1,000,001 Unwritten Rules For Being A Librarian of Color

Libraries enrich campuses, serve communities, and provide access to knowledge & technologies, while also growing change agents & innovative idealists. As the field diversifies, addressing various perspectives is essential for changing the profession for the better! But what happens when there are hidden obstacles you have no way of predicting without folly, committing "egregious" errors, or without someone intentionally choosing to share the inside scoop? What is a fledgling librarian to do? Especially as a librarian of color?

How have challenges like COVID-19 pandemic, the killing, harrassment, and internment of people of color, constant changes in working environment, and the increased lip service provided to these areas of librarianship change the way we work and perceive our work environments?

How do we navigate the challenges of lack of cultural competency, while many colleagues go about their days unbothered? Come to this session prepared to ponder the 1,000,001 Unwritten Rules of Being a Librarian of Color. Perhaps you knew a few of them before you started or have been schooled along the way, especially in this last year of constant change and adaptation. Maybe you've been generous enough to pass along your knowledge to others, seek to rewrite the rules, or throw out the rulebook altogether. Whatever path you've carved out, I hope this session will make you feel seen, heard, and acknowledged. It is for anyone who’s ever felt misunderstood or silenced.