Chapter 17, Fall 2021
BPL’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team has accomplished a lot in a year, and is recruiting new members! Jennifer Lord The Boulder Public Library’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team was proposed to LTeam in July 2019. After recruiting 11 amazing members, we began formally meeting together in 2020. We have accomplished a lot despite the pandemic, and acknowledge that our work is just beginning. Some of our members will be rotating off the team this year, so we’re ready for some new faces! In September, the first BPL All Staff Survey will have been completed. The fruits of the survey, along with the Recruitment, Hiring, & Retention plan will inform the upcoming work of the team. The EDI team is looking for 3-4 new members. JOIN the EDI TEAM! Representation from all workgroups is encouraged in order to garner support from a broad range of staff. We especially request participation from our branches. The group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 9:15-10:30am, with action items being worked on independently between meetings. Each member will serve one to three years on the team with part of the group rotating out every year to ensure continuity of work and knowledge and to invigorate the team with fresh perspectives. Members should expect to dedicate 3-5 hours per month towards this work. Talk with your supervisor, and look out for our open call in September!
A REVIEW OF THE EDI TEAM’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2019-PRESENT : Established group agreements, managed multiple workloads with passion & high integrity, and incorporated personal work/growth into our EDI projects Advocated for pronouns to be added to staff name badges and email signatures Crafted a BPL-wide EDI-focused performance goal that is part of all staff’s 2020 goals Drafted our mission statement Created a communications plan Monthly post in BPL Training Opportunity channel EDI share at every staff chat Standing piece in Open Book Worked within our own projects & departments to advocate for diversity, equity, & inclusion Specifically integrate EDI values into our daily work Reading, training, personal immersion in EDI valuesbased materials Crafted a BPL staff survey to “take the temperature” & help us establish priorities for future work Successfully lobbied for Homeless Library Academy training for all BPL staff Members spent ~8-12 hours per month on EDI work; the original proposal anticipated 2-3 hours per month Crafted a hiring vision statement Created a recruitment, hiring, & retention plan, which is under review from an outside consultant team
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