2021
Breaking Down Bias

2021 NYLA/SSL Carol A. Kearney Leadership Institute

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Part 1: Breaking Down Bias*

A few last minute reminders for Institute attendees!

Here is the link to the 2021 Institute FAQ (also attached as a PDF). Please review the entire FAQ and let us know if you have any additional questions. Additionally, this information can be found on the 2021 Institute website.

Since there is quite a bit on the FAQ, here are 5 important highlights/things to note:

1. A boxed lunch will be provided to all attendees starting at 11 on Thursday at registration.

2. Your registration covers all your programming costs, meals, and parking. Parking for commuters will be validated. Please bring your entry ticket from the garage in with you for validation.

3. If you haven't done so already, please respond to the form regarding Thursday night book groups.

https://forms.gle/JBTKWd4SPsxKAbpQA

4.Interested in seeing what your day will look like at the Institute? Attendees can now view the schedule for the program:

https://tinyurl.com/jsek5753

5. If you haven't done so, please respond to the email that was sent last week regarding SLACK which invited you to our Slack workspace. You will need to click the join button in that email before or after signing up for Slack. You can use Google, Apple, or your email address to sign up. If you have any questions or did not receive the email with the invitation, please let Heather Turner know by email: nyla.sslibs@gmail.com

6. Please note that the scholarship auction is an integral part of the Institute. ALL the money raised at the auction goes directly to providing scholarships for the next year's Institute and this year there are fewer people to help us support this worthy activity. While the highlights are in the FAQ, more details regarding the format can be found here. Everyone is encouraged and invited to contribute a “basket” with items that you think others might want to bid on. Group them together in a cute container or wrapped in clear plastic so we can see them!! The better the items, the more money we will make. Feel free to partner up with someone -- ask members of your SLS or your affiliate to contribute to a “group basket”. In the past we have had “Movie night” – “Great Picture Books” – “Something for the Chef” – “A Wine-rs Dream” – type theme baskets but we have also had conference registrations, handcrafted pocketbooks and quilts and framed prints offered. The sky's the limit on what you can bring to donate so get creative! Need an idea? Google “theme baskets” and you’ll see what we mean.

And finally, we know that many of you might be attending your first "big" in person gathering mingling with persons outside of your regular contact "group". Please be assured that we are WELL below capacity for this event and there will be plenty of room to spread out and be socially distanced. Additionally, the hotel is following all NYS and county guidance for in person meetings and sanitizing of spaces. Unvaccinated individuals are required to mask; this is by order of the NYSDOH.

Syracuse University Sheraton, Syracuse, New York

July 29 and 30, 2021

(registration and lunch starting at 11am)

Institute:
Thursday 7/29, 12:00pm-5:30pm and 7pm-9pm
Friday, 7/30 9am-1pm

11 NYSED CTLE hours will be given for attendance at this event.

Presenters:

Implicit Bias:

“According to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University, ‘implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. Residing deep in the subconscious, these biases are different from known biases that individuals may choose to conceal for the purposes of social and/or political correctness. Rather, implicit biases are not accessible through introspection.”
–adapted from the January 4, 2021 American Libraries article “Mitigating Implicit Bias’” by Molly Hunter and Rachel Keiko Stark.

NYLA/SSL goals:

• establish a shared understanding of foundational concepts and issues related to race, racism, and racial equity.

• encourage school librarians’ self-reflection related to racial, ethnic and gender identity for diverse students.

• develop instructional strategies and curate resources for creating and/or improving library programs and services for diverse students, Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, Islamic, and/or LBGTQ+.

--adapted from the University of North Carolina School of Information and Library Science’s Project READY curriculum

Activities include: keynotes, panels, interactive workshops, EDI resources curated by participants, and a book discussion of diverse books at three levels: Elementary, Middle School, High School. The choices for the book discussions for pre-Institute reading can be found here.

Registration: $200 includes the program, meals, and parking. Registration does not include lodging.

ALL Institute participants must be NYLA/SSL members. If you are not a member please go to www.nyla.org and join (first-time membership is $25). Online registration will be posted shortly and will be included in a SSL Memberblast email.

Lodging: room reservations may be made by calling the Sheraton directly at (888)-627-7097 or (315)-475-3000 or at https://www.marriott.com The group rate has expired, but full priced rooms are still available.

NYS and Onondaga County DOH COVID regulations will apply to all participants.

• Registration for this event is capped at 100 participants, less than maximum allowed capacity.

• All participants are expected to follow the COVID guidelines that are in effect at the time of the Institute.

• Seating will be spaced to allow for social distancing and the hotel is following all guidance for in person meetings and sanitizing of spaces. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/syrsi-sheraton-syracuse-university-hotel-and-conference-center/

*NYLA/SSL is committed to discussions regarding these important topics for three Institutes, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Attendance at all three is not expected nor necessary. Participants may choose to attend all three, or just the one(s) that appeals to them.