(via the Illinois Library Association)
Registration is now open for the upcoming ILA Noon Network webinar “Balancing Equity and Freedom in Collection Development Policies”. It will take place on Monday, June 13, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM CDT. An overview of the webinar and the link to registration are below.
Safeguarding libraries against censorship during a time where politically charged book challenges aim to suppress the ideas of marginalized communities is paramount. Libraries are considered a “cradle” of democracy. To maintain our commitment to equitable library services, we must interrogate the role that policies play in the selection and removal of library materials.
This webinar will focus on the importance of crafting collection development policies that combat both censorship and collection inequality.
The presentation will discuss the historical role of libraries in fighting against injustice and will highlight findings from current research on collection development policies. The goal is to highlight best practices for crafting policies that align with library core values and the tenets of information freedom.
The presenter, Dr. Andrea Jamison, is an Assistant Professor of Librarianship at Illinois State University. Professor Jamison has more than 17 years of experience working in the field of education and libraries. She speaks internationally on library inclusivity, intellectual freedom, and the interplay of race, power, and privilege in children’s books. Her research involves examining equity issues in library services and the role that libraries play in either perpetuating or mitigating systems of inequity.
For more information, and to register, please go here.
All ILA Noon Network webinars are free to Illinois libraries and recordings will be made available shortly after webinars.