Vancouver library board removes ‘equitable access’ from strategic plan; Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), January 27, 2026

 Erik Neumann (OPB) , Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB); Vancouver library board removes ‘equitable access’ from strategic plan

"The Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries board removed references to equity from the district’s strategic plan at a contentious meeting Monday night. 

A board member resigned after the vote, which followed a heated debate over intellectual freedom at a time when “diversity, equity and inclusion” policies have come under growing scrutiny. 

The board meeting focused on whether to keep phrases about “equitable access” and “intellectual freedom” in the plan that will guide the library district for the next five years. 

The plan has been under review for 10 months. Recently, some board members have said terms about equity and intellectual freedom should be replaced with more neutral language in the plan’s mission, vision and priorities, in order to avoid politicized terms. 

After hearing dozens of public comments over nearly three hours of discussion, the board of trustees could not agree on whether to keep the equity language or approve the updates that would remove it. 

Nearly all public comments during Monday’s meeting were in support of keeping “equitable access” and “intellectual freedom” in the strategic plan. 

Likewise, a library staff report noted that over 80% of earlier public comments also supported retaining the equity language. 

“The idea that the word ‘equity’ is divisive isn’t supported by the community surveys this board itself commissioned,” resident James Watson-Hughes said during public comment. “We can’t dismiss that data in favor of small samples of anecdotal conversations simply because the word makes some people feel uncomfortable.” 

Late in the meeting, the board disregarded that input...

Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries Executive Director Jennifer Giltrap did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. 

During public comments on Monday, Diane Clark, a public services librarian for the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries, advocated to keep the original equity language and said changing it would lead to a “one size fits all” approach to access that does not recognize different people’s varied needs. 

“Equity demands that we be proactive,” Clark said. “It is the difference between simply keeping the doors open and actively building a bridge to communities that cannot reach the library.”"

Chicago Public Library Debuts Initiative Offering Ebooks to the City’s Visitors During Special Events; Library Journal, August 23, 2024

 Matt Enis, Library Journal; Chicago Public Library Debuts Initiative Offering Ebooks to the City’s Visitors During Special Events

"“Access to knowledge and information is the foundation of a thriving, equitable, and democratic city,” Mayor Johnson said in an announcement. “Thanks to Chicago Public Library and our dedicated librarians, we’re making this powerful initiative possible, ensuring that everyone in Chicago has the opportunity to learn, grow, and connect through universal access to literature.”" 

A Good Way for ALA; American Libraries, July 24, 2024

  Cindy Hohl , American Libraries; A Good Way for ALA

"As the first Dakota president and Spectrum Scholar representing the 1% of Indigenous librarians, I will reaffirm that diversifying the field remains overdue. We need to focus on creating opportunities for our colleagues to be represented across every library type in this field. When leaders come together to support the entire community, that act of selfless service elevates collective goodwill among us. The same is true for work life. When we remember what our ancestors taught us and use those teachings to make informed decisions, we can avoid pitfalls along the path toward equitable service.

We also must have the goal of eliminating acts of censorship. On June 2, 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act was passed, granting us dual citizenship. Also known as the Snyder Act, it provided Native Americans with new identities in a step toward equality. While voting credentials were provided to some, several states decided to withhold the same rights from Native American women. Even as the remaining states finally provided voting privileges by 1975, barriers remain today in rural areas where polling locations are out of reach or tribally issued identification cards are not considered an acceptable form of identification by states.

Access to libraries can also be a challenge in these rural areas. We have the ability to accept tribal IDs for library access and create sustainable employment opportunities to ensure success without barriers. That way no one is left behind when acts of censorship are creating a division among us. If we work together in this way, everyone can see themselves written in stories, their voices can be heard, and no one is silenced.

Our core values help us see that what one holds sacred is a touchstone in advancing this work as we strive to serve everyone in ­#AGoodWay together."

Libraries are reimagining what public safety and access to resources look like; Prism, May 5, 2022

 Tamar Sarai, Prism ; Libraries are reimagining what public safety and access to resources look like

"“People think libraries have changed so much, but really, we’re still doing the same things,” Fewell said. “We are making sure people have access to information and resources… connecting people [with what] they need: food, wound care, connecting to the WiFi because the only device they have to access the internet is their phone… We’re providing resources to get people the next thing that they’re looking for, and I love it.”

As libraries and library staff begin embracing new ways to serve their patrons and in doing so, promote alternative conceptions of public safety, pushback has followed. Local police have decried the initiatives as eroding relationships with law enforcement, and other patrons have argued that their libraries are becoming less safe and that their own needs are being neglected as marginalized community members find themselves increasingly welcome into the library’s branches. However, while providing more social services and even connecting with currently incarcerated people might expand the work of libraries, staff engaging in these initiatives argue that the work is simply a fulfillment of the library’s long-standing purpose to provide information and foster community."

