IDEA Action Group
About the Group
Taking inspiration from the University of North Carolina Libraries’ reckoning initiative, I co-founded the Library and Information Technology IDEA Action Group out of a desire to act on our division’s statement supporting anti-racism, and to fulfill our mission to work constantly to facilitate social justice. IDEA is an acronym for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism. I co-chaired the IDEA Action Group with my Trinity College colleagues Joelle Thomas, User Engagement Librarian, and Cait Kennedy, Research, Technology, and Outreach Librarian from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022.
The primary purpose of the group is to write and implement a strategic plan for developing equitable and inclusive systems, services, spaces, collections, resources, and programming. “Our vision is an organization with a diverse, actively anti-racist staff that proactively builds and sustains inclusive and equitable systems, policies, practices, resources, and programming. Principles of racial justice and DEI are embedded in all aspects of our work and inform our path forward.”
The team has succeeded in writing a racial justice action plan with 37 goals and is currently in the implementation phase. The goals are organized around seven focus areas, as identified by the college:
Representation of People of Color
Racial Justice Education, History, and Reflection
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
Inclusive Physical and Social Spaces
Policies, Procedures, and Practices
Sustainable Funding and Resources
Accountability and Communication
Below is the full charge of the group as well as our presentation to library leadership detailing our purpose and vision, the ways in which our work aligns with the mission and strategic priorities of our organization, and our requests from leadership to ensure the sustainability of the initiative.
Library & Technology Focused Antiracism Reading List
One of the stated goals in our division's racial equity action plan was to host the Racial Equity Institute's Groundwater training for our organization and select campus partners. Below is a library and technology focused antiracism reading list I created for our division as a follow up to the Groundwater training.