{"id":2539,"date":"2020-08-21T19:18:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T19:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aulibrarynews.wordpress.com\/?p=2539"},"modified":"2025-11-24T18:22:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T18:22:47","slug":"au-libraries-commitment-to-anti-racism-and-anti-oppression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/2020\/08\/21\/au-libraries-commitment-to-anti-racism-and-anti-oppression\/","title":{"rendered":"AU Libraries Commitment to Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Alfred University Libraries stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and global movements responding to\u00a0the\u00a0systemic racism and anti-Black violence that recently claimed the lives of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud\u00a0Arbery, Tony McDade,\u00a0and innumerable others.\u00a0We recognize that this movement is intersectional and essential to dismantling oppression.\u00a0We\u00a0appreciate and endorse the statements of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alfred.edu\/student-life\/leadership-diversity\/culture-diversity.cfm\">Alfred University<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ala.org\/advocacy\/diversity\/librariesrespond\/black-lives-matter\">American Library Association<\/a>, which show support for all marginalized communities, especially\u00a0the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous,\u00a0People of\u00a0Color) community.<br \/>\nAffirming that Black\u00a0Lives\u00a0Matter engages with our\u00a0Libraries\u2019 value of supporting \u201cintellectual and cultural diversity\u201d\u00a0and recommits us to the\u00a0strategic goals\u00a0of\u00a0recruiting and retaining\u00a0\u201ca diverse and talented staff\u201d and to\u00a0developing \u201clibrary programming that makes the libraries a center for intellectual discussion.\u201d\u00a0We recognize, however, that this is not enough.<br \/>\nThe Libraries\u00a0acknowledge\u00a0that\u00a0an\u00a0ongoing history of oppression occurs not just in\u00a0areas such as\u00a0policing, housing, employment, and healthcare,\u00a0but also\u00a0in\u00a0library services, where there are\u00a0many\u00a0examples of\u00a0libraries\u00a0being complacent or\u00a0complicit in the oppression\u00a0 of BIPOC.\u00a0Alfred\u00a0University\u00a0Libraries do not claim immunity from\u00a0complicity in\u00a0this history of systemic racism.<br \/>\nCurrent events show us that unvoiced support\u00a0for marginalized\u00a0communities\u00a0is only slightly better than no support at all, so we are actively adding our voice. However, this is only the first step. We also commit to \u201cwalking the walk\u201d in order to create a more equitable, inclusive, and empowering environment,\u00a0and a more just society.\u00a0As a start, we will take the following concrete steps:<br \/>\n<b>Creating a more inclusive environment:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Solicit feedback from students on \u201cWhat would make you feel more welcome and\/or comfortable in the Alfred University Libraries?\u201d Partner with the Institute for Cultural Unity to ensure students from marginalized groups are aware that we are asking for their feedback.<\/li>\n<li>Require all library\u00a0personnel\u00a0to\u00a0participate in\u00a0implicit bias and bystander intervention training\u00a0(see Appendix).<\/li>\n<li>Strongly encourage library personnel to\u00a0participate in\u00a0Psychological\u00a0First-Aid\u00a0(PFA)\u00a0and Safe Zone training\u00a0(see Appendix).<\/li>\n<li>Evaluate the\u00a0library\u00a0search and hiring process to reduce bias and increase equity\u00a0and\u00a0to\u00a0incorporate\u00a0best-practices.<\/li>\n<li>Integrate anti-racist and\/or anti-oppression values and language into the AU Libraries Mission, Vision, and Values.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Creating more inclusive collections:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Actively\u00a0add\u00a0the work of\u00a0BIPOC\u00a0scholars to library collections.<\/li>\n<li>Add resources to support anti-oppression research and work to library collections.<\/li>\n<li>Solicit suggestions from students on collecting library materials by and\/or about BIPOC.<\/li>\n<li>Whenever possible, ensure\u00a0that\u00a0library displays include works by marginalized creators\/authors.<\/li>\n<li>Expand collaboration with student groups for library displays and events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Educating ourselves:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Begin a\u00a0discussion group\u00a0for library\u00a0personnel\u00a0focusing on\u00a0works from\u00a0a list of\u00a0anti-racist\u00a0resources\u00a0or\u00a0a\u00a0list of\u00a0anti-oppression\u00a0readings focused on libraries and librarianship (see Appendix).<\/li>\n<li>Create a resource guide focused on anti-oppression\u00a0(see Appendix).