Movers & Shakers: The People Shaping the Future of Libraries; Library Journal, May 2020

Francine Fialkoff, Project Manager and Cofounder, LJ Movers and Shakers, Library Journal; Movers and Shakers: The People Shaping the Future of Libraries

"Welcome to LJ’s 2020 Movers and Shakers 

It is my great pleasure to congratulate and welcome the 46 individuals named 2020 Movers and Shakers. They join a distinguished group that is now nearly 1,000 strong. Reading any of these profiles will surely bring a little light into our COVID-19–quarantined days.

The 2020 Movers, like so many librarians and library workers, are passionate about what they do. They’re transforming their communities, schools, and colleges and universities in myriad ways. They’re changing education for children and adults, with innovative approaches to literacy, learning, and teaching. They’re lowering barriers to access for English language learners and those who aren’t connected to the internet—and creating opportunities. They’re empowering voters. They’re redefining archives to include groups that have been marginalized, erased, or misrepresented. They’re devising strategies to make libraries, and our society, more inclusive for everyone.

With most schools, colleges and universities, and public libraries closed due to COVID-19, they’re delivering formerly inperson services virtually and expanding online services on the fly, like so many reading this. For more on what librarians are doing now and insights on what the “new normal” must include, see Meredith Schwartz’s editorial, “Don’t Settle for Normal.”"

To Protect Black Americans from the Worst Impacts of COVID-19, Release Comprehensive Racial Data; Scientific American, April 24, 2020

Joia Crear-Perry, Michael McAfee , Scientific American; To Protect Black Americans from the Worst Impacts of COVID-19, Release Comprehensive Racial Data

Properly reported information is crucial for black communities to recover from this crisis and transcend a history of exclusion

"History shows that when crises strike, Black Americans often experience the worst consequences. We mustn’t continue allowing this to happen. Our organizations—the National Birth Equity Collaborative and PolicyLink—recently joined a coalition called WeMustCount demanding the data. Once we have that data, we’re calling on policymakers to take immediate action to help.

The data on Black Americans and COVID-19 are shocking but not unexpected. Engrained racist structures prevent them from fully accessing health care, education, employment and more—all of which increases susceptibility to COVID-19 and its most devastating health consequences.

These issues trace back far before the current pandemic. It was baked into the nation’s founding and carries forward today. Black Americans have always suffered disproportionately from national crises...

Buried behind all of this is an underlying fear: Releasing the information would mean bringing attention to a problem that policy makers could otherwise easily ignore

After food-delivery robots were benched, Pitt tests putting them back on the sidewalks; The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 1, 2019

Bill Schackner, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; After food-delivery robots were benched, Pitt tests putting them back on the sidewalks

"Last week, the San Francisco-based company and dining services vendor Sodexo resumed testing. Earlier, the gizmos were pulled from the streets after a doctoral student using a wheelchair said one blocked her access to a sidewalk on Forbes Avenue.

Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick said officials are still hoping to formally debut the robots this fall. A handful of other universities nationwide are using the Starship robots...

The 2-foot tall, six-wheeled devices that resemble rolling coolers are programmed to navigate the campus and can be operated remotely as they cross streets around campus. The plans have drawn a range of reactions from those who depend on takeout or find themselves navigating crowded streets with the bots."

OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment; American Libraries, July 10, 2018

American Libraries;

OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment

 

"“As cited in the interpretation, there are two prominent cases addressing public library meeting rooms. One involved religion. One involved a white supremacist group. In both cases, the library prohibiting the groups use of space lost lawsuits and were forced to change their policies.

“The Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room amendment should serve as a catalyst for library staff to review or establish policies with assistance from their legal counsel. We encourage libraries to adopt policies that govern meeting space use while meeting the needs of the community that they serve.

“Library staff in need of meeting room best practices may access a variety of free resources through OIF’s Meeting Rooms, Exhibit Spaces, and Programs, which offers strategies and resources for libraries to address community concerns and prepare for potentially controversial library-initiated events. Also, ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services has an excellent set of resources on responding to all kinds of challenges related to diversity. Additional resources are available via the OIF blog."

Adding Classes and Content, Resurgent Libraries Turn a Whisper Into a Roar; New York Times, 7/4/16

Winnie Hu, New York Times; Adding Classes and Content, Resurgent Libraries Turn a Whisper Into a Roar:

"In Queens, which has a large South Asian population, a library in Jamaica offers sewing classes in Bengali for Bangladeshi women, some of whom now earn a living as seamstresses. Libraries in Flushing and South Jamaica teach social media skills to small-business owners...

Linda Johnson, the president of the Brooklyn Public Library, said 552 satellite libraries had been set up in schools, senior centers and homeless shelters to promote literacy and bring books, technology and other services to those who are unable to visit their branches. Twenty of the satellites are at Rikers Island, the city’s main jail complex, where inmates can now read books to their children at outside neighborhood branches through video conferencing."