Facets of Diversity: Inclusion as an Asset

Diversity is a major issue today for our country, communities and, of course our libraries.  As our service areas are changing and growing, inclusion of individuals from our various communities within our communities is vitally important.  Diversity should focus on race and ethnicity, but age, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, disability, experience, background & expertise,…

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5 Simple Ways to Connect Your Boards

Most libraries have multiple boards. To be sure, the governing or funding boards are the most important as they determine the operations and future of the library, but support boards, such as the Friends and Foundation boards, can play a vital for the library as well. It is important to have clear roles and responsibilities…

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An IDEA for Building Board Diversity

For today’s libraries, addressing diversity and inclusion is more important than ever.  Representation of the cross-section of our communities is important throughout our organizations, including our library, foundation, and Friends boards.  An I.D.E.A. process to build board diversity includes Identifying/Informing, Developing, Energize/Empowering, and Activating steps. Step 1 – Identify diversity and inform your board and…

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Introducing Beth Burns & Stu Wilson

Greetings! I am writing today to both introduce myself and share some great news about a colleague well known to many of you, Stu Wilson. I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary as president of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the foundation for the nationally renowned Saint Paul Public Library system and home…

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