Anti-racism & BCLA

Please consider participating in the BCLA current state assessment survey, and sharing this invitation with others in the BC library community. The survey will remain open until January 13, 2023.

BCLA is embarking on a journey to become an anti-racist organization, supported by The Commons Consulting and a project advisory group. This survey, created in collaboration with the project advisory group, is part of a multi-phase approach that will move BCLA towards becoming an anti-racist organization.

Read more about this invitation to participate in the current state assessment survey to help shape BCLA’s anti-racism work.

The BC Libraries Association (BCLA) has partnered with The Commons Consulting to begin the ongoing work of BCLA’s long-term goal of becoming an anti-racist organization. In 2021 the BCLA board committed multi-year funding to anti-racism work, and after an open call for proposals The Commons was selected as the consultants to support BCLA for the first year, which started in the Spring of 2022. This initial current state assessment phase (Phase 1) will run until the Spring of 2023.

The objective of this initial phase includes designing and facilitating a current state assessment of the BCLA’s anti-racist and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) efforts and proposing recommendations on building more just, equitable and inclusive organizational processes and practices. Deliberate consideration will also be given to how existing BCLA initiatives, that hold mandates connected to anti-racism and JEDI, can be built upon and supported.

View the Timeline.

BCLA is embarking on a journey to become an anti-racist organization, supported by The Commons Consulting. This will require ongoing and dedicated effort and funding, as there will always be more to do. We want to express our gratitude to the Indigenous, Black, and racialized members, past and present, who have invested time and energy to bring us to this point.

The initial phase, from March 2022-February 2023, is focused on information gathering and building a foundation by increasing staff and Board competencies. It will result in the development of a Final Report that outlines the organization’s current state and readiness for change with necessary recommendations to assist in future organizational transformation. This will serve as a guide for the ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion, and anti-racism work of BCLA. The project team is comprised of staff from BCLA and The Commons, and will lead with a change management approach centering IBPOC voices and using an intersectional and equity lens in all aspects of the work.

We are looking for members of the BC library community to guide this work by being part of a Project Advisory Group (PAG). The PAG will be the main advisory body for the project. Its primary mandate is to provide guidance to the project team as they design and carry out the community engagement aspects of the project.

Read the complete call for members.

BCLA is seeking an anti-racism consultant or consulting group to advise and support the Association’s work toward our goal of becoming an anti-racist organization. We are at the beginning of this journey and hope this relationship will continue in subsequent years as our skills develop and our needs evolve.

Read the complete Call for Proposal.

October 6, 2021

Dear BCLA Members,

BCLA needs to become an anti-racist organization. As President and Incoming President of BCLA, we believe in that goal and are personally committing to hold board and staff accountable to doing the necessary work. In conversations with the Board, we can tell you that they are all in agreement that this must be done, and acknowledge this will take ongoing effort, as there will always be more to do. Over the past year many of you have expressed how important this is to you, and we want you to know that we have heard you and agree.

At our September meeting, the Board agreed on the importance and urgency of this work and allocated $10,000 for the remainder of 2021 to begin this work, including hiring a consultant. Going forward we will have dedicated funding in our annual budgets to support the ongoing work that we will be doing.

We will be working with the consultant to establish a plan and will be sharing a timeline with BCLA members to hold ourselves accountable and ensuring ongoing action. Staff will also be reporting to the Board on progress at every meeting. We anticipate the plan will include anti-racism training for Board and staff and opportunities for input and feedback from members. We expect a review of BCLA structure, policies, and procedures with a focus on anti-racism will be necessary.

We expect we may establish a committee in future, but first we need to take the time to engage the membership to tell us what is needed and what to prioritize, and we will ensure that formation of any committee includes an open call for participation.

We want to express our thanks to the Black, Indigenous, and racialized members who have invested time and energy to bring us to this point – your contributions and feedback have helped to set us on a better path.

BCLA has made mistakes, and despite our best efforts we know we will likely make more as we move forward. When we do, we will listen, learn, and strive to do better.

Best regards,

Todd Mundle, President

Tracey Therrien, Incoming President