<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span id="gmail-m_-7270400906671459276gmail-docs-internal-guid-4c0bd2ff-7fff-dc0f-0574-6a6634de04b0"><font face="georgia, serif" color="#000000">Hello Oregon Library Community!</font></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><font color="#000000"><font face="georgia, serif"><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I would like to remind our colleagues working in libraries of all types in rural southern and eastern Oregon about the Library of Eastern Oregon's grant-funded regionally-based cohorts in rural Oregon, supporting library staff, board members, and key volunteers in a year-long commitment to move equity work forward in rural, conservative communities. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> <span style="background-color:transparent;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The six cohorts will meet four times between October 2021 and June 2022, with the first two meetings taking place virtually on October 19, 2021 and January 13, 2022, and the last two in person. The grant funds the travel expenses for all participants, as well as a pool for substitute coverage for our colleagues in solo libraries. The cohorts will meet in Pendleton, La Grande, Ontario, Prineville, Lakeview, and, thanks to a partnership with our colleagues in the Southern Oregon Library Federation, in Grants Pass. There are 15 spots available in each cohort.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline">Interested in participating? Please fill out our short application at </span><a href="https://bit.ly/2X3knn6" target="_blank" style="white-space:normal;text-decoration-line:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://bit.ly/2X3knn6</span></a><span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline">. We encourage applications to be filed by September 17.</span><span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline"> <b>Library directors, please be sure to share this email with your staff and let your Board members and key volunteers know of the opportunity.</b></span><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p></font></font><p dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The work of the cohorts will be based on the Oregon Library Association's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Committee's recently developed and released Anti-Racism toolkit with a focus in each session of putting the learning into practice, supporting cohort participants in implementing what they have learned at their libraries and in their communities.  </span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">You can find out more by visiting the <span class="gmail-il">EDI</span> Cohorts page on our website, </span><a href="https://www.librariesofeasternoregon.org/edi-cohorts" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://www.librariesofeasternoregon.org/<span class="gmail-il">edi</span>-cohorts</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. </span></p><font color="#000000"><font face="georgia, serif"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.</span></p></font><br></font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><font face="georgia, serif" color="#000000">Please feel free to contact me with any questions!</font></div><font style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#000000"><div class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></div><div class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="georgia, serif" style="">Stephanie Chase</font><div style=""><font face="georgia, serif">Executive Director, Libraries of Eastern Oregon</font></div><div style=""><font face="georgia, serif">PO Box 233, Baker City, <span class="gmail-il">OR</span> 97814<br>541/362.4258</font></div><div style=""><font face="georgia, serif" style="">she/her/hers</font></div></div></font></div></div>