Action Plans

2019 Action Plan

We Stand Against Racism - Antiracism statement from TRL Administrative Team released July 15, 2020

2020-2022 Strategic Direction Timeline by Quarter

July - September 2020
October - December 2020
January - March 2021
April - June 2021
July - September 2021
October 2021 - December 2022
Beyond 2022

Actions by Department

Administration  

• Review policies through EDI lens for Board of Trustees approval
• Review procedures through EDI lens for Executive Director approval
• Executive Director will work with Board of Trustees to identify EDI trainings for the Board of Trustees
• Write and distribute Anti-Racism Statement
• With staff, create EDI Action Plan July 2020-2022 in alignment with 2020-2022 Strategic Direction
• Approve Racial Equity All Staff Training Plan developed by Public Services Team, Training and Development Coordinator

Collection Services

• Collection Development
  • Prioritize professional development that centers on EDI
  • Selectors will audit their ordering for diversity 
  • Consult with reading lists, blogs, and other resources created about and by BIPOC/Own Voices authors and featuring BIPOC/Own Voices characters
  • Provide support for staff reader’s advisory around EDI
  • Ensure our commitment to EDI is clear in our Collection Development Guidelines
  • Continue to provide a wide variety of voices and experiences in our collections
  • Work with our vendors to advocate for appropriate subject headings and tagging to highlight own voices materials in their highlighted selections and bibliographic records they provide
  • Advocate to publishers for increased publication of BIPOC/Own Voices authors
  • Review existing weeding policy to ensure that special consideration is given to materials featuring BIPOC, LBGTQ+, or disabled characters and/or authors.
• Cataloging
  • Enhance subject headings to make diverse titles more easily accessible for patrons and for staff doing Reader’s Advisory – add in local subject headings highlighting BIPOC/Own Voices, etc.
• Social Media/Blog Posts
  • Give staff and patrons a preview of new EDI items coming soon to their branches. Build excitement around new materials!

Creative Services

• TRL’s Marketing Plan and Communication Strategies will reflect our diverse communities
• Publicity materials are Bilingual (English & Spanish)
• Publicity materials translated into other languages as needed
• Create a work plan to ensure our marketing and communications strategies support EDI
• Ensure accurate video captioning for TRL created or promoted videos
• Ensure all images added to website have accompanying alternative text

Facilities

• Every library is ADA accessible
• Gender neutral restroom signage
• Increase the number of RFPs awarded to women and minorities, including advertising in Spanish and on additional bulletins

Human Resources

• Ensuring policies are accessible, anti-racist, non-gendered, anti-ableist
• Hiring practices are improved to limit bias towards race, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, disability, and other minority and protected groups
• Include preference for language proficiency or cultural background and knowledge in job bulletins
• Implement a confidential reporting process for staff and patrons experiencing microaggressions and racism
• Conduct exit interviews to learn where TRL can improve
• Provide training for supervisors to promote awareness of cultural sensitivity and ways to support inclusion and equity

IT

• Website is accessible for all patrons including alternative text for images
• Translation of content into multiple languages

Public Services

• Anti-Racism Staff Training Plan, including micro-aggressions, completed by all staff
• Ensuring policies are accessible, anti-racist, non-gendered
• Public Services staff reflect communities:
  • 25% public services staff are Latinx or Spanish speakers
  • The number of BIPOC employees is increased by 20%
• Staff receive training to ensure staff and patrons are addressed by appropriate pronouns and are not misgendered
• Staff are engaged with Spanish speaking, black, indigenous, and people of color communities 
  • Staff training to hold engagement events
  • Regular engagement events take library staff members into communities to communicate directly with community members
  • Programs and services are designed to accommodate the needs of communities
• Programming
  • Staff are comfortable talking about race and diversity in Storytime, book groups, and other programs
  • Standards to guide staff in implementing EDI practices and principles in program, outreach, and engagement with patrons
• Prioritize promotion of own voices, materials in non-English languages, and materials featuring black, indigenous, and people of color
• Staff In Charge Training includes de-escalation tactics and calling the police as a last resort
• Provide orientation to security guards on TRL’s EDI and de-escalation techniques
• Review existing Volunteer Policy to allow for the development of a thriving diverse volunteer corp to facilitate expanded programs that will appeal to a wider audience.
• Social media posts include alternative text with images and accurately captioned videos

July - September 2020

• Administration: 
  • Write and distribute Anti-Racism Statement
  • With staff, create EDI Action Plan July 2020-2022 in alignment with 2020-2022 Strategic Direction
  • Approve Racial Equity All Staff Training Plan
• Collection Services:
  • Selectors will audit each of their order carts and include BIPOC, Own Voices, and diverse authors and characters - Ongoing
  • Ensure our commitment to EDI is clear in our Collection Development Guidelines
• Public Services:
  • Racial Equity Staff Training Plan in development, begin to assign trainings
• Human Resources:
  • Confidential reporting process for staff and patrons experiencing microaggressions and racism implemented

October - December 2020

• Collection Services:
  • Work with EDI Workgroup to develop core list of subject headings to make diverse titles more easily accessible for patrons and for staff doing Reader’s Advisory – add in local subject headings highlighting items that are written by or featuring characters who are BIPOC/Own Voices, etc.
  • Give staff and patrons a preview of new EDI items coming soon to their branches. Build excitement around new materials to assist with reader's advisory and online book carosels or lists. 
• Public Services:
  • Host staff Community Conversations to engage staff members and integrate racial equity practices within the district
  • Begin training engagement staff to have Community Conversations 
• Facilities:
  • Gender neutral restroom signage
• Creative Services:
  • Established practice for all materials produced in English and Spanish

January - March 2021

• Public Services:
  • Organize Community Conversations across the district to engage with the public and start a dialogue
• Creative Services:
  • Alternative text and accurate captioning for TRL created content
  • Revise TRL Branding Standards to include guidelines for alternative text and captioning
• Facilities:
  • Complete ADA Audit of Library Buildings
• Human Resources:
  • Policies and procedures have been reviewed
  • Review of hiring practices is complete and plan created for any necessary improvements

April - June 2021

• Public Services:
  • Organize Community Conversations across the district to engage with the public and start a dialogue
• IT: 
  • Alternative text and accurate captioning for website content

July - September 2021

• Public Services:
  • Organize Community Conversations across the district to engage with the public and start a dialogue

October 2021 - December 2022 

• All actions listed below are complete by December 2022

Beyond 2022:

When we are successful in completing the work highlighted in this Action Plan we will have created a foundation from which to sustain continual work towards equity, diversity, and inclusion.
 

Archive

2019 Action Plan - v. March 2019 -

Past versions will remain accessible on this page:
2019 Action Plan - v. February 2019 -

Strategic Planning Process

• 2020-2022 Strategic Planning Process Update