WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO COHOST THIS SESSION WITH SUPPORT FROM THE LIBRARY JOURNAL MOVERS AND SHAKERS PROGRAM.

WE'RE SO EXCITED THAT ONE OF OUR PRESENTERS TODAY COMES TO YOU AS A MOVER AND SHAKER, AND HOPEFULLY MANY OF YOU NOMINATED MOVER AND SHAKERS FOR THE 2020 CLASS, AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT WHO THOSE FOLKS WILL BE AND THEY'LL BE HIGHLIGHTED BEGINNING IN THE MAY ISSUE NEXT YEAR AS WELL AS AT THE RECEPTION AT ALA.

SO THANK YOU TO LIBRARY JOURNAL.

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.

I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE OUR PRESENTERS.

WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING THROUGH THE SESSION FIRST WITH TAMARA KING, WHO IS THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER AT THE RICHLAND LIBRARY AND OUR MOVER AND SHAKER CLASS OF 2019.

SHE'S JOINED BY HER COLLEAGUE DEE ROBINSON, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY EXPERIENCE AT THE BRANCHES AT RICHLAND LIBRARY.

AND ALSO JOINING US IS CI CI ROBINSON, WHO IS THE HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR AT THE RICHLAND LIBRARY, WE'RE SO EXCITED THAT YOU ALL ARE HERE.

AND VERY EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THE GREAT WORK YOU'VE BEEN DOING IN RICHLAND.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, JENNIFER.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE DOING THIS.

WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK IN OUR LIBRARY, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE IT.

SO I WANT TO WELCOME YOU, MY NAME LIKE SHE SAID IS TAMARA KING, I'M THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR AT RICHLAND LIBRARY.

ON TOP OF THAT, I AM THE COLEAD OF THE LIBRARY SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE, AND I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THAT TASK FORCE, AND SOME OF THE WORK WE HAVE DONE.

UNLIKE MOST PLACES, WE STARTED OUR WORK WITH EQUITY AND DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, WE STARTED THAT ON EXTERNALLY, AND THEN WE WORKED INTERNALLY.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT PATH, AND IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE HOW THE PUZZLE PIECES FIT TOGETHER AS EACH ONE OF US PRESENTS OUR PORTION.

BUT BACK IN 2015 IS WHEN OUR STORY STARTED.

THIS IS THE PATH WE'RE ON AND HOW WE GOT THERE.

LIKE MOST OF YOU WHEN YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT IS IN CRISIS OR THERE ARE TENSIONS, THE LIBRARY SOMETIMES ASKS ITSELF, HOW DO WE RESPOND?

IS IT SOMETHING WE SHOULD DO?

IS THIS OUR PLACE?

WE WERE AT THAT SAME SPOT IN 2015, AND WE WERE ASKING OURSELVES, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PICTURE, BUT THIS IS WALTER SCOTT, AN UNARMED AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN WHO WAS SHOT BY A POLICE, SHOT AND KILLED BY A POLICE OFFICER IN NORTH CHARLESTON.

WHILE IT WASN'T IN COLUMBIA, IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH FOR US TO FEEL IT ALL THE WAY HERE AS THE NATION TURNED TO SOUTH CAROLINA, TAKING A LOOK AT THIS CASE.

THAT HAPPENED, AND THEN THIS.

THIS WAS THE WORST SHOOTING THAT AT THE TIME AMERICA HAD EVER SEEN, A MASS SHOOTING IN A CHURCH.

NINE PARISHIONERS WERE SHOT BY A WHITE SUPREMACIST TO WANTED TO START A RACE WAR.

WHILE HE DID NOT SUCCEED IN STARTING A RACE WAR IN OUR STATE AND OUR COMMUNITY, THANKFULLY, HE DID CREATE A RIPPLE EFFECT.

BECAUSE HE USED THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AS A SYMBOL OF HATRED.

WE STARTED TO ASK OURSELVES AS A STATE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD REALLY HAVE ON OUR STATE HOUSE GROUNDS?

SO AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION AND CONVERSATION AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATION, OUR GOVERNOR AT THE TIME, GOVERNOR NIKKI HALEY, VOTED ALONG WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE, TO REMOVE THE CONFEDERATE FLAG IN JULY OF 2015.

AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, FROM A WALTER SCOTT SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED IN 2015 IN APRIL, TO THE CONFEDERATE FLAG COMING DOWN IN JULY OF 2015, THAT'S A FEW SHORT MONTHS TO HAVE SO MANY PRETTY BIG THINGS HAPPEN IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

AND FOR A WHILE, WE WERE ALL LIKE THIS.

WE WERE ALL JOINED IN HAND IN HAND SAYING WE ARE GOING TO TACKLE RACISM AS A COMMUNITY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT HEAD ON, BECAUSE THIS CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

SO FOR A WHILE WE WERE JOINED.

AND EVERYONE FELT THE PEACE.

AND THEN WE HAD A SUMMER IN 2015, AND ON, WHERE YOU CONTINUE TO SEE VIDEO AND ONLINE NEWS STORIES ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE AS WELL AS PEOPLE OF COLOR BEING TARGETED BY POLICE, OR UNFAIRLY TREATED BY POLICE.

AND THAT STARTED THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.

AND THIS HAPPENED AGAIN AND AGAIN IN CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, AND WE WERE NOT IMMUNE.

AND PRETTY SOON IT LANDED ON OUR DOORSTEP.

THE STATE HOUSE IS ONLY ABOUT TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM US, FROM OUR MAIN LIBRARY, SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WE WERE IN THE CENTER OF THINGS.

AND WE STARTED TO SEE A PATTERN WHERE SOME OF THE COMMUNITY WERE FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER AND THEY WERE PROTESTING IN THE STREETS, AND THEN YOU HAD ANOTHER SIDE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT REALLY WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE CONFEDERATE FLAG AND THE HISTORY THAT IT REPRESENTED.

AND SO YOU HAD THIS KIND OF DUAL TENSION THAT WAS RISING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND OUR LIBRARY STAFF MEMBER ASKED, HOW DO WE RESPOND?

DOES THE LIBRARY SAY ANYTHING?

SHOULD WE COMMENT?

HOW DO WE START OUR COMMUNITIES TALKING AND NOT TALKING AT EACH OTHER, BUT TALKING WITH EACH OTHER?

AND I PUT THIS QUOTE IN BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SETS THE TONE AND GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE WERE BEING SAID ON FACEBOOK AND OUR COMMUNITY.

THIS WAS JIMMY MORRIS, THE CAPTAIN OF THE COLUMBIA FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID ON FACEBOOK.

"IDIOTS SHUTTING DOWN I-126 BETTER NOT BE THERE WHEN I GET OFF WORK OR THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME RUN-OVER DUMB ASSES."

