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.
