The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description
Last week a coalition of Australian organizations – the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL), CAVAL, and National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) — released Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description. The Guidelines are an outcome of an audit of Indigenous collections at four NSLA libraries: the National Library of Australia (OCLC Symbol: AUT), the State Library of Queensland (OCLC Symbol: QLY), the State Library of Western Australia (OCLC Symbol: LTZ), and the State Library of New South Wales (OCLC Symbol: ZP1). A high-level finding was a need for guidelines for description of First Nations material that could be used across institutions. As this was a broad need, additional stakeholders were recruited to the cause. These guidelines, written by Tui Raven, are a concrete outcome of this process. An NSLA webinar marked the launch of the Guidelines which are available via Trove.
The Guidelines were borne from a need to “facilitate a shift in practices” and to “contribute to a more equitable representation of [Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander] communities’ perspectives and experiences” as institutions seek to transform their workflows and practices in creating reparative descriptions. The document provides necessary context as well as numerous examples drawn from practice. The Guidelines are not prescriptive but are designed to support the development (if not disruption) of individual institutional practices. And it is disruption that is needed because as is observed our current state of “common representation” is “a product of forced assimilation and cognitive erasure of Indigenous culture and identity.” Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
Meditation sessions in public libraries help patrons with anxiety
Libraries are supporting the mental health of patrons by offering services and classes to reduce anxiety. In 2022, the Mt. Lebanon Public Library (OCLC Symbol: MLEPL) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began providing sound bath sessions twice a month. In the recent article “Tranquil Tones,” librarian Katie Donahoe notes the potential economic barriers for people to attend sound mediation classes: “Any kind of economic access to health care in our current society—let alone to more alternative therapies—is so limited.” Some libraries offer free access to mindfulness apps that may cost around $100 annually for access. The 2019 article “Lending Mindfulness: A Mental Health App Pilot” describes a pilot program in which the Santa Clara County Library District (OCLC Symbol: JRY) in California partnered with the Headspace mindfulness app to give library patrons access to app’s meditation sessions. This partnership continues in 2023, and Headspace access is provided on a monthly first-come, first serve basis.
The “Tranquil Tones” article caught my eye in AL Direct because I lead a weekly meditation group at work. During the pandemic, I started practicing sound meditation to reduce stress, and I have continued to meditate for the general wellness benefits. By providing these in-person and virtual meditation sessions to patrons, libraries are helping to destigmatize anxiety and provide access to wellness care that patrons might not have otherwise. Contributed by Kate James
Webinar recording: Let’s Talk Race: Community Healing through Conversation
Following up on our 6 September Advancing IDEAs post, WebJunction hosted an hour-long webinar last week with Tamara King and Heather McCue from the Richland Library (OCLC Symbol: SRC) in South Carolina, to learn more about their now freely available Let’s Talk Race Curriculum. Responding to the need for community healing following racially motivated tragedies in their community, a team of library staff from across the organization began the Let’s Talk Race dialogue circles, offering a safe space for conversations about race, both internally and with the broader community. Their highly successful and award-winning approach is now available for free in an easy-to-follow and customizable format, providing opportunities for civic engagement, community connections, and courageous conversations at other libraries, museums, and related organizations. In the webinar, they were joined by Kathleen Montgomery from Charleston County Public Library, who shared how their team has adapted the curriculum for staff-only discussions. Their initiative, “Let’s Talk Low Country: Breaking Barriers,” has so far brought together staff for facilitated discussions on two focused topics: language access and accessibility for neurodiversity. View the webinar recording for Let’s Talk Race: Community Healing through Conversation to learn about the background of this important resource and for a tour of the curriculum, including how to get started, assemble your team, learn facilitation skills, create conversation guides, and explore other program ideas.
At the core of successful community connections, we often find deeper, honest, and locally relevant conversations. With fewer opportunities for meaningful dialogue, and with increased dependence on mostly online social engagement, this model provides an invaluable opportunity for libraries of all shapes and sizes to provide safe spaces for facilitated discussions on important, often challenging, topics central to our lives, our communities, and our world. Contributed by Jennifer Peterson.
Cornell University Librarian speaks on inclusion in libraries
On 16 November 2023, Elaine Westbrooks, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian at Cornell (OCLC Symbol: COO), spoke with Erin Sember-Chase and Toral Patel on their Inclusive Excellence Podcast about the critical role libraries play in preserving the past, especially when it comes to censorship, the rise of banned books, and freedom of expression. As University Librarian, Westbrooks has focused on uncovering and highlighting narratives previously erased from historical records. She shared how libraries at Cornell focus on enriching descriptions of archival materials that will invite more people into a collection instead of relying on terminology and historical portrayals that are exclusionary. “We are not rewriting history. We are not changing what people have said or what they have done. We are merely adding more descriptive information so that the erasure of Black bodies, women, and Queer people are seen. Through our work, we empower people to imagine a more just and equitable world focused on knowledge, mutual care, learning, and humanity. I think that’s why I love libraries because we have a very big vision for who we are and what we do.”
We must reexamine our past bibliographic and archival description practices so that our current practices will be more inclusive and reparative. We cannot continue to claim that our collections are open to all when there are too many examples of exclusionary language in our descriptions of those collections. Contributed by Morris Levy.
Indigenous Reads Rising
Since 2014, the non-profit “We Need Diverse Books” (WNDB) has been working to build literacy, diversify publishing, fight book challenges, and promote diversity on school and library bookshelves. WNDB has now launched “Indigenous Reads Rising,” a site for readers, educators, librarians, and others to discover book lists, articles, and other resources by and about Native, First Nations, and other Indigenous communities, especially in the United States and Canada.
Providing best practices for collection development, a history of Indigenous children’s literature, guidance on accurate terminology and avoiding stereotypes, “Indigenous Reads Riding” also presents lists of books for children, middle grades, and young adults on a wide swath of topics. 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.
