<div dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3b6f243b-ee78-5208-23cc-f410f5f40a5a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Greetings! </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was created in the spring of 2014 by then ALA President, Barbara Stripling. The Task Force is currently in the information-gathering phase. To aid with information gathering, it has launched a series of short surveys to be conducted at times to coincide with the ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences through 2016. These surveys are designed to help understand the culture of the association, the profession, and our communities with respect to equity, diversity, and inclusion. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">The first survey presents the Task Force created definitions of equity, diversity, and inclusion and asks individuals to consider ALA’s current alignment to those definitions. The survey can be accessed at </span><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFEDI1EMAIL" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFEDI1EMAIL</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> and responses will be collected through February 16, 2015. ALA members and nonmembers are encouraged to participate. The final, analyzed results of the survey will be reported on by April 2015 via the Task Force's ALA Connect community and distributed through various ALA channels.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Please take a few minutes to answer the survey, which should take no more than 7 minutes to complete. “Embracing and celebrating diversity, and creating a more inclusive profession have been long-standing goals of the American Library Association. With your help, we hope to ensure these values are upheld,” said Task Force co-chairs Trevor A. Dawes and Martin L. Garnar.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’s charge is to develop a plan and strategic actions to build more equity, diversity, and inclusion among our members, the field of librarianship, and our communities. The most important Task Force outcome is the public and honest conversation generated by its plan and recommended actions. The final Task Force report will include recommendations for ensuring that a continuing focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion is embedded throughout the ALA organization.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Cambria;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Questions about the survey can be sent to the Task Force at <a href="mailto:diversity@ala.org">diversity@ala.org</a>. Should technical issues arise, please contact the ALA Office for Diversity at <a href="mailto:diversity@ala.org">diversity@ala.org</a> or 800-545-2433 ext. 5048.</span></p><br><p style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font color="#000000" face="Cambria"><span style="font-size:16px;line-height:16px;white-space:pre-wrap">Max Macias (REFORMA Representative)</span></font></p><br></span><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div>The ideas expressed in these emails in no way represent any organization's viewpoints, or opinions. The opinions, ideas and reflections are my own personal intellectual property.<br><div><br><br><br><br><a href="http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/</a><br><br><br>Twitter feed:<br><a href="http://twitter.com/REFORMAnet" target="_blank"></a><br><a href="http://twitter.com/maxmacias" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/maxmacias</a><br></div></div></div>
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