The secondary school library is more than a resource hub—it’s a space where connections are made, ideas are shared, and students find a sense of belonging. This session highlights how “mini programs” and the blank spaces in our schedule can transform you and your library program into a dynamic asset to your school community. From quick activities to thematic events, mini programs engage middle and high school students, encouraging literacy, social interaction, and academic exploration. Learn how to create and implement small, inclusive initiatives that foster relationships, celebrate diversity, and build a vibrant school community—all while requiring minimal time and resources.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion efforts within US organizations have faced a tumultuous landscape over recent years to which libraries are not immune. Our library recognizes that EDI initiatives are not about politics but rather about people. By evolving and expanding our EDI efforts, we prioritized best practices which make our organization more innovative, more responsive to our community, and better at cultivating employee satisfaction.
In the past two years, our EDI team implemented several new initiatives across our organization, which resulted in a 29% increase in employee engagement scores. We redesigned our staff training program and broadened the focus of our teams’ efforts, centering our organization's core mission and values. We sought innovative approaches that invited inclusion from all staff, leading to 88% voluntary staff participation in our new entry level EDI training class.
Do you need concrete ideas for incorporating EDI values that will work in your library? At this session you will learn:
How our mid-sized organization shifted from an academic-heavy training program to a practical application program and how this can work for your library, too.
Strategies to create inclusive trainings that connect EDI concepts to your organization’s core values.
Practices and trainings that foster learning, joy, staff connection and community building.
Innovative ways to include all levels of your organization in EDI practices.
Unlock one of the library’s keys to success and innovation: collaboration. Programming partnerships create an impact on every level, and we’ll share the strategies for you to build fruitful, lasting connections. Drawing on a combined 10+ years of experience, we’ll explore collaboration types, ranging from small-scale programs to larger events, and the specific processes that made them successful. Attendees will leave with the confidence and guidance to strengthen community ties, involve new partners, and transform their programming process. We’ll use real-world examples from our library, including how we adapted and learned from setbacks, to demonstrate how successful our programming was with the collective community and library partnerships.
Over four years of experience collaborating, fostering new partnerships, and leading 60+ programs while working at BPLD. I have focused mostly in my department Youth Services in which I have created programming for families, children and teens., Boulder Public Library District
Sophia has over 6 years of experience fostering and maintaining community partnerships as the Volunteer Services Manager at BPLD, and before that at CU Boulder's Volunteer Resource Center. Her experience covers planning the JLF Colorado festival, cultivating partnerships within the Boulder community, and solidifying relationships with volunteers., Boulder Public Library District
