It sounds like your library has found a balance of celebrating Heritage Months and making an effort to provide resources on cultural awareness year round. I like the step of removing "month" from the LibGuides relating to marginalized and underrepresented groups.
Thank you for sharing the steps taken by your library.
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 05, 2024 01:01 PM
From: Erin Sommers
Subject: Heritage Months and Identity Recognitions: Online Programs Discussion Forum February 2024
Hello All!
I work at an academic library, so we follow the university's schedule for celebrating and recognizing heritage months. There are 6 main ones (3 per semester) that they recognize. At the library, we do physical displays for those 6 months, which include Black History, AAPI, and Latinx Heritage Month, but we include displays for other cultures/heritage months, such as Women's History Month and Arab American Heritage Month.
I'm on our team for programming and outreach as well as our library's reference librarian. As part of our library's growing initiatives for displays and cultural awareness, I have created LibGuides for each heritage month display. However, we decided to make the LibGuides available all year round, and we removed the word "month" from each. We believe our students and faculty should have access to resources year-round on marginalized groups. Due to space restrictions we cannot have more than 2 displays up at a time, but we promote our LibGuides and diverse resources as much as possible through our website, social media accounts, and working with other departments on our campus.
So far we have received positive feedback from our campus community on these changes, and we hope to bring more awareness to our resources by having events that correspond with our displays.
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Erin Sommers
Reference and Outreach Librarian
California Lutheran University
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 01, 2024 08:22 PM
From: Sylvie Daubar-San Juan
Subject: Heritage Months and Identity Recognitions: Online Programs Discussion Forum February 2024
Hello NMRT Members!
The Online Programs Committee encourages your input on this month's topic!
February is designated as Black History Month, which seeks to bring increased awareness of one of the historically marginalized heritages and cultures in the United States. There are designated heritage months and identity recognitions throughout the year for other groups including Asian Amercian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, and Latinx Heritage Month in September.
In my LIS program, I remember discussing the benefits of creating displays and programs celebrating historically marginalized heritages throughout the year, not just during designated months.
How does your library approach heritage months? Does your organization prefer to highlight certain heritages during appointed months, or do you find ways to celebrate diversity year round?
Please share your opinions and approaches!
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Sylvie Daubar-San Juan
Gallery Director/Humanities Department Chairperson
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
She/Her/Hers
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