I'M SORRY IF ANYONE HAS SENSITIVE EARS, BUT THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.

AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF YOU'RE A POLICE CHIEF OR A POLICE FIRE CAPTAIN SAYING THIS, IT CAN CAUSE PEOPLE TO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT RACISM AND DIVERSITY, AND ARE WE AS INCLUSIVE AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE AS A SOCIETY.

SO THAT WAS THE RESULT.

SO OUR LIBRARY STARTED TO HAVE TO ASK OUR QUESTION, ARE WE NEUTRAL OR NECESSARY TO PROMOTING THIS CONVERSATION?

AND THIS WAS SOMETHING STORY TIME UNDERGROUND PUT ON TWITTER.

LIBRARIANS ARE NOT NEUTRAL AND LIBRARIES ARE NOT NEUTRAL SPACES.

WHILE THAT IS A TENET FOR WHO WE ARE, THAT WE BE NEUTRAL SPACES AND SAFE SPEIGHTSS, WE CANNOT BE QUIET, WE DECIDED, AGAINST RACISM AND HATRED.

AND SO WE DECIDED WE WERE NECESSARY TO THE CONVERSATION.

SO IN 2016 -- I'LL KEEP TALKING.

IN 2016, WE FORMED THE SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE.

IT WAS 12 DIVERSE MEMBERS.

ALL ARE TRAINED TO LEAD DISCUSSION ON RACE, BIAS, AND EQUALITY.

>> WE'RE HAVING SOME TECHNICAL TROUBLE WITH OUR POWER POINT, BUT I'M GOING TO KEEP TALKING IF THAT'S OKAY.

>> WE PARTNERED WITH LOCAL AGENCIES WHO WERE SIMILAR TO US AND WE GOT FACILITATION TRAINING AND WE'VE TACKLED SO FAR SOCIAL JUSTICE, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, AND RACE.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOCUSED ON WHEN WE FIRST MET, ONCE WE ASSEMBLED OUR TEAM, WE ACTIVELY DECIDED TO CREATE A PURPOSE, A PURPOSE STATEMENT.

AND THIS IS IT.

WE ACTIVELY BUILD COMMUNITY BY ENCOURAGING HONEST DIALOGUE, EMPATHY, AND COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION.

I WANT TO SAY THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU'LL SEE IT REVERBERATE THROUGH ALL OF OUR CONVERSATIONS TODAY.

WE HAVE THIS COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION, WE'RE HAVING IT IN OUR STAFF, WE WERE HAVING IT EXTERNALLY, INTERNALLY, AND THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO DO THAT.

SO ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO THAT AND WE CREATE WHAT WE CALL SMALL CIRCLES OF DIALOGUE, THEY CREATE THESE SAFE SPACES.

OUR TRAINED MODERATORS SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CIRCLE AND HELP LEAD CONVERSATIONS.

WE PITCH TOPICS LIKE, IS IT OKAY FOR A WHITE PERSON TO TOUCH A BLACK PERSON'S HAIR?

WE'VE EVEN HAD ONE CONVERSATION WHERE IF A BLACK PERSON ATTENDS A PARTY AT A WHITE PERSON'S HOME, AND ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS COMES OUTSIDE AND TAKES A PICTURE OF THE LICENSE PLATE, IS THAT NEIGHBOR BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR?

OR IS THERE SOME RACISM THERE?

IS THERE SOME ISSUES THERE?

SO WE TACKLE THOSE TYPES OF -- THOSE QUESTIONS ARE NOT EASY.

THEY'RE HARD, AND THEY'RE COMPLEX.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY FOCUS ON.

ONE OF THE WAYS WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SAFE CONVERSATIONS IS WE ESTABLISH GUIDELINES.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THEM.

WE TRY ON IDEAS, WE ASK PEOPLE TO TRY ON IDEAS WHEN THEY'RE IN OUR GROUP, RESPOND WITH "TELL ME MORE."

TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

WE WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT WHY YOU THINK THE WAY YOU THINK.

WE ASK EVERYONE TO NOT USE "YOU" OR "THEY" AND USE "I" STATEMENTS.

AND IT'S OKAY TO DISAGREE.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR SMALL CIRCLE STAYS IN OUR SMALL CIRCLE.

CONFIDENTIALITY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

SO THIS IS A PICTURE OF OUR LET'S TALK RACE EVENT.

IT'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE.

WE'VE HAD TEENAGERS, OLDER TEENAGERS, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LIKE 80-YEAR-OLDS IN OUR GROUP.

IN FACT, ONE OF THE BEST GROUPS WE'VE EVER HAD, THERE WAS TWO 80-YEAR-OLD PEOPLE, ONE OF THEM WAS A REFORMED WHITE SUPREMACIST, THE OTHER ONE WAS ABAFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN FROM -- AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN FROM NEW YORK, I THINK SHE WAS FROM THE NORTH, AND SHE WAS A FEMINIST.

SO YOU'VE GOT A SOUTHERN MAN WHO SAID HE WAS A FORMER WHITE SUPREMACIST AND A BLACK ITEM CYST ALL TOGETHER AT A TABLE.

AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT WAS A LIVELY CONVERSATION AND I REALLY CONSIDER IT ONE OF THE BEST CONVERSATIONS I'VE EVER BEEN A PART OF.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO DO, YOU CAN FIND THIS IN YOUR LEARNING GUIDE, YOUR CHECK YOUR BUBBLE EXERCISE.

IT HELPS YOU TO SEE IF YOU ARE AS APPROXIMATE AS YOU BELIEVE.

ALL OF US LIVE IN THIS BELIEF THAT WE ARE VERY DIVERSE AND WE HAVE LOTS OF FRIENDS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.

BUT THIS BUBBLE EXERCISE HELPS YOU TO SEE HOW APPROXIMATE YOU REALLY ARE.

ARE YOU LIVING IN A BUBBLE?

SO YOU EITHER START THE EXERCISE LIKE I AM -- I AM BLACK, MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER IS BLACK, MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS MOSTLY MULTIRACIAL.

AND YOU GO THROUGH AND YOU SEE WHERE YOU'VE CHECKED YOUR BOX.

AND YOU SEE WHAT THAT BOX LOOKS LIKE AND START ASKING YOURSELF, DOES THIS PATTERN SHOW UP ANYWHERE -- THERE'S PATTERNS SHOWING UP HERE, DO THEY SHOW UP IN OTHER AREAS AS WELL?

WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF OUR SAT, OUR SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE.

IN THE PAST THREE YEARS NEARLY A THOUSAND PARTICIPANTS HAVE ATTENDED DISCUSSIONS OF RACE, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.

WE'VE HOSTED MORE THAN 30 COMMUNITY FORUMS, EVENTS, AND BOOK CLUBS SYSTEMWIDE.

WE'VE DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 300 BOOKS COMMUNITYWIDE.

OUR FIRST BOOK WAS "JUST MERCY" IT'S A MOVIE COMING OUT SOON, BUT THE AUTHOR CAME TO TOWN AND WE WERE PART OF MAKING SURE THAT NOT JUST EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS OUR BOOK CLUBS GOT THE BOOK BUT WE SENT THEM TO IMAGINE STRATS, WE -- MAGISTRATES, WE GAVE THEM TO SOCIAL WORKERS, DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO WOULD BE ESSENTIAL TO HAVING THE CONVERSATION.

WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AND LOCALLY FOR INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO DEI EFFORTS.

THE COMMUNITY IMPACT I THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT NUMBERS ALL DAY, BUT HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE THE NEEDLE?

HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO CHANGE PERSPECTIVE?

THAT IS THE TRUE TEST OF THE SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE AND WE BELIEVE WE HAVE.

LET'S TALK RACE, ONE PARTICIPANT SAID SHE LEFT FEELING MORE HOPEFUL ABOUT HER COMMUNITY AND MORE OPEN TO OUR NEIGHBORS.

WE'VE HAD PARTICIPANTS JOIN THE NAACP.

>>> WE'VE SOUGHT OUT DIVERSITY, INVITED PEOPLE TO LUNCH AND DINNER.

IN FACT, ONE OF OUR MODERATORS MEETS MONTHLY WITH A GROUP SHE HELPED FACILITATE.

AND THEY'VE DEVELOPED VERY DEEP RELATIONSHIPS.

MANNERS HAVE ALSO USED OUR INFORMATION -- PARTNERS HAVE USED OUR INFORMATION TO INFORM ADVOCACY AND POLICY DECISIONS WHICH SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE POWER OF CONVERSATION.

AND THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION IS, OF COURSE, WHEN ARE YOU DOING THIS AGAIN?

AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

I ALWAYS THINK WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY OR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO TALK STOP TALKING, BUT THEY NEVER DO.

SURPRISE.

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

WE HAVE THE FAMILY AND ADULT RACE AND DIVERSITY BOOK CLUBS AND BOOK CLUB SETS.

WE'RE STARTING THAT IN 2020.

THE ADULT VERSION, WE STARTED A FAMILY BOOK CLUB ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND THEY WERE SO SUCCESSFUL THEY WERE FALLING -- NOT FALLING, HUMAN RESOURCES WOULD NOT LIKE THAT -- NOT FALLING OFF THE SHESMS, BUT THEY WERE FLYING OFF THE SHELVES.

YOU WOULD GO DOWN THERE AND ALL THE BOOK CLUB SETS WOULD BE USED OR CHECKED OUT.

SOCIAL JUSTICE DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT FOR 2020.

AND WE'RE CONTINUING THOSE STAFF DISCUSSIONS.

IN FACT, BECAUSE OF THE WORK WE WERE DOING EXTERNALLY BEING SO SUCCESSFUL, OUR STAFF SAID WHAT ABOUT US?

WE'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF HOME FIRST.

AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED TO TURN THE LENS INWARD.

AND WE'RE SCHEDULING LET'S TALK DISCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT 2020.

WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING A NICE SCHEDULE, WE WANT ONE EVERY MONTH OR EVERY OTHER MONTH AS WELL AS BOOK CLUBS.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT RESTARTING THIS YEAR IS THE MY LIFE EXPERIENCE EMPATHY LAB.

IT'S A MOBILE EMPATHY LAB AND IT USES VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY AND SIMULATION TOOLS TO HELP CULTIVATE EMPATHY IN OUR COMMUNITY.

IT'S THE FIRST OF ITS KIND BEING USED IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

WE GOT A GRANT FOR ABOUT $20,000 TO BUY WONDERFUL STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IT'S BEEN ABLE TO DO SO FAR AND WHERE IT CAN GO.

WE'VE GOT ABOUT 300 PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED THIS YEAR ALONE IN THE LAB, WE'VE TACKLED IMMIGRATION, HOMELESSNESS, SOCIAL JUSTICE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND DISABILITY.

A LOT MORE TO DO, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT AVENUES.

IN FACT, NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT -- IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF DOING SOMETHING WITH TEENS, AND BULLYING.

SO EMPATHY IS A HUGE DRIVER AND WHAT WE DO AS A TASK FORCE.

AND WE'VE SEEN SOME SUCCESS.

MORE THAN 88% HAVE REPORTED HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC AFTER EXPERIENCING THE SIMULATION.

I DIDN'T PUT THIS UP HERE, BUT 96% SAID THEY FELT MORE EMPATHETIC.

SO THAT'S A HUGE NUMBER.

AND I THINK THIS SUMS UP EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE, NOT JUST WITH THE EMPATHY LAB, BUT ALSO WITH THE SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE, THIS REALLY SETS THE TONE FOR HOW THE LIBRARY IS RESPONDING TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND HELPING TO GET PEOPLE TALKING AND GET PEOPLE TO SEE THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

THE QUOTE IS FROM ONE OF OUR LAB PARTICIPANTS, HE SAID "TO UNDERSTAND AND FEEL WHAT OTHERS ARE GOING THROUGH IS A GIFT.

PEOPLE IGNORE IT, AND SOME PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION.

I CHOOSE TO PAY ATTENTION.

I JUST HOPE PEOPLE WALK AWAY WITH AN OPEN OUTLOOK AND WHAT THEY MIGHT NOT -- ON WHAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE NOTICING EVERY DAY."

SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TALK MORE -- I'M GOING TO LET DEE DRIVE FOR A LITTLE BIT AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT ONE OF OUR FIRST PROJECTS THAT WE DID INTERNALLY.

>> HI.

I'M DEE ROBINSON, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY EXPERIENCE BRAMPLE FOR SIX OF OUR BRANCH LOCATIONS HERE AT RICHLAND LIBRARY.

BUT I'M ALSO THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR OUR RACE AND SOCIAL EQUITY STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECT TEAM.

AND I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK OUR ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN DOING INTERNALLY WITH STAFF REGARDING RACE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.

SOME -- SEVERAL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO ATTEND A TRAINING GIVEN BY RACE FORWARD ON ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

AND RACE FORWARD IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS LEADING THE EFFORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR RACIAL JUSTICE.

THEY DEFINE RACIAL JUSTICE AS A SYSTEMATIC FAIR TREATMENT OF PEOPLE OF ALL RACES.

AND THEY SEE RACIAL EQUITY AS BOTH IN PROCESS AND OUTCOME.

THEY ALSO FOCUS ON THE IMPACT RATHER THAN THE INTENT.

AND IT'S KEY TO FOCUS ON NORMALIZING CONVERSATIONS.

THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, THOSE COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS.

THEY ALSO RECOMMEND ANNIE E. CASEY SEVEN STEPS GUIDE TO RACE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.

THIS IS THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION BELIEVES RACE HOLDS A CENTRAL PLACE IN OUR SOCIETY'S DEEPEST AND MOST PERSISTENT PATTERNS OF SOCIAL INEQUITY, EXCLUSION, AND DIVISION.

AND SO THEY'RE HELPING ORGANIZATIONS TO ADVANCE RACE EQUITY AND ELIMINATE SYSTEMIC BARRIERS.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN STEPS FOR THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION.

UNDERSTANDING RACE EQUITY AND INCLUSION PRINCIPLES.

ENGAGING THAN AFFECTED POPULATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS.

GATHERING AND ANALYZING DISAGGREGATED DATA BY RACE.

CONDUCTING SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF ROOT CAUSES.

IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES.

CONDUCTING RACE EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT.

AND EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS AND ADAPTING STRATEGIES.

THOSE ARE THE SEVEN-STEP PROCESS FOR THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION AS A GUIDE TO RACE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.

SO WE -- OUR STRATEGIC PROJECT TEAM GOT TOGETHER, WE HAD JUST GOTTEN OFF THE GROUND, AND WE WERE INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF RACE FORWARD IN ANNIE E. CASEY.

AND SO WE CAME UP WITH A GOAL OF UTILIZING THOSE SEVEN STEPS IN THE CONTEXT OF RICHLAND LIBRARY.

BUT WE WANTED TO START WITH SOMETHING SMALL.

AND WITH A GROUP WHO WAS OPEN THEMSELVES TO OUR WORK.

SO WE WENT TO OUR LEARNED ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AND DECIDED TO FOCUS ON OUR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.

THIS PROGRAM IS SET UP TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT RICHLAND LIBRARY, AND HELP INDIVIDUALS MEET AND EXCEED GOALS LAID OUT BY OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

WHILE CRAFTING A PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE INDIVIDUAL.

THIS PROGRAM TAKES PLACE EVERY OTHER YEAR, AND IT HAS ABOUT 10 TO 11 PARTICIPANTS.

SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT OUR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, AND REMEMBERING THAT THE SEVEN-STEP GUIDE SAID THAT DISAGGREGATING DATA WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP BY RACE, SO WE WERE ABLE TO UNCOVER SOME UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, AND NOT THE INDIVIDUAL INTENT, JUST SYSTEMS OF INEQUITY.

SO WE FOUND SOME DISPARITIES.

WE SAW THAT FEWER PEOPLE OF COLOR APPLIED FOR THE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, AND EVEN WHEN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS OF COLOR DOUBLED, THE NUMBER SELECTED STAYED THE SAME.

AND SO IN 2013, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND, WE HAD 25 APPLICANTS.

WE HAD ONLY TWO PEOPLE OF COLOR APPLY AND THAT YEAR ONLY ONE PERSON OF COLOR WAS SELECTED.

IN 2015, WE HAD 19 APPLICANTS.

FIVE PEOPLE OF COLOR APPLIED, BUT ONLY TWO WERE SELECTED AS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.

AND IN 2017, WE HAD 37 APPLICANTS.

BUT STILL, WE ONLY HAD TWO PEOPLE OF COLOR TO BE SELECTED.

SO WE SAW THERE WAS SOME DISPARITIES.

THERE WERE HIGHER SUBSTANCE RATE FOR WHITE APPLICANTS, EVEN WHEN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS OF COLOR DOUBLED.

AND THE NUMBER OF -- STAYED THE SAME.

WE ALSO KNEW THAT THE SELECTION PROCESS WAS ANONYMOUS.

SO OUR COMMITTEE LOOKED AT -- WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ROOT CAUSES, KNOWING THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP OF THE ANNIE E. CASEY SEVEN-STEP GUIDE, SO WE DID SOME DIRECT STORYTELLING INTERVIEWS WITH PAST LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANTS.

AND WE WANTED TO FIND DETAILS IN THE STORY THAT THEY WERE TELLING US.

AND WE FOUND SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION.

THE INTERVIEWS LED TO SOME BARRIERS THAT WERE A PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

THE PAST APPLICANTS FELT LIKE THE ANONYMITY OF THE PROCESS WAS A BARRIER, THAT THEY WERE ONLY BEING JUDGED BY THEIR WRITING SAMPLES.

THEY THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THEY RECEIVE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SUPERVISORS AND COLLEAGUES WHO MAY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM IN THE PAST.

AND THEY WERE ALSO WONDERING IF THEY SHOULD APPLY, IF THEY HAD APPLIED BEFORE, SHOULD THEY APPLY AGAIN.

AND SO OUR COMMITTEE WORKED TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY STRATEGIES TO TRY TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS.

AND WE MADE SOME KEY RECOMMENDATIONS.

WE DECIDED WE NEEDED TO REMOVE THE ANONYMITY OF THE PROGRAM.

THAT WE NEEDED TO SELECT FOR THE WHOLE PERSON.

THAT WE WANTED TO TRY TO CREATE A GROUP WITH LAYERS OF DIVERSITY AND SYNERGY.

WE ALSO WANTED TO ESTABLISH A MORE DIVERSE SELECTION COMMITTEE.

IN THE PAST THERE WAS LITTLE TO NO DIVERSITY ON THE SELECTION COMMITTEE, AND SO WE DECIDED TO CHANGE THAT AND AT LEAST HAVE 60% DIVERSITY ON THE COMMITTEE.

AND WE ALSO WANTED TO VALUE TENACITY AND CONTINUE TO APPLY, AND ADDED THAT AS AN OPTION TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

SO IN 2019, WE HAD 49 APPLICANTS APPLY, AND IT WAS A DIVERSE APPLICANT POOL, AND WE HAD 60% PEOPLE OF COLOR SELECTED.

SO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS DID WORK.

AND THIS IS OUR LEADERSHIP CLASS FOR 2019.

THEY'RE ACTUALLY GRADUATES NOW.

THEY COMPLETED THE NINE-MONTH COURSE.

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

THIS IS AN ONGOING PROCESS.

THERE ARE GOING TO BE MOMENTS WHEN WE'RE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS.

IT'S IMPORTANT, AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACT AS CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE.

SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE PARTICIPATING IN TRAINING BY ATTENDING WORKSHOPS SUCH AS THE FACING RACE CONFERENCE.

WE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE BACK IN 2018, IT WAS ABOUT 3500 PARTICIPANTS, MORE THAN 150 WORKSHOPS, AND WE GOT TO LISTEN AND NETWORK WITH PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY, WORKING IN THE FIELD OF RACIAL JUSTICE.

WE ALSO THIS PAST MAY HAD A SPECIAL STAFF CONVENING DAY, WHICH WE DEDICATED A DAY FOR RACE MATTERS.

AND THE POWER OF CONVERSATION.

WE USED THE WISDOM WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION TO STRESS OR EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF RACE EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

AND WE ALSO HAD FACILITATED TABLE DISCUSSIONS ON LET'S TALK RACE DURING THE DAY.

LEAD BY THE SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE, TAMARA IS REMINDING ME.

THEY PLAYED A KEY ROLE, WE ALL DID, IN WORKING TOGETHER.

AND EVEN NOW WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS IN OUR PUBLIC SERVICE MEETINGS WE HOLD EVERY MONTH.

WE HAVE A PORTION OF THE DAY DEDICATED TO LET'S TALK RACE.

AND WE'VE ONLY RECEIVED POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM STAFF REGARDING OUR EFFORT.

WE ALSO JOINED A COLLABORATIVE OF PARTNERS AROUND OUR CITY WHO ARE ALSO WORKING ON RACE EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

AND WE WANT TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL ARE INCORPORATING IT WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES.

AND SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING INTERNALLY FOR -- ON THE TOPIC, AND MISS CI CI IS GOING TO TELL US -- PROVIDE US WITH FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT ELSE WE'RE DOING INTERNALLY.

>> SURE.

AND THANK YOU --

>> I'M GOING TO JUST JUMP IN REALLY QUICK AND HAVE YOU ALL ANSWER A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE SEEN COME THROUGH.

IS THAT OKAY?

>> YES.

>> OKAY.

LET'S SEE.

THERE WAS DEFINITELY A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM WHEN YOU ALL SHARED ABOUT THE EMPATHY LAB.

AND FOLKS WERE INTERESTED ABOUT THE GRANT AND WHERE YOU GOT THAT GRANT, AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO INTERESTED IN THE SOFTWARE, THE TOOL, OR THE PLATFORMS THAT THE VR WAS -- COMES FROM.

AND THEN A GREAT QUESTION, I'LL PUT THE EMPATHY LAB QUESTIONS TOGETHER, SOMEBODY SAID, DO YOU THINK AN EMPATHY LAB COULD WORK IN A I HAVE SMALL RURAL LIBRARY?

>> OH, YES.

I CAN ANSWER ALL OF THOSE.

SO THE EMPATHY LAB, THE GRANT THAT WE GOT, WE GOT A LOCAL GRANT, THERE'S A LOCAL PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION CALLED CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

WE GOT A CONNECTED COMMUNITIES GRANT, AND THEN WE WERE ABLE TO MATCH THE MONEY, WE GOT $15,000 FROM THEM AND THEN WE MATCHED THAT MONEY FROM THE TIDES FOUNDATION, I THINK THEY'RE LOCATED IN CALIFORNIA, BUT ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD IS ACTUALLY HERE AND ATTENDS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AND SHE CAME AND SAW WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO AND MATCHED THE MONEY WITH $5,000.

WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PURCHASE ANY OF THE EXPERIENCES, MOST ARE FREE ONLINE.

BUT WE WERE ABLE TO USE, WE BOUGHT THE HEADSETS, AND WE ALSO HAVE THE VIBE HEADSET AND WE ALSO HAVE THE OCULUS GO, SO NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE COMPUTERS THAT ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.

TO ME.

IT GIVES ME STICKER SHOCK.

BUT EVERYBODY ELSE THINKS IT'S PERFECTLY FINE.

THE LAPTOPS COST ABOUT $1200.

THE HEADSETS COST, IF YOU GET A VIBE, THAT'S ABOUT $500, IF YOU GET AN OCULUS IT'S ABOUT 300 DEPENDING WHERE YOU PURCHASE IT.

I CAN TELL YOU MORE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, I CAN SEND YOU THAT INFORMATION.

ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON OUR TEAM, HE ACTUALLY DOES A LOT OF THE SOFTWARE DOWNLOADING AND WHERE WE'VE FOUND A LOT OF THOSE THINGS.

MOST OF IT IS EASY TO FIND ONLINE.

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET THE HEADSET AND DOWNLOAD ALL THE NECESSARY SOFTWARE, THEN YOU'RE GOOD TO GO.

I THINK IT WOULD WORK VERY WELL IN A SMALL LIBRARY.

ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT AN EMPATHY LAB, IT CAME FROM SKOKIE.

SKOKIE LIBRARY HAS I THINK IT'S A CIVICS LAB, BUT IT WAS MORE STATIONERY.

YOU HAVE TO GO INSIDE THE LIBRARY AND GET IT, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS WONDERFUL, BUT HOW DO WE TAKE THAT EXPERIENCE AND WHERE IT WOULD GO TO ALL THE LIBRARY LOCATIONS?

NOT JUST OUR LIBRARY, BUT WE'VE DONE THEM FOR THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MAYORS WHEN THEY WERE IN TOWN.

WE'VE WORKED WITH NONPROFITS AND HAD THEM AS WELL.

SO IT GOES EVERYWHERE.

SO SMALL LIBRARIES, BIG LIBRARIES, IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SPACE.

ALL WE NEED IS A NICE -- A DECENT-SIZED ROOM, SO -- THAT YOU CAN HAVE AT LEAST TWO OR THREE HEADSETS RUNNING AT ONE TIME SO MORE PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE IT.

WE'VE DONE IT IN SMALL ENOUGH ROOMS WHERE ONE PERSON PARTICIPATES.

YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF SPACE, YOU JUST NEED A CHAIR.

>> FANTASTIC.

AND I KNOW, I HAVE SEEN THAT THERE ARE SOME -- I CAN TRY TO FIND THE ORGANIZATION THAT HAS A BUS THAT TOURS, A BIG BUS THAT GOES AND SITS OUTSIDE OF DIFFERENT LIBRARIES OR SCHOOLS THAT HAVE SOME OF THE SIMILAR APPROACH.

SO I -- HOPEFULLY SOME OF THOSE TOUR BUSES ARE TOURING IN MORE RURAL COMMUNITIES.

THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING CLARIFICATION ON THE LEADERSHIP CLASS.

THAT'S NOT -- I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE VERY DELIBERATIVE ABOUT INCLUDING DEI-RELATED ASPECTS INTO EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, BUT THAT LEADERSHIP CLASS COVERS SORT OF THE BROADER ASPECTS AROUND LEADERSHIP AND LIBRARIES AS WELL, IS THAT CORRECT?

>> YES, WE DO.

WE GEAR IT TOWARD -- IT'S MORE GEARED TOWARD THE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPING A PERSONAL LEADERSHIP GOAL.

BUT THEY LEARN ALL ASPECTS OF HOW A LIBRARY WORKS.

>> FANTASTIC.

AND ONE MORE QUESTION, IN TERMS OF YOUR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS, DO YOU MEET ALL TOGETHER ON A REGULAR BASIS, OR ARE THOSE COLLABORATIONS SORT OF A LITTLE BIT MORE ORGANIC?

>> WE MEET AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.

WE HAVE A RETREAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN A WEEK OR TWO TO COME UP WITH GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR.

OF WHERE WE WANT OUR COMMITTEE OR OUR PARTNERSHIP TO GO.

OUR COLLABORATIVE.

>> EXCELLENT.

ONE MORE QUESTION.

AND I WILL SAY THERE WERE FOLKS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING WHICH BOOKS YOU HAVE USED IN YOUR FAMILY AND ADULT RACE AND DIVERSITY BOOK CLUB, SO I'LL MAKE SURE AND FOLLOW UP AND GET THAT INFO AS WELL AS THE TECHNOLOGY INFO.

>> WE CAN SEND YOU A LIST OF BOOKS.

AT OUR SPECIAL STAFF CONVENING DAY, WE ACTUALLY GAVE AWAY BOOKS ON RACE -- ABOUT RACE EQUITY AND INCLUSION.

SO WE HAVE BOOK LIST.

WE'VE CURE RATED A BOOK LIST.

>> FANTASTIC.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

AND THEN JUST ONE MORE QUESTION, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS A GOOD REMINDER THAT WE HAVE FOLKS GATHERED FROM OTHER SETTINGS.

THERE'S A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MEDIA SPECIALIST HERE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU DID HAVE SOME PARTICIPANT IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS WERE TEENAGERS, BUT CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT ADAPT SOME OF THIS WORK AND FOCUS ON LEADING CONVERSATIONS WITH TEENAGERS?

>> THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN 2020.

ESPECIALLY.

WHEN WE HAD -- WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT LET'S TALK RACE, WE WANTED IT TO BE ADULTS.

BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE GOING TO GET.

LIKE YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO WAS GOING TO COME AND SHOW UP, AND WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO SAY.

AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TEENAGER BEING IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION OR PARENT FEELING LIKE THEIR CHILD HEARD SOMETHING THEY WEREN'T READY FOR THEM TO HEAR.

SO WE STARTED WITH ADULTS, BUT WE REALLY STARTED LOOKING -- AFTER WE'VE HAD A FEW TEENS ATTEND WITH THEIR PARENTS AND IF THE PARENT THINKS IT'S OKAY, WE'RE OKAY TOO.

FOR THE MOST PART.

BUT THEY HAVE TO BE OLDER TEENAGERS.

WE'VE SEEN THEM ABOUT 16, 17, 18.

THAT AGE.

AND -- BUT WE'RE NOW GOING TO START LOOKING IN 2020 AT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO TAKE THAT SAME CONVERSATION AND MAKE IT MORE APPROPRIATE AND AGE APPROPRIATE FOR SOME THINGS THE TEENS ARE DEALING WITH.

THAT'S NEXT ON OUR LIST.

>> EXCELLENT.

WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING FROM YOU AT THAT POINT.

EXCELLENT.

KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS COMING, FOLKS.

AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON AND HAVE CI CI TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE.

>> THANK YOU.

AND THANKS TO MY TEAM, THANKS TO YOU FOR INVITING US.

I THINK WE HAVE REALLY DEMONSTRATED IN A GREAT WAY HOW WE DOVETAIL A LOT OF OUR EFFORTS INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS.

AND SO THROUGH THIS COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, AND INSPIRATION, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A DIVERSITY STRATEGY THAT HELPS TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE OUR EMPLOYEES, AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS BY BUILDING A STRONG AND DIVERSE NETWORK OF ADVOCATES.

WHAT YOU'LL SEE ON THIS NEXT SLIDE IS THE DIVERSITY STATEMENT.

IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE, IT'S ON OUR JOB POSTINGS, IT'S INTERNAL, IT'S EXTERNAL, AND WHILE THERE'S A LOT UP HERE FOR YOU TO SEE, AND I'LL LEAVE IT UP THERE FOR YOU TO READ, WHAT I WOULD POINT TO IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE.

BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE MESSAGE THAT WE'RE SENDING.

WE'RE SAYING, EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE.

EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO OUR COLLECTIONS, OUR PROGRAMS, AND OUR SERVICES.

EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO BE A PART OF OUR CULTURE, WHERE ALL DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY ARE ACCEPTED, VALUED, AND UTILIZED, WHERE WE ALL THRIVE AND BELONG.

AND I THINK WHAT'S KEY HERE IS THAT THAT STATEMENT REFERENCES OUR EMPLOYEE POPULATION, OUR CUSTOMER BASE, ANYBODY THAT WALKS THROUGH THE DOORS OR PARTNERS IN AN EXTERNAL WAY WITH US, THIS IS THE STATEMENT WHERE WE BELIEVE OUR MESSAGE SHOULD BE SENT.

NOW, THE HOW.

WHAT'S OUR APPROACH?

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS AS RICHLAND LIBRARY -- THIS IS RICHLAND LIBRARY, THAT TONE STARTS AT THE TOP.

IT STARTS WITH OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND HER LEADERSHIP TEAM.

WE FEEL AT RICHLAND LIBRARY THAT THERE'S NO ONE SINGLE PERSON WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR DIVERSITY.

THERE'S NO ONE SINGLE LEADER FOR DIVERSITY.

WE ALL SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ORGANIZE AND TO LEVERAGE ALL OF THE EFFORTS, THE DIVERSITY EQUITY, AND INCLUSION EFFORTS AROUND THE ORGANIZATION.

THE OTHER PART OF OUR APPROACH IS DEVELOPING OUR AUTHENTIC STRUCTURE.

WE BELIEVE THAT INCLUSIVENESS AND CREATING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

AND AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE, PEOPLE FEEL SAFE TO MAKE UNUSUAL AND DIFFERENT SUGGESTIONS, TO SAY THE THINGS EVERYONE IN THE ROOM WANTS TO SAY, MAYBE FEARFUL OF SAYING IN THE PAST, BUT WE ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO SPEAK UP.

NOBODY SHOULD BE FEELING LEFT BEHIND.

AND WE ARE DIVERSITY CREATES THE POTENTIAL FOR DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND IDEAS, IT'S INCLUSION THAT ALLOWS FOR THAT POTENTIAL TO BE REALIZED FOR ALL EMPLOYEES AND/OR CUSTOMERS.

AND THE THIRD PIECE IS TO ENSURE IT'S NOT JUST LIMITED TO OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT IT DOES EXTEND OUT TO ENERGIZE OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO SUPPORT OUR OVERALL MISSION.

SO LET'S TAKE A LITTLE STEP HERE AND GO THROUGH THEM.

AS WE DEVELOP OUR AUTHENTIC STRATEGY TO BE TRULY AUTHENTIC, YOU'VE GOT TO HEAR ALL THE VOICES.

AND SO WE START WITH OUR LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT, HAVING THAT VOICE.

AND THEN ENSURING THAT THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND OWNERSHIP IS FOR EVERY LEVEL WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.

THAT ENSURES THAT THERE'S SOME AUTHENTICITY TO WHAT WE'RE DOING, BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD THEM AND WE'VE ADDRESSED IT.

WE THEN TAKE THAT APPROACH AND INTEGRATE IT -- INTEGRATE DEI INTO ALL OF OUR PEOPLE PROCESSES.

IT'S NOT JUST RECRUITING OR DATA GATHERING, OR TRYING TO GET SOME OF THE METRICS TO MEASURE SUCCESS.

BUT WE ACTUALLY -- WE ACTUALLY THREAD IT THROUGH.

HOW DOES IT IMPACT OUR PAY PRACTICES, HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE SELECTIONS OF BENEFITS THAT WE OFFER?

DO WE HAVE WELLNESS INITIATIVES FOR ALL TYPES OF EMPLOYEES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LIFE SIGH DLS, EMPLOYEE LIFE CYCLE AND YOU'LL HEAR IN A SECOND HOW WE INTEGRATE DEI INTO OUR OVERALL LEARNING STRATEGY.

SO NOT JUST TRAINING, BUT ACTUALLY INCORPORATING IT AND LIVING IT IN ALL OF OUR LEARNING STRATEGIES.

AND FINALLY, TO ENSURE THAT OUR WHOLE LIBRARY SYSTEM IS WELCOMING, WE WANT TO CREATE A WELCOMING AND ENGAGING CULTURE FOR EVERYBODY WHO CROSSES OUR THRESHOLD.

SO TO BE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC, I MENTIONED IT STARTS AT THE TOP WITH OUR CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

ALL OF HER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS, WHICH IS ELT, THEY ACT AS AMBASSADORS.

WE THEN INTEGRATE THOSE MESSAGES INTO OUR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES INDIVIDUALLY THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION.

AND WE HAVE SOME KEY DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS.

YOU JUST HEARD FROM TAMARA KING, JUST HEARD FROM DEE ROBINSON, WE HAVE OTHER CIFORT CHAMPIONS AROUND THE ORGANIZATION THAT ARE OVERSEEING TEAMS OVER SEEING COMMITTEES, TASK FORCE, AND SOMETIMES FOCUS GROUPS.

SO WE'VE GOT DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS IN OUR ORGANIZATION.

WE LIKE THIS TERM "LIVING THE LIBRARY" BECAUSE WE DON'T FEEL WE GO TO WORK.

WE ACTUALLY COME HERE AND LIVE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE.

WE BRING OUR AUTHENTIC SELF TO WORK.

EACH AND EVERY DAY.

WE CONTINUE THESE COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS, YOU HEARD DISERNALLY AND YOU HEARD DEE TALK ABOUT HOW WE INTEGRATED THEM THROUGH A SELECTION PROCESS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THESE ON A DAILY BASIS, SOME OF THEM FORMAL, SOME OF THEM MORE INFORMAL.

AND THEN THE BREAKING BIASES, THIS IS A CHALLENGE FOR US IN EVERYTHING WE DO.

WE USE A LENS AND LOOK TO SEE ARE THERE BYASES, ARE THERE BARRIERS AND HOW CANR COULD WE ACTUALLY BE MORE INCLUSIVE?

AND YOU'RE SEEING A PREVIEW OF SOMETHING COMING UP, WHICH IS CONVO AND COFFEE WITH OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WHERE SHE'LL SIT DOWN WITH A SMALL GROUP OF EMPLOYEES AND HEAR ONE-ON-ONE.

WHAT THEY GOT TO TALK ABOUT AS FAR AS OUR DEI EFFORTS.

SO WE'RE ENSURING WE'RE HEARING THE VOICES FROM THE TOP DOWN.

THIS IS KEY ALSO, BECAUSE AS I SAID, WE DON'T LOOK AT DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION AS A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT OR SEPARATE ENTITY.

IT'S ACTUALLY EMBEDDED IN EVERYTHING WE DO.

SO THIS SLIDE IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SHOWS OUR MULTI-YEAR PLAN, MULTIYEAR STRATEGIC PLAN HAS ALL OF THE COMPONENTS, ALL OF THE TOUCH POINTS TO TOUCH OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR LEADERS, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND DEI IS THREAD THE RIGHT THROUGH IT ALL.

IT'S WOVEN THROUGH ALL OF THOSE ACTIONS.

AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE ENHANCE OUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, HOW WE ENGAGE OUR TEAM, HOW WE ADVANCE OUR COMMUNITY, DEI IS A PART OF ALL OF THOSE DECISIONS.

I SAID EARLIER THAT WE INTEGRATE DEI INTO ALL OF OUR PEOPLE PROCESSES.

SO IT STARTS WITH GETTING PEOPLE IN OUR DOOR, THROUGH OUR RECRUITING, WE REMOVE CERTAIN BARRIERS, WE LOOK AT MORE PANEL DISCUSSIONS AS OPPOSED TO SINGLE INCUMBENTS MAKING THE DECISIONS OF WHO JOINS OUR ORGANIZATION.

SO RECRUITING CHANGE, WE MADE SOME OF THE COMPUTER NEEDS TO APPLY FOR JOBS, WE REDUCED SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS.

SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW TO IMPROVE THE STRATEGY TO GET MORE DIVERSITY IN OUR ORGANIZATION.

ONCE HERE, AGAIN, WE LOOK AT HOW WE PAY OUR EMPLOYEES, WHAT'S THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE PROCESS, ARE THERE ANY SINGLE GROUPS THAT ARE IMPACTED MORE THAN OTHERS.

SO WE ALWAYS LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY LENS.

WE JUST CHANGED OUR BENEFITS PROCESS.

DID WE HAVE THE RIGHT PAY FOR PREMIUMS VERSUS NONPAY FOR PREMIUMS?

WE OFFER FREE BENEFITS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO ENSURE EVERY EMPLOYEE HAS BENEFITS IF THEY WANT BENEFITS.

SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO ENHANCE THAT STRUCTURE TO ENSURE THERE'S A CERTAIN WELL-BEING AND A CERTAIN BELONGING THAT OUR EMPLOYEES CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

AND THEN FINALLY, HOW DO WE INTEGRATE THIS THROUGH SOME OF OUR PEOPLE PROCESSES TO ENSURE THAT WHEN WE GET DIVERSE TEAMS IN OUR ORGANIZATION, WE KNOW DIVERSE TEAMS WILL ALWAYS OUTPERFORM HOMOGENEOUS TEAMS.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR CUSTOMERS, HOW WE ARE BEING COMPETITIVE OUTSIDE IN THE EXTERNAL MARKET, HOW WE'RE PAYING PEOPLE, IT ALL ENABLES US TO TAP INTO SOME PARTICULARLY INNOVATIVE CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

SO HEARING THAT DIVERSITY DRIVE INNOVATION AND HELP SHAPE OUR CULTURE, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES IN THE UPCOMING SLIDES.

I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF HOW WE DO THAT.

WE HAVE A COLLECTION OF OFFERINGS, AND I KIND OF LISTED THEM ALL IN THE DECKS FOR YOU TO SEE.

OF HOW WE STAY ON TOP OF IT AND HOW WE CUSTOMIZE IT.

IT'S NOT A COOKIE CUTTER APPROACH.

NOT EVERY DEPARTMENT IS IN THE SAME PARADIGM AS OTHERS.

SO WE OFFER ALL OF THESE SESSIONS, SOME OF THEM BEING A LITTLE LESS DEFINED, LIKE THE WORLD OF GREY, WHICH CAPITALIZES ON SOME VERY UNIQUE EXPERIENCES TO OUR LIBRARY.

AND THEN I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THE NEXT SLIDE WHICH I'M GOING TO POINT TO SOMETHING CALLED MICROTRIGGERS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE HERE IN THE ORGANIZATION THAT REALLY FOCUSES ON THE MICROINEQUITIES, THE MICROAGGRESSIONS, AND THIS TRADEMARK TERM, MICROTRIGGERS.

WHAT'S KEY ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE NOW HELD SMALL GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REACH OVER 300 EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS KIND OF SESSION.

AND IT REALLY FOCUSES ON SOME OF THE VERY SUBTLE THINGS, RIGHT, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE PEOPLE GET UP IN THE MORNING AND GO TO WORK AND SAY, TODAY IS THAT DAY.

I'M GOING TO GO IN, AND I'M GOING TO CREATE SOME KIND OF SITUATION THAT'S NOT INCLUSIVE.

WELL, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT HAPPENS.

I THINK THEY HAPPEN KIND OF -- SOME OF THEM MORE ACCIDENTAL, SOME OF OUR BIASES COME TO WORK AND THAT'S WHAT MICROTRIGGERS DOES.

IT FOCUSES ON SUBTLE THINGS THAT REALLY PUSH THE BUTTONS OF AN EMPLOYEE.

THROUGH THESE SESSIONS, WHICH ARE ONLY ABOUT 90 MINUTES, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO UNCOVER SOME PATTERNS OF, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT AS A GROUP HAVE IMPACTED SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES?

AND IT'S HELPED US TO SHAPE AND RESPOND TO THE CULTURE IN A VERY DEFINED, VERY DEFINITIVE WAY.

SO WHILE I'VE GIVEN YOU A LAUNDRY LIST HERE OF ALL OF THE SESSIONS THAT WE OFFER, I POINT TO THAT ONE AS AN EXAMPLE, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN ABLE TO -- WE'VE HAD -- WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET SUCH A REACH, BY REACHING 300 OF OUR 400 EMPLOYEES ALREADY, AND REALLY HEAR FROM A VERY ONE-ON-ONE KIND OF WAY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL ISSUES AND THEN HOW THAT IMPACTS OUR OVERALL CULTURE.

SO THAT KIND OF SUMS UP HOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THESE DIVERSITY INCLUSION AND INEQUITY STRATEGIES AS WE FOCUS MORE INTERNALLY AS TAMARA SAID, COMING FROM AN EXTERNAL VIEW TO AN INTERNAL VIEW, AND I'M GOING TO PASS FOR ANY -- PAUSE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO MUCH.

YOU REALLY ALL HAVE A LOT GOING ON.

LET'S SEE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, SO YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS, CI CI, THESE ARE DIFFERENT TRAININGS THAT YOU ALL PROVIDE WITHIN YOUR LIBRARY, ARE THERE -- I'M CURIOUS IN TERMS OF, CAN PEOPLE PICK AND CHOOSE, ARE THERE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINIMUM NUMBER OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES THAT PEOPLE EXPLORE, FOCUSED ON THIS TOPIC?

>> AT THIS TIME NOTHING IS CONSIDERED MANDATORY.

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN OFFERED, AND WHILE I DID POINT TO MICROTRIGGERS, THAT'S USUALLY DONE WITH MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES AT A PARTICULAR LOCATION FOR MAYBE A PARTICULAR BRANCH.

THAT'S USUALLY WE'RE INVITED, SO IT'S NOT MANDATORY, WE'RE INVITED TO THE SESSIONS.

I FIND WHEN IT'S NOT CONSIDERED MANDATORY, WE GET MORE OUT OF THE SESSION, BECAUSE WE KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ASKED OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY INTERESTED.

>> OKAY.

SO PEOPLE COULD HAVE EXPERIENCED MAYBE DIFFERENT TRAINING, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE -- EVEN THOUGH IT'S DEI RELATED.

SO THERE'S NOTHING THAT EVERYBODY IN THE ORGANIZATION IS GOING THROUGH IN TERMS OF TRAINING?

>> WHAT I SHOULD PROBABLY CLARIFY IS WE HAVE A LEARNING ENGAGEMENT TEAM THAT DOES SOME OF THE MORE TRADITIONAL EMPLOYEE TRAINING.

AND OFFERINGS.

WHAT I'VE LAID OUT IN FRONT OF YOU ARE THOSE THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.

SO THEY'RE NOT MANDATORY, YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

>> AND REMIND US HOW MANY EMPLOYEES AND LOCATIONS YOU HAVE.

>> WE HAVE ABOUT 400 EMPLOYEES AND WE HAVE 13 LOCATIONS INCLUDING OUR MAIN LIBRARY.

>> OKAY.

PERFECT.

IS THE MICROTRIGGERS, IS THAT -- I GOOGLED IT, IS THAT -- I SAW YOUR TRADEMARK, IS THAT RESOURCES FROM THE MICROTRIGGERS.COM SITE?

>> YES.

SO IT IS A TRADEMARKED TERM, AND A TRADEMARKED BOOK THAT IS DONE BY AN AUTHOR NAMED JANET SMITH.

WE LEVERAGE HER LