“Building the Future We Want: Centering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Libraries”

The Kelvin Smith Library 25th anniversary events series continues with a lecture by Elaine L. Westbrooks, vice provost for university libraries and university librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Westbrooks will discuss “Building the Future We Want: Centering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Libraries” on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m., focusing on how library staff and faculty have a responsibility to dismantle the systems of oppression within their organizations. She will talk about her experiences launching a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and how to make DEI initiatives strategic, transformational and an integral part of a library’s mission.

The UNC library system encompasses 10 libraries, nearly 10 million volumes, and 300 librarians, archivists and staff. Previously Westbrooks held leadership positions at the University of Michigan, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and Cornell University. She serves on the boards of the Digital Public Library of America and the HathiTrust Digital Library, and she co-edited “Metadata in Practice” with Diane Hillmann (2004) and “Academic Library Management: Case Studies” with Tammy Nickelson Dearie and Michael Meth (2017).

Refreshments will be served. Register for the event.