October’s ALA Liaison Report includes professional development opportunities, MLIS funding for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian graduate students, and suggested reading material from the most recent EDI Assembly.
Committee on Library Advocacy (COLA)
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- The ALA Executive Board issued a statement on efforts to ban curriculum and materials related to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women’s history.
Conference Committee
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- Registration for LibLearnX Virtual is now open.
EDI Assembly
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- The Chinese American Librarians Association, in partnership with the Asian/Pacific American Libraries Association, is hosting a two half-day online forum in January 2022 to support leadership development opportunities for the community of Asian American and Pacific Islander American library workers. Funding will be provided to 50 LIS students or professionals to attend. Applications are due October 29.
- The American Indian Library Association shared that the IMLS funded a grant called Bridging Knowledge that will provide funding for 15 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian graduate students to earn MLIS degrees in partnership with San Jose State University. Applications are due November 15.
- The following themes and related articles were read and discussed by members of the EDI Assembly:
- Barriers to Intellectual Freedom and Social Justice (ALA statement)
- Barriers to Participation in ALA for Marginalized Groups (The Inaccessibility of ACRL 2021)
- Barriers to Advancement/Retention in the Field for Marginalized Groups (The Problem of Retention in Librarianship)
- Barriers to Recognition of BIPOC Labor (Statement Against White Appropriation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’s Labor)