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We commit to\u00a0regularly evaluating our progress and\u00a0continuing\u00a0to\u00a0build on\u00a0this statement and commitment.\u00a0We welcome input from our patrons and our community on additional steps we can take as we work toward improving ourselves\u00a0as professionals and\u00a0as\u00a0the\u00a0Alfred\u00a0University Libraries.<br \/>\n<b>Appendix<\/b><b>:\u00a0<\/b><b>Example<\/b><b>\u00a0Trainings and Resources<\/b><br \/>\nTo guide the implementation of the actionable steps in\u00a0our commitment,\u00a0Alfred University Libraries recommend these examples and resources\u00a0to be used as appropriate.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Implicit bias<\/b>\u00a0training\u00a0may include\u00a0gender and sexuality\u00a0issues but\u00a0should also include racial issues such as micro and macroaggressions.\u00a0One such example is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/equity.ucla.edu\/know\/implicit-bias\/\">UCLA\u2019s \u201cKNOW\u201d Implicit Bias.<\/a>\u00a0This page provides a video series\u00a0and\u00a0modules\u00a0as well as scholarship\u00a0and additional videos.<\/li>\n<li><b>Bystander\u00a0<\/b><b>i<\/b><b>ntervention<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b>training<b>\u00a0<\/b>equips trainees with the training necessary to intervene\u00a0in situations of harassment and hate violence. One recommended resource is the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/20171005\/splc-campus-guide-bystander-intervention\">Southern Poverty Law Center\u2019s\u00a0guide to\u00a0bystander intervention<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Psychological First Aid<\/b><b>\u00a0(PFA)<\/b>\u00a0trainings\u00a0equip trainees to respond to disasters\u00a0and other traumatic events that affect a community\u00a0by focusing on safety, stabilization, and connecting people to helpful resources<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/practice\/programs\/dmhi\/psychological-first-aid\">. The American Psychological Association<\/a>\u00a0has compiled\u00a0lists of resources and PFA providers.<\/li>\n<li><b>Safe Zone\u00a0<\/b>trainings create the opportunity to learn about different identities, particularly LGBTQIA+\u00a0people and the prejudices that they face.\u00a0One example of Safe Zone training is provided by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thesafezoneproject.com\/\">Safe Zone Project.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Lists of anti-racist resources<\/b>\u00a0take many\u00a0meaningful\u00a0forms. One example of a list that pertains directly to higher education\u00a0was compiled by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutdownstem.com\/resources\">#ShutDownSTEM<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Anti-oppression\u00a0<\/b><b>readings focused in libraries\u00a0<\/b>have\u00a0a rich history.\u00a0One\u00a0exemplary\u00a0compilation of readings is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.library.wisc.edu\/gwslibrarian\/bibliographies\/disrupting-whiteness-in-libraries\/\">University of Wisconsin-Madison\u2019s\u00a0Disrupting Whiteness in Libraries and Librarianship: A Reading List.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Anti-oppression\u00a0<\/b><b>resource guides<\/b>\u00a0are helpful tools for guiding students and faculty toward understanding\u00a0oppression and the ways that they can combat it. Examples of such guides created by libraries include\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/guides.library.unlv.edu\/c.php?g=604186&amp;p=4187425\">Anti-Oppression Resources for UNLV Students<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/simmons.libguides.com\/anti-oppression\">Simmons University Library Anti-Oppression LibGuide<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1PrAq4iBNb4nVIcTsLcNlW8zjaQXBLkWayL8EaPlh0bc\/preview?fbclid=IwAR24Zuv-HTmDBBtoFXQxU2tTakTTAzkZorzwMhjfvSRyEzrY_RFfryRN9-k&amp;pru=AAABcpq8c14%2AC_JncXmFmMjf8og2gUGURA\">this scaffolded list<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alfred University Libraries stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and global movements responding to\u00a0the\u00a0systemic racism and anti-Black violence that recently claimed the lives of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud\u00a0Arbery, Tony McDade,\u00a0and innumerable others.\u00a0We recognize that this movement is intersectional and essential to dismantling oppression.\u00a0We\u00a0appreciate and endorse the statements of\u00a0Alfred University\u00a0and the\u00a0American Library Association, which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2539"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3094,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2539\/revisions\/3094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.alfred.edu\/aulibrarynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}