Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee

Serving Well: Using Professional Toolkits to Fill Gaps in Service Knowledge

Anne Price

Libraries being accessible for all is one of the core tenets of modern librarianship, but a perennial concern for all librarians is reaching and advocating for marginalized and underserved communities. There are many reasons why a segment of the community isn’t using the library—from a lack of physical accessibility to not knowing what resources are offered. The following six toolkits from ALA divisions and other institutions focus on serving the needs of marginalized populations.

Autism-Ready Libraries Toolkit, https://bit.ly/3W3PRWB

A research team at the University of Washington Information School created the Autism-Ready Libraries Toolkit, which offers training modules for public library staff serving youth emphasizing adaptive and inclusive services and programs, as well as resources for identifying barriers to library use for autistic children and their families.

Learning Beyond: Twenty-First Century Summer and Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth, https://bit.ly/3wdoM99

This toolkit, completed in 2021 by the ALSC Summer-Out of School Time task force, centers on community values and equity in summer and out-of-school programming. It recognizes that not all youth come to library programming with the same skills or background. It uses that knowledge to create programming that is participant-led and focuses on STEAM learning and twenty-first century skills.

Library Accessibility Toolkit, https://bit.ly/4bgOmcj

Created by the Library Accessibility Alliance in 2020, this toolkit gathers information and publications from a variety of sources to make library materials and spaces accessible, including digital spaces. Many of us are familiar with accommodations for physical spaces, but does your website and online content have alt text or high contrast for the visually impaired? This toolkit offers not only tips for creating more inclusive digital spaces and content, but it also provides a list of online accessibility checkers and assistive technology.

Library Services to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers, https://bit.ly/3W5m2oU

Authored by the 2020-2021 Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee, this toolkit covers a wide variety of communities, from those who experience gaps in the digital divide, the unhoused, new citizens, and more. This toolkit includes a guide to reaching out to your target population, identifying resources, and creating partnerships that can help you reach the population on which you are trying to focus.

Open to ALL Toolkit, https://bit.ly/3WbVLoU

Created by ALA’s Rainbow Round Table, this toolkit focuses on practical tips, such as addressing patrons and staff in inclusive ways, recognizing not all families look the same, nor is gender always a necessary piece of information when registering a new patron for a library card. This toolkit also includes collection development resources as well as information dealing with challenges to collections.

Serving Diverse Communities, https://bit.ly/3TULMl2

Authored by ALSC committees and curated by the Public Awareness and Advocacy committee, this toolkit offers resources for building diverse collections, protecting vulnerable populations, and understanding privilege. The toolkit includes archived keynote speakers from previous ALSC Institutes and resources from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). &

Visit the newly updated ALSC website (www.ala.org/alsc) for more toolkits and other advocacy resources.