Equity Principles
How do we know if our library embraces equitable summer services? Building Equity-Based Summers’ Equity Principles (EPs) help us to answer that question. They are our calls to action. They inspire change, help us set clear goals, and take the mystery out of assessing our equity-focused efforts. When woven together these principles are the foundational fabric of all equitable libraries.
Our learning sessions cover the deep details of the principles and how to apply them.
Begin with any of our four principles. Acknowledge that equity work requires ongoing iteration and is not a box to be checked off. Recognize that each of our principles connects and bulilds on others. Find a place to start!
Now equity is forefront in my mind when planning summer, which is a great start, but I know that this will be an ongoing evolving process.
Center Community
How Do We:
- Get input from community members experiencing marginalization to understand what they need and what they’re good at and what are the gaps that we might help to fill?
- Look at data from diverse communities to avoid making assumptions?
- Move beyond hiring performers or providing diverse books as the primary ways we serve those experiencing marginalization?
- Ensure voices of marginalized community members are heard and used in our decisions?
- Identify community members who can help us connect with those experiencing marginalization?
- Shift from one-time interactions to building ongoing relationships with marginalized community members?
- Leverage community relationships in our design and implementation of summer services?
- Identify and breakdown external community barriers that impact the design and implementation of equitable summer services
Create Impact Through Responsive Library Systems
How Do We:
- Ensure job descriptions and staffing models support equitable summer services?
- Design recruitment and hiring practices that focus on bringing in community members experiencing marginalization?
- Identify and break down internal barriers in summer service planning and design by including input from all staff levels and departments?
- Define our why for summer services?
- Communicate our why for summer services to colleagues, leaders, decision-makers, community members, and vested partners?
- Show our commitment to achieving our why with those experiencing marginalization?
- Promote the idea of rethinking summer services as a way to build equitable practices, both in the library and in the community?
- Ensure ongoing learning is valued?
Build Library Culture that is Equitable, Agile, and Learning Centered
How Do We:
- Learn about, implement, and sustain equitable library practices?
- Learn about equitable practices from other industries or organizations to improve our own?
- Help colleagues and partners understand how to design and implement equitable summer services?
- Show flexibility, take risks, and try new things?
- Take risks and try new things as we design and implement equitable summer services?
- Build staffing that reflects different backgrounds and races?
- Support the diverse backgrounds and racialized identities in meetings and decision-making?
Reflect Continuously
How Do We:
- Spend time reflecting on your own lived experiences and how those impact our work within the library and with communities experiencing marginalization?
- Take time to think about our summer services and figure out what changes to make and who should be involved?
- Use what we learn from reflection to create equitable summer service practices?
- Explain the purpose of our summer services and check if it addresses the needs and strengths of marginalized community members?
- Rethink our summer service traditions to better serve community members experiencing marginalization?
- Review the data we collect to ensure our summer services and practices are equitable?
Could BEBS impact more of your community? Join our free learning sessions to begin the change.
