Introductions
Stressed the importance of this meeting: Hearing from colleagues getting insights and looking at things in new ways – valuable meetings.
A LibGuide offering resources central to EDI:
Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library Racial and Gender Equity LibGuide: https://guides.rcls.org/c.php?g=1047374
Morgan started a video – inclusive advertising is the theme today. This video offered an entertaining look at serious hiring issues.
Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFH-Rf7HXso
Video Discussion:
Not about ads, but workplace & hiring. Jobs hiring to fill diverse positions, the mention of pay difference.
Is that actually happening? It seems like entertainment. Making light of a serious situation.
Examples from the videos include: Her hair’s really curlier; TACO Tuesdays, girl straightened her hair – she is not as white as she really is.
Jobs – do judge on how people look- look at applications and make judgments; ageism - things that are not fair – pay difference is a fact among women vs. men; often reason is to fill a quota; Good video to pick apart a lot of issues and layers. Opens important discussions.
Next discussion:
Advertising – and what those posts look like, the verbiage used and writing them in a way that makes all people feel comfortable to apply. example – hiring statement in ad that mentions we welcome a diverse pool and are looking for people who have worked in diverse settings.
the dangers of AI – filters out – bias comes through. Book notes: The Equality Machine – Orly Lobel
Have the hiring committee be diverse as well.
Chat notes: I have also noticed "Required" vs "Preferred" qualifications both being listed -- listing out the bare minimum of what is being sought-
Not every job in the Library is the Librarian. There are other roles in libraries.
When you add the layers of confusion with civil service, it is really tough!
Next: look at the Ads provided for today’s discussion:
1. People running a marathon on a track:
a. Continuing Education: the two leaders are white men; black man is last and the woman is behind, but in front of the black guy. She is in heels;
b. Success in Education: Blacks are behind
c. Even though the woman and Black man are struggling, the white men are winning.
2. Pops Sweet Crispy Crunch Cereal:
a. The only brown corn pop doing the cleaning; It’s a racist depiction.
3. Swimming Pool Safety:
a. Cool and not cool: darker people are not cool
Guiding Questions:
1. How does this help you when creating promotions for your library?
2. What does the process look like?
• One member shared: makes all the flyers for the ads; using pictures to represent diverse groups; uses animal rather than children or people.
• Teen flyers can focus on what the programs are about.
• Trying to be inclusive and representative, using animals would work well.
• The image itself does matter; Trying too hard shows as well.
AI article discussion: With AI wanted to create more diverse images; the Google example switched stereotypes, the right-wing got hold of it and called it the WOKE – mixing up historical pictures – showed Thomas Jefferson as a black man for example. It was a good try to solve a problem that exists in large data sets, but it erupted a bigger problem that shined a light on racial bias and problems with AI presenting itself as intelligent.
Other Topics to share:
• RCLS: created an EDI statement – put out in job postings; more general outward statement.
• Self-Advocacy Association of NYS (SANYS) has some resources along those lines. And I found Safezone training helpful (theszinitiative.org)
• CGCC – book discussion – common read in Fall semester: A Woman is No Man – Etaf Rum, and this semester: Red at the Bone – Jacqeline Woodson – making time for crucial conversations
• Books- have people come and talk about books they have read