We're All in This Together
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Welcoming underserved communities - training for AZ, ID, MT, ND, SD and WY libraries going into strategic planning - January - February 2021
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We're All in This Together
- 1. We’re All in This Together Serving the whole community Suzanne Reymer Montana State Library
- 2. What does equity mean in terms of library services?
- 5. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
- 6. “ ” Do Unto Others As They Would Want Done to Them The Platinum Rule How does this change how we view and serve our community?
- 11. Race
- 15. Why is diversity important for libraries in largely homogeneous rural communities? What does it mean in these areas? Staff Board members Collections Programming
- 18. Library as a Welcoming Place
- 20. © 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org Email: cnvc@cnvc.org Phone: +1.505-244-4041
- 21. What needs were met here? “When I was a 10 year old kid with reading comprehension problems crying silently into my assigned reading book... the librarian sat next to me and asked what was wrong. I talked to her and she heard me (actually HEARD me and didn’t call me lazy or stupid) and she sat there and read the chapter to me as my eyes dried and widened. Then she brought me over and showed me the shelf of audio books that literally changed my life.”
- 22. © 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org Email: cnvc@cnvc.org Phone: +1.505-244-4041
- 23. Might it have played out differently depending on race/gender/other factors? Know your biases The importance of self-evaluation
- 25. Scenario 2 “When I was homeless and used the computers all the time the amazing librarian noticed that I was a very young woman clearly trying to escape the cold and would get me paper cups of coffee, never asking me to be anything more than I was in order to deserve it. Same woman let me print resumes for free, waiving the 10 cents a page fee at the time even though I had the money.”
- 27. Scenario 3 “As a struggling new mom of two, in a new city with an estranged husband as my only adult contact I spent hours every day at the library for story hours, sing alongs with guitars and all that for the kids because I was so depressed and I didn’t feel like I was enough for them. The librarians would also sit with me and talk about books and other things and show me events that were kid friendly around town so I could keep busy. They showed me the free passes they had for museums and they got me through that shitty shitty time.”
- 30. FFTs Brené Brown Name and normalize the situation. Put feelings in perspective. Reality check your expectations. Build in rest and recovery time. Get and stay in fit FFT condition.
- 31. Keep in mind that your Frightening First Time may be someone else's Frustrating Fiftieth Time (that day)
- 32. What might you be willing to give up to serve your entire community?
- 33. Examples from other libraries Preserving materials in favor of circulating them in the community Previous notions of "fairness". Seeking to act out of compassion instead Library fines Teaching responsibility Role as guardians of information Library card ID requirements – viewed as barrier by transgender/homeless individuals
- 36. Creative Commons licensed for photos Street boy: https://bit.ly/37OXFlT Photo montage: https://planettransgender.com/ Homeless woman 1: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/710813 Homeless woman 2: https://www.flickr.com/photos/livenature/256934977/sizes/o/ Homeless woman 3: https://pixabay.com/photos/female-alcoholism-woman-girl- 2847443/ Refugees 1: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaoudel_Mali_refugees.jpg Refugees 2: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22The_training_is_good,_it%27s_great ._It_helps_us_to_learn_and_to_earn_a_living%22_(11173845336).jpg
Editor's Notes
- Question for chat. We all like to think that we are providing equitable library services to everyone in our community? Does this mean we offer the same services? Probably not. We have collections and programming geared to specific groups, e.g., storytime for children, summer reading for school age children, book groups for adults.
- A word cloud rendering of responses to the equity question from workshop participants.
- I've often thought of this in terms of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I like this card because it's a reminder that this concept is common across many of the world's religions. But what's wrong with it in terms of our service model?
- It makes me and my needs the center of the universe. When it comes to libraries, I'm probably not the typical library user. I've been using libraries ever since I was a toddler. I'm very comfortable with them and knowledgeable about how they work. I have a Master's degree in Library and Information Science. Libraries were designed by and for people like me.
- An alternative approach is known as the Plantinum Rule. In order to practice this, we need to learn something about others and their wants and needs.
- It's helpful to know about the community you're serving. Census data can be helpful to learn about who's in the community, particularly those who might not be currently using the library. I'm taking Stillwater County as an example. It's the county right next to Yellowstone where I live. It's also where my mother was born and raised. So, I have some connections there. Workshop participants reminded us that census data may not be entirely accurate, particularly from 2020. I continue to view it as a useful starting point, but I wouldn't stop there. Nor would I presume it was definitive and the last word. For one thing, it's only a snapshot in time with updates that are estimates.
- Two thirds of this county’s population are adults. Over 20% seniors. Slightly older than median age in U.S. 17% school age? From this data, I’d look at how my library's collections, programming, accessibility, online vs. in person activities seem to correspond to the presumed needs of these demographics. Equity does not mean you’re going to try to serve each of these demographic groups in the exact same way. Neither does it mean necessarily that your collections or programs need to exactly reflect the demographics of your community. Essentially, what I'm looking for are unmet needs and unreached populations. With 21% seniors, I might look into senior programming.
- Language can be important both for collections and services. If your community has a large number of people whose native language is not English, you may want to look at ways to serve them. We also determined during the course of the webinars that Native American languages fell into the vague "Other" category. If you have a number in there and serve a Native American community, that probably encompasses the languages you need to be looking at. Collections, information about library services in other languages, programming How easy are your library's policies to comprehend for a nonnative English speaker?
- There's not a great deal of racial diversity in Stillwater County. It's almost 96% white. The largest non-white category is two or more races at 1.9%. This is a demographic that appears to be growing and one that may be challenging to serve. Some may present as white and thus be largely invisible to you as another racial demographic. But that doesn't mean that they want part of their identity overlooked or ignored.
- Stillwater County is even less diverse than Montana as a whole. It's worth noting that Montana does have a significant American Indian population. Larger than the nation as a whole. It's a population that should definitely be considered when looking at collections, programming and other forms of representation.
- Another large demographic group for many of our communities are Hispanics also known in the current vernacular as Latinx to include all genders. 4% in Stillwater County but 18% in the US as a whole. You might recall there were only 2% Spanish speakers at home. Worth looking into as far as collections, services and programming not just for Stillwater County but for the predominance overall.
- Many of these could be age related as over 20% of the population is over 65. Something to consider in terms of collections and services. Also keep in mind that some disabilities may be invisible to you but may affect how someone views the library and its services and interacts with staff.
- Fairly high level of educational attainment. What I notice is that with roughly 36% with a high school degree and another 34% with a 2 year degree or less, there may be an interest in additional training or distance learning programs, particularly when the economy is down.
- A frequent goal is that the library reflect its community. Many libraries I work with have staffs and boards that look much the same – middle-aged to senior white women, often with college degrees. I've never found a community for whom that adequately represented the town or county's demographics. If you have a library staff or board that is that homogeneous, you might want to look at your job descriptions, recruiting tactics, job qualifications, etc. To see how these might be limiting participation. For example, does a certain position really require a college degree or advanced credential? Might equivalent experience be substituted? Collections and programming can serve not only as mirrors to the community but as windows to the world.
- This was my library as a child and young adult growing up in Seattle. It was about 2 miles from my house. I could ride my bike there. It was a safe place for me and my friend to go. She lived in an abusive household. So, it was an escape. For me, it was my window to the world. I could travel all over the world, meet all kinds of people and have adventures. When we first moved to the area, it was pretty homogeneous – largely white and middle class. By the time I left, there was a lot more diversity – many immigrants, particularly from southeast Asia. Diversity serves dual purposes – offering people a chance to see themselves in library materials and find validation for their lives and experiences. It also offers others the opportunity to learn about cultures and traditions different from their own. This can help them make connections within their own community and beyond.
- New York Public Library's campaign really exemplifies the role of library as a window to the world. And with e-resources, you don't even need to leave home to take advantage of it. Particularly useful during a pandemic. But an interesting strategic approach to take overall.
- This is an ALA poster you can buy from the ALA store. I loved it because of all the different languages. Possibly more useful in an urban setting with a large immigrant population than Stillwater county, for example. But what does it tell people coming in about whether or not they are recognized and welcomed? Might it be possible to put welcome and brief library information in languages common in your community and/or region? What other things might make a new person coming in feel welcome? See the following slide for a word cloud collection of comments on libraries as welcoming places from workshop participants. What can make you feel less than welcome? Negative signs - signs telling you what not to do. No smoking, no cell phones, no food, etc. Can these be made more positive? Library security/police at the entrance – expecting trouble?
- Collected comments on what makes people feel welcome in a library
- I borrowed this needs inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communication. I would argue libraries can and do play a role in meeting many of these needs for members of their community. Which ones do you think your library is particularly good at meeting? And some are probably not as appropriate in a library setting.
- Which needs do you think were met in the previous scenario?
- I realized the mental image I had from the scenario above was of a shy little white boy sitting quietly and crying. I thought this evokes a different kind of feeling than one who is running around and being disruptive. Yet we know that children with learning disabilities may act out as well. I also wondered whether or not the scenario would have played out differently had the child been of another race, or if s/he appeared to be dirty or homeless. What if there were language barriers? It seemed a good opportunity to look at some potential biases that may impact how equitably we deliver library services.
- These are all photos of transgender individuals who were killed or committed suicide last year. The numbers reported as of September 30th were 36 murders, 9 suicides and 9 deaths by unknown cause. Gender identity and sexual preference make a lot of people uncomfortable. LGBTQ books are often challenged. We had a little boy in a princess dress show up at my church with his parents a few years ago. How would you react to that? As I recall, we tried to be accepting but we never saw the family again. I think gender identity and expression is a hard one for many of us, particularly if we're older and it's pretty new to us. Do we have moral objections that prevent us from showing acceptance that might be construed as approval? This is an area where we may need to dig a little deep and ask ourselves if we can accord individuals dignity and acceptance whether or not we agree with how they present themselves outwardly. LGBTQ teens, in particular, have a high rate of suicide. Being able to accord them dignity may make the difference between life and death.
- Homeless individuals in the library can evoke a variety of responses. There are often additional issues of mental illness, PTSD among homeless veterans, drug addiction and alcoholism. You may hear complaints from other library patrons, particular families, who claim they make them uncomfortable in coming to the library. Is this part of the community you serve? Or more importantly, are they a part of your community that you're not currently serving? If so, how do you serve them with dignity?
- One of the things I thought about when I read this scenario was comments about people dumping their kids off at the library. And I noticed this mom stuck around but I wondered how many times frazzled parents may need a safe place for their kids while they run errands. I also wondered if it would make a difference if this were a refugee mother, someone from a different religious background in traditional attire or even a single father. Would he feel welcome and included? Or would his hanging around be viewed as kind of creepy? Are there families that we're not likely to see in our libraries? Why might that be?
- This goes with a handout I got from an ARSL session specifically on serving Latinx communities, but I think it could be useful as a framework for working with any underserved community. An important note is that this is more of an engagement than outreach approach. You're not trying to get community buy in for existing library programs and services, rather you're trying to learn about the needs of another group of people and determine how the library could better serve them. LEARN: Know your target audience. Who are they? COLLABORATE: Partner for collective impact. Who can we work with? CONNECT: Build community connections. How do we get to know them and each other? SUPPORT: Contribute to ability to flourish. What can we provide them?
- I have no doubt that interacting with new people can present new dynamics and a lot of stress. And we're already under a lot of stress from living through a pandemic and an uncertain political climate. Many of us are uncertain about our library's funding due to economic issues affecting our cities and counties. I ran across a recent episode of Brene Brown's Unlocking Us podcast on FFTs. She uses a Not Safe for Work or webinar word for her first F. I'll substitute frightening for Frightening First Times. Feel free to use whatever works for you. But she recognizes that most of us may not react well in our first time with something. I think we all have examples of when we were confronted with a first time that seemed frightening to us and we may not have behaved in a way we view as our best selves. Brene offers suggestions in her podcast for how to cope with and learn from our experiences. Change is not going away. We're bound to continue to have ffts. It's best if we can learn and grow from the experiences.
- AS we mentioned before, everyone is under stress these days. Some people more than others. Something that may seem insignificant may be the last straw for them. I'm reminded of a woman who spoke at a recent Not in Our Town online gathering. She's African American and Muslim and wears a hijab and lives in Billings. She mentioned being asked often, "where are you from?" When she answers, Cleveland, they persist, "no, where are you from?" The initial question may be innocent curiosity. The follow up has the implication, you can't be from here. You obviously don't belong. I think of how many transgender or gender non-conforming people hear the question, "are you a boy or a girl?" Certainly from children, but also from adults who want to be able to categorize. I can recall how tired I got of children pointing at me and other American Peace Corps volunteers when we were serving in Poland, especially when we were speaking English. This is where learning is a critical first step before collaborating and connecting.
- Most of these came up during a session on policies in pursuit of equity, diversity and inclusion. I think it's also worth considering how complex and wordy some of our policies are. Does anyone ever read Fair Use Policies when they come up on websites or with apps?