The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

Throughout the country, libraries face an increasing backlash targeting everything from books and displays to programs and presenters to institutions and staff. Commentary has escalated to include misinformation, hate speech, and violent threats. These attacks are designed to enforce a chilling effect on library workers by dictating what is or isn’t “safe” to say, do, or be at work. The desire for safety can tempt administrators to avoid “controversy” by falling in line with demands, but this is not a viable tactic because the safety it promises is illusory. In the short term, it sacrifices the specific groups being targeted. In the long term, libraries are held hostage to further demands, eroding access for everyone.

One group currently being targeted is the transgender community; as a result, trans librarians face a uniquely hostile work environment. Yet their safety is often overlooked because bias, outdated protocols, and antagonism impact what support is available to them.

This webinar will examine the interlinked concepts of safety and support in libraries through a conversation between two librarians: a cisgender administrator offering perspectives on hiring and supporting trans employees, and a trans librarian giving insight into the daily experience of “working while trans” in a public library.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Better understand the daily working experience of a transgender public library worker;
• Craft inclusive library policies and procedures that cultivate an environment of ongoing, active support for all staff members; and
• Recognize and counter harmful misinformation, and incorporate it into their work to create a stronger and more empathetic workplace.

Who Should Attend

This webinar is intended for library directors and administrators, as well as managerial and supervisory staff, who want to increase their understanding of this topic.

Presenters 

Heath Umbreit (they/them) is the adult services librarian at Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, MA. Heath uses they/them pronouns, and is trans/nonbinary and genderfluid. They earned their MLIS from Drexel University in 2014, and have conducted professional LIS trainings on state, regional, and national stages. In their work, they intentionally center the values of equity, access, and social justice.

Miki Wolfe (she/her) is the library director of Morse Institute Library in Natick, MA. Over the course of her decade-plus long career in library services, she has focused on community-building, equity and inclusion, and providing supportive leadership.

Tech Requirements

Accessibility Information

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752).