libraryjournal@edmaker.co upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

 

 

Group Rates

Have a team attend and increase your impact!

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. When you register your team for our online courses, they will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.

Send us a request for a quote.

If your group prefers to work separately, just let us know.

 

2023 Curriculum Advisors 

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

 

	Michelle Khưu, Strategy Analyst, Aon		Christina Fuller-Gregory, Assistant Director of Libraries, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville

 

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, September 26, 2023
Personal Assessment: Understanding What You Bring to Your Library

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

Foundations of Antiracism: An Interview with Author Tiffany Jewell

In this opening session of our course, hear from Tiffany Jewell, author of This Book is Antiracist and The Antiracist Kid. You’ll have the chance to ask Tiffany questions and learn about what you can do as an individual to tap into your power to combat racism and promote antiracism in your library, community, and your day-to-day life. Submit your questions for Tiffany here.

Speaker:

Break and 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

Data-Driven Practices: A Method for Measuring Cultural Competency 

Is your library making progress on your antiracism initiatives? How do you measure DEI-based success? We know that measuring the efficacy of your antiracism practices is paramount to your continued progress, but it can be difficult to establish appropriate metrics. This session will feature Dr. Kiara Butler’s PERM framework – a methodology to measure cultural competency. Leave this session with practical tools to demonstrate progress and growth areas for your library.

Speaker:

Week 2: Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Community Assessment: Understanding What Your Library Brings to Your Community

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

Centering Community and Flattening Power in External Library Services

Centering your equity work on the community you serve requires a deep understanding of who your community is and what they need and want. In this session, you’ll learn how to gather and analyze the community data you already have and find the data you don’t. You’ll learn the foundations of participatory design so that you can ensure you’re inviting your community’s input into the programs and services you design for them. We’ll also discuss how you can connect what you learn to the DEI work your library or school is already doing.

Speaker:

Break and 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

Centering Antiracism During Conflict

Between safety concerns and hostile patrons, tensions in and around libraries are at an all-time high. Research shows that implicit biases are more likely to surface and escalate during moments of tension and conflict. As a result, truly internalizing antiracist practices is key to centering equity during conflict. This session will discuss ways to ground yourself, recognize and deal with implicit bias, and respond rather than react in moments of conflict so that you remain aligned with your values.

Speaker:

Week 3: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Building Something New: Creating a Plan of Action

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

Building Antiracist Programming Using Local History

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:

Break and 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

How To Establish a Personal Antiracism Practice

Building antiracist libraries begins with each of us understanding our own positionality and reflecting on the ways we engage with and are affected by race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and immigration status. Making a personal commitment to antiracism and anti-oppression sets the foundation for moving forward with our work in our communities and institutions. In this session, we’ll discuss how to assess where you are currently and create a plan for how to dig deeper into cultivating actively antiracist practices at your library, starting with yourself. 

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

Online Course Preview

A preview of how we build your library skills and bring inspiration to your projects with our online learning experience.

Course Format

One-Week Timeline (Course Runs 3+ Weeks)

DAYS 1-2 On Demand	DAY 3 2.5 hours	DAYS 4-7 1-2 hours (optional)
PRE-LIVE SESSION - Resources - Discussions - Bonus Content	LIVE SESSIONS - Guest speakers via webcast - Q&A via chat - Recordings available on demand	ASYNCHRONOUS WORKSHOP - Project-based homework, applied to your job - Personalized feedback from a facilitator - Group discussion in an asynchronous workshop setting via discussion forum	3-WEEK WORKSHOP - Facilitator-led feedback WEEK 1 Set your goals and gather data WEEK 2 Identify gaps and priorities WEEK 3 Begin your audit

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

Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace	Live Guest Speakers Each Week Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats Map out your own equity initiatives with guidance from an expert advisor Leave with refined, robust strategies designed to make a lasting impact on your community Workshop tangible antiracist approaches to your work with input from peer groups

Online Course Features

Recordings of guest speakers

Recordings Available After The Live Session Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward) Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

Facilitator-led workshop

Online Classroom Organizes All Materials 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

Early Access On Demand Resources

Early Access and Ongoing Resources To Support Learning 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