| In Evaluating, Auditing, and Diversifying Your Collections, our online course starting October 19, you’ll learn from an outstanding group of experts as they explore key concepts essential to cultivating and promoting inclusive and equitable collections. You’ll conduct a diversity audit of your collections, and learn how to include diverse books, wider perspectives, and how to be both more responsive to the community you serve and more reflective of the diversity of our world. In Week 2 of our course, you’ll learn how to assess materials in your current and future collections, recognize common problematic stereotypes, tropes, and microaggressions, and how to choose better materials in our collection development deep dive. Here’s what one participant had to say: “This course was an awesome refresher in the importance of diversity in collection development, but was also a deep dive into the specific trends and tropes to be aware of. It encouraged me to take an in-depth look at the diversity of our fiction collection, rather than just doing mental "diversity checks" when I order. I am really looking forward to the process and results of my diversity audit so I can strengthen my collection further.”
—Samantha Stryker Basile, Community and Adult Services Librarian, Richmond Memorial Library | 