University of North Carolina Libraries Launches Reckoning Initiative to Advance Equity, Inclusion and Antiracism

From a UNC Library Post:

The University Libraries has launched a multi-faceted program to advance racial equity, inclusion and antiracism within the organization and through its work.

The Reckoning Initiative makes good on a call to action by Elaine L. Westbrooks, vice provost for University Libraries and University librarian. Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Westbrooks wrote: “While this violence may seem far removed from our daily experience at the University Libraries, we do not work here in isolation. We have an obligation—and a great deal of work to do—in order to be part of the solution.”

“Reckoning is an opportunity to look at our values and aspirations as a library, to see where we have fallen short and to find ways to do better,” Westbrooks said about the Reckoning Initiative.

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Driving the program is the University Libraries’ “Reckoning Initiative Framework,” which will guide efforts in five broad areas: education and training opportunities for Library staff; programmatic work; system analysis and change; integration of inclusion and antiracism into Library work; and tracking and assessment.

A great deal of work is already underway and is highlighted on the new Reckoning Initiative website, said Monica Figueroa, interim librarian for inclusive excellence.

“The Reckoning Initiative is the common thread that unites projects such as reconsidering the language we use to describe library materials or identifying and removing the barriers that have discouraged BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] individuals from pursuing or remaining in the library profession” said Figueroa. “Reckoning provides a lens for thinking in new ways about all the work that we do. How can we be a more just and more inclusive organization across the board?”

Learn More, Read the Complete Post

Resources

Direct to Reckoning Initiative Website

Direct to University Libraries’ Reckoning Initiative Framework

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