Call for members closed June 17, 2022
Building a Foundation for BCLA’s Anti-racism Work
We are looking for people to join our project advisory group!
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.
The PAG will be comprised of:
- Rina Hadziev, Executive Director, British Columbia Library Association
- Todd Mundle, President, British Columbia Library Association Board
- Representatives of The Commons Consulting (Adeline Huynh, Principal and Kathleen Yang, Collaborator)
- Eight representatives from the BC Library community
The PAG search process:
- The composition of the PAG should be a mix of perspectives and expertise to enable the achievement of the committee’s purpose. The PAG should also be a mix of people with different lived experiences including those with visible and invisible group affiliation with historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized peoples.
- Representatives will be selected based on geographic region, lived experience, expertise, and/or skills.
- Non-members are welcome to apply, however BCLA membership will be considered as part of the selection process.
- Responses will be confidential and only read by The Commons Consulting, who will make the membership selection based on the above criteria.
- BCLA will be forwarded the names of the short-listed applicants.
If you are interested in becoming a part of the PAG please submit a Letter of Interest to via email to The Commons by June 17th at 5:00pm [PST]. We expect to notify applicants by June 24, 2022. In your submission, please provide us with the following information:
- Identify the geographic region where you work
- Identify the type of library (public, academic, school, special, etc)
- Identify the role you hold at your library
- Confirm you are available to attend monthly virtual meetings for the next 12 months
- Identify if you are a current BCLA member
- Identify if you are a member of the BCLA Board of Directors
- Please tell us why you want to be part of the PAG and what you feel you will bring to the group.
- Identify your experience and expertise in any of the following areas:
- Equity and inclusion work;
- truth and reconciliation work;
- anti-oppression work;
- policy and systems change;
- community organizing and building;
- organizational change;
- Optional: Self-identification of identities is optional. There is no requirement to complete this section. Information will be used internally by The Commons to support a diverse composition of the PAG:
- Identify as a woman
- Identify as a non-binary person
- Identify as a man
- Identify as someone with trans experience. For the purpose of this application, trans experience means that your gender identity does not align with your sex assigned at birth
- Identify as someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, Two-Spirit, or an analogous identity/term
- Identify as an Indigenous person. For the purpose of this application, Indigenous peoples include treaty, status/non-status, registered/non- registered North American Indians and/or members of First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
- Identify as someone who is racialized, a visible minority, person of colour, or an analogous identity/term. For the purposes of this application, members of racialized groups are persons who do not identify as Indigenous peoples (as defined in the previous statement), and who do not identify as primarily European and/or White in race, ethnicity, origin, and/or colour, regardless of their birthplace or citizenship.
- Identify as a person with a disability/disabilities