Anti-Racism Training Series

Introduction

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Standing Group (DEISG) identifies and coordinates training opportunities with a goal for inclusive, intersectional anti-racism training. The DEISG proposes different types of training to engage Alliance members wherever they are with their DEI and anti-racism practices. Training opportunities will address different learning styles and topic familiarity while incorporating community elements.

  • Training types: workshop, multiple session series, speaker/presentation
  • Learning styles: active learning, group discussion, think + write, interactive response, Q&A
  • Topics: anti-racism, cultural humility, racial equity, identity (personal, community, and systems), microaggressions, implicit bias, intersection of race and gender

Training Opportunities

Applying the Concept of Cultural Humility to Libraries: A Pathway to Better Libraries

Trainer: Xan Goodman, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Date: March 23, 2023, 10:00am-12:30pm

Online Workshop: Limited to 40 Alliance members in non-supervisory roles (application period complete)

    Description: Cultural humility is a framework that has the promise to bring hope and change the approach to DEI within library spaces as an ongoing practice that includes acknowledging inequality and taking action. Cultural humility can operate on two levels: the interpersonal level for individuals and systems level for organizations. Attend this 2.5-hour workshop to learn how cultural humility might be operationalized at the interpersonal level in libraries among colleagues and patrons. Participants will focus on their role as a colleague and will link concepts of cultural humility to library work. This workshop will use active learning strategies such as breakout rooms and think + write exercises to explore cultural humility. During the workshop participants will examine their personal identity and culture. Participants will also examine how culture and identity translate to a deliberate practice of cultural humility in the workplace.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Participants will be able to define cultural humility.
    • Participants will be able to name three ways to implement cultural humility with colleagues.
    • Participants will be able to name three ways to implement cultural humility with patrons.
    • Participants will be able to identify one short-term goal they will accomplish within 90 days to implement cultural humility.
    • Participants will be able to identify one long-term goal they will pursue in 12 months to implement cultural humility.

    Trainer Bio: Xan Goodman is Health Sciences Librarian at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she supports four schools in the Division of Health Sciences, the School of Integrated Health Sciences, School of Public Health, School of Dental Medicine, and School of Nursing. Goodman is a co-editor of two ACRL publications, Disciplinary Faculty-Librarian Collaborations: Integrating the Information Literacy Framework into Disciplinary Courses (2021) and Applications of Information Literacy Threshold Concepts (2017). She is the author of a three-pillar framework for cultural humility and is a trained Racial Healing Circle Facilitator and an American Library Association Spectrum Scholar.

    Racial Equity 101

    Erin Jones
    Erin Jones

    Trainer: Erin Jones, Education and Systems Consultant

    Date: Session 1 = April 11, 2023, 10:00am-11:30am
              Session 2 = May 2, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm
              Session 3 = May 30, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm

    Online Training: Registration for Alliance Members

    Description: Equity is making sure we meet people where they are. Building connections with each other starts with understanding our personal identities and the roles we play in our organizations and communities, as well as understanding the communities we serve. Systems impact our ability to connect with each other, sometimes with barriers and other times with bridges. Understanding organizational and structural systems help us develop practices to continue equity work.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Participants will gain a greater understanding of critical terminology used for racial equity.
    • Participants will be able to identify their personal identities and their organizational and community roles.
    • Participants will be able to identify connections with communities they serve.
    • Participants will be able to identify the systems at play in their organizations, as well as how those systems intersect.

    Trainer Bio: Erin Jones has worked in and around schools in different capacities for over 30 years. She has worked and done consultation for non-profits, government agencies and businesses. She has worked and lived in 5 states, from the East Coast to the Midwest to the West Coast, in communities that were predominantly White communities to communities that were predominantly Black communities to those that boasted dozens of languages and cultures. She has been recognized locally and nationally for her work in education and equity. She has also received recognition as an athlete and was invited to try out for two WNBA teams. After 20 years of playing soccer and 35 years of playing basketball, Erin now runs long-distances and is devoted to regular OrangeTheory workouts. Erin and her husband, James, have been married for almost 30 years and have three adult children – two who work in education and one who designs video games.
    Erin’s TEDx Talks: Bridges to Heal Us | Passion for Change | Bridges

    The Library & Lady Bountiful: Past, Present, and Future Considerations

    Gina Schlesselman-Tarango
    Gina Schlesselman-Tarango

    Speaker: Gina Schlesselman-Tarango, Librarian and Associate Professor, Des Moines University

    Date: May 25, 2023, 2:00pm-3:00pm

    Online Presentation: Registration for Alliance Members
    (Zoom registration link provided closer to presentation date.)

    Description: Too often, dynamics in librarianship are accepted as “just the way things are.” A critical interrogation can expose that what happens in libraries is often reflective and in service of larger racial, gendered, and political projects. In this talk, Gina Schlesselman-Tarango will put her research in conversation, exploring what Lady Bountiful – past, present, and future – can tell us about the operations of power in libraries.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Learning objectives will be shared closer to the presentation date. 

    Speaker Bio: Gina Schlesselman-Tarango (she/her) is a Librarian and Associate Professor at Des Moines University where she is responsible for teaching and research services and coordinates a graduate peer associate program. Her research interests include gender and race in librarianship, critical library pedagogy, and information labor as it relates to reproductive health. She is currently co-editing Information, Power, and Reproductive Health (Library Juice Press). Gina lives in Iowa with her partner, child, cats, and chickens.