Public Library Trustees – Register for INCLUDING YOU June 7 – July 12 Workshop | STAGING Compendium

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Public Library Trustees – Register for INCLUDING YOU June 7 – July 12 Workshop

by | May 24, 2023 | Belonging, Equity, Inclusion, Professional Development

INCLUDING YOU logo. Yellow speech bubble with the words INCLUDING YOU inside of it.

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries is offering Pennsylvania public library trustees a unique opportunity to become change agents for their communities.  Library directors should encourage trustees to plan to attend the June – July virtual workshop series of INCLUDING YOU.  This “trustees only” session will help develop skills to become active partners in establishing inclusive environments at the library and in the community.  Read more about the workshop below. 

Deputy Secretary Susan Banks says:

We are pleased to announce a special session of “INCLUDING YOU,” our hands-on, practical learning experience to change Pennsylvania’s librarians and their practice at the front line.  This special session is designed especially for Library Trustees and governing leadership.  First, we’ll cover the personal exploration of participants’ experiences with implicit bias and exclusionary behavior in classic “INCLUDING YOU” fashion.  From that springboard, we’ll expand into practical work on building an inclusive and welcoming foundation of policy and practice for library services and governance.

INCLUDING YOU is an interactive six-week workshop series designed especially for libraries that focuses on communication strategies to establish inclusive work and community environments. 

Please take a moment to watch this INCLUDING YOU video on PA Library Staff Academy. Library staff who need access to the Academy can create a free account here.     

INCLUDING YOU is different from any training in Diversity, Equity, or Inclusion you have ever experienced. These workshops will help you: 

  • identify your implicit biases and manage them.  
  • identify microaggressions and address them.  
  • apologize and accept (or not accept) apologies.  
  • manage the discomfort and stress that discrimination creates.  

The emphasis is on practice so that the communication strategies you learn become second nature. 

INCLUDING YOU is eligible for Act 48 and Pennsylvania Public Library Continuing Education credit.  

Remaining workshop dates for 2023 are as follows:  

  • June 7 – July 12 (Wednesdays) 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Workshop is open to public library trustees only.  Register Trustees here.
  • August 9 – September 13 (Wednesdays) 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM   Workshop is open to library staff at all levels and all types of libraries as well as public library trustees.  Registration for this workshop will open a few weeks in advance of the workshop start date.     

Each class is limited to 30 participants; registration and acceptance to the class is on a first come, first served basis. 

Expectations: Participation requires a commitment to six approximately two-hour virtual workshops.  Please plan to attend all workshops as one workshop builds upon another.  There will be a nominal amount of homework for each workshop. 

Participants will engage in the following activities:  

  • Large group discussion
  • Small group discussion
  • In-workshop reflection 
  • At-home reflection 
  • Actual practicing of responses  
  • Participants will also be assigned “Accountability Partners” to converse and reflect upon workshop.  

 Because INCLUDING YOU instructors encourage an open, vulnerable environment, workshops will not be recorded. 

Communities of Practice:  Workshop participants are also invited to participate in monthly “Community of Practice” sessions.  These informal professional networks allow for more discussion on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion.    

 Testimonials for INCLUDING YOU from past participants: 

“This is not check the box training.” 

“There is no other training quite like this!” 

“I’m accepting and inclusive and this made me realize what I need to work on.” 

“Practical applications through practice, practice, practice!”  

If you have any questions, please contact INCLUDING YOU course instructor Mardia Bishop at bishopweeksconsulting@gmail.com or Stacey Mulligan, BLD Library Development Advisor, at smulligan@pa.gov.

This training is made possible by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services https://www.imls.gov administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services or the Department of Education.