The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Webinar on inclusive design in cultural heritage
An 8 April webinar from the Balboa Park Online Collaborative features Dr. Piper Hutson discussing inclusive design, with a focus on sensory processing and neurodiversity. The session’s goal is to empower organizations with the understanding and resources needed to rethink their environments, displays, and activities with inclusivity in mind. Attendees will be introduced to tactics and methods to incorporate neurodiversity-friendly approaches at their institutions, including: understanding the diverse ways people interact with cultural settings; utilizing technology to bolster accessibility; and cultivating an environment of organizational empathy and comprehension.
Museums have been working towards creating spaces and experiences that are more friendly to neurodiverse people. These efforts can offer many lessons to libraries and archives that are pursuing similar goals. Plus, this is a teaser for ALA 2024, when we can meet in person to take in all Balboa Park has to offer! Contributed by Richard J. Urban.
Metadata training materials for DEIA
Like many organizations concerned with issues of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, the Music Library Association (MLA) has required members who participate in any part of its administrative structure to keep current with training on implicit bias, anti-racism, and other aspects of cultural competency. MLA’s Cataloging and Metadata Committee (CMC) has compiled a list of recent presentations, webinars, best practices, and other publications that both fulfill MLA’s directive and are of more general interest. “Metadata-Focused DEIA Training” includes links to programming presented at past MLA and other professional conferences and OCLC Cataloging Community Meetings. Several of the recordings also include lists and links to additional related material.
Although the focus of this list is, naturally, on metadata, these freely-available online resources range far beyond cataloging, let alone just music cataloging. Ethical and inclusive description of library materials stands at the center of so much of what libraries do. There is so much work that needs to be done to repair outdated terminology and practices, that an awareness by everyone in the library ecosystem strengthens the institution at large. 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.
