The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The Vancouver Public Library (OCLC Symbol: VP@) is one of many libraries in Canada that offers resources and events related to the upcoming Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In Canada, 30 September marks both Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad (Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation) started Orange Shirt Day in 2013. On her first day of residential school, all of her possessions were removed including a new orange shirt that her grandmother had given her. This shirt, for Webstad, symbolized all that was forcibly removed from her including language, culture, identity, and family. Webstad’s experiences reflect those of over 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children who were removed starting in the late 1800s. The practice did not end until 1996.
In 2021, the Canadian federal government recognized 30 September as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and is a direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.
The pain and damage caused by the removal of Indigenous children from their families and communities has left a brutal and still unhealed wound. This practice also took place in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand and in all cases continued well into the twentieth century. Many libraries provide materials to help document and remember these unjust actions – these include both digitized primary source materials as well as books and other materials that document these experiences. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
Transforming metadata @ ALA
In this recording from ALA Annual 2023, Dr. Inkyung Choi, Associate Research Scientist at OCLC, and Dr. Heather Moulaison-Sandy, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Missouri’s iSchool, discuss how we can bring context and user perspectives to subject terms and classification systems.
I had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Choi and Dr. Moulaison-Sandy at ALA this year. Dr. Choi’s work is examining how we can manage annotations within classification systems, like the Dewey Decimal System, in ways that mitigate harmful labels. Dr. Moulaison-Sandy presented work from the Inclusive Catalog Use Lab. Their work applies the concept of code-switching to the question of knowledge organization system use. I appreciated both talks in the context of thinking more broadly about library metadata’s purposes and audience. As we expand beyond the concept of a single coherent record (bibliographic or authority) towards a graph of linked data entities, it may be helpful for us to consider how we build ways to manage conflicting annotations and/or the ability to code-switch into different contexts. Contributed by Richard Urban.
Library nursing spaces provide inclusivity for parents
Making libraries inclusive spaces is an important goal that may need novel approaches for older buildings. A wonderful example of this is how the Chery Hill Public Library (OCLC Symbol: CHF) has added a “lactation pod” for nursing parents. The Sun Newspapers article “Mamava pod serves nursing mothers at Cherry Hill library” explains that the library recognized the needs for a nursing space from patron requests but decided that building a room was not feasible. The lactation pod enabled the library to provide an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, quiet space without building remodeling. Mamava has an app providing the location of pods in the area. Library Director Laverne Mann notes, “One of the most important things to know about the Mamava lactation pod at the Cherry Hill public library is that it is a community resource, not just for library users but anyone living, working, or visiting.”
Because breastfeeding in public is legal in many places the need to provide a private nursing space may not be apparent and is not often legally required. However, the reality is that parents breastfeeding in public may be told to leave the area, face verbal abuse, or even be arrested for “indecency.” A private nursing space provides psychological safety from these potential threats and may also create a quiet, relaxing atmosphere more conducive to a successful breastfeeding session. Contributed by Kate James.
Cambridgeshire libraries receive award for refugee support work
On 8 August 8 2023, the BBC News Services website reported that Cambridgeshire’s public libraries (OCLC Symbol: UKCAM) had received a Libraries of Sanctuary award from City of Sanctuary UK, which coordinates services to help asylum seekers and migrants. Library staff and volunteers raised awareness of the issues facing people in the asylum system, as well as providing support by enabling new arrivals to access language learning resources and free digital skills courses, including modules on finding a job and money management.
Public libraries throughout the world serve as inclusive spaces for those who need assistance, including asylum seekers, and also provide useful information to the communities to which the asylum seekers have located. Contributed by Morris Levy.
Webinar on protecting civil rights in libraries
The selective banning of books may in certain circumstances violate United States civil rights laws, according to the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (OCLC Symbol: ERICP). On Tuesday, 26 September, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy (PPA) office, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), and the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) will present “Protecting Civil Rights in Libraries: A Conversation with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.*” The hour-long webinar, which is free to members of either ALA or FTRF, will be live only. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach of the Office for Civil Rights, Matt Nosanchuk, will speak about how civil rights laws apply to libraries, how bans on library materials may conflict with those laws, the process for filing complaints, and the role of the Office for Civil Rights in protecting library users.
*Note that you must log into the ALA website.
The widespread and ever-growing efforts of some citizens, school boards, library boards, politicians, and others to remove materials based on such factors as the race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity of authors or characters, threaten the rights of readers everywhere. This webinar promises to offer insights into the federal Department of Education’s enforcement of existing laws to protect our imperiled right to read. Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.