Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

All children need diverse books to offer them windows into the experiences of others, and mirrors that reflect their own experiences. Together we will explore how to integrate picture books and music that honor our differences into every storytime theme as well as how to evaluate diverse materials that respect different cultures, lifestyles, and “own voices” literature.

Research shows that children notice race at a very young age, and often draw erroneous conclusions if no one speaks to them about it. With a focus on story time, programming, collection development and user services, we will discuss and model ways librarians can talk about race and racism in age appropriate ways with children.

After parents reported heartbreaking stories about their reluctance to check out books for their young children because they could not afford the fines, the Colorado State Library looked into the details of charging overdue fines. What they discovered might surprise you!

Recommendations from the SPELL project for staff training, library spaces, collections, programs, policies, and customer services for reaching this vital audience. You will also find information on potential partners and how to engage them. Parents and their young children are worth the investment.

Understanding circumstances that lead to non-library use is key to strategizing ways to reach this audience. Take a look at Longmont Public Library’s example for inspiration. The positive implications for encouraging non-library users to become library users are significant!