Andrea Davidson kindly recorded notes for anyone who wasn’t able to attend the PLA webinar about: Re-Weaving the Culture through Inclusive Norms in the Public Library.
Please find notes (PDF) here: Public Library Association Webinar on Reweaving the Culture, June 3, 2021, notes by Andrea Davidson
Additional Resources:
- Nice White Meetings:
https://cjal.ca/index.php/capal/article/view/34340 - White Supremacy Culture (Tema Okun) (PDF):
https://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pd
Webinar description from PLA:
The history of public libraries is deeply rooted in white supremacy, and white cultural norms still dominate management practices in public libraries today. In order to create more inclusive workplace cultures in public libraries, new norms must be established by creating decision-making processes and modes of communication that honor the cultural norms of BIPOC staff members.
As libraries emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with an increased awareness of racial inequities in the communities we serve, the time has also come to look inward at the ways our own management systems and structures perpetuate inequities among those who work in public libraries. By dismantling and re-weaving organizational culture norms to decenter whiteness, we can work together to create a better, more inclusive future.
This panel discussion provides background on white cultural norms in librarianship, illustrated by examples from the lived experience of the panelists, so you can develop a deeper understanding of the way that these norms marginalize, silence, and harm BIPOC library staff members.
Originally presented June 3, 2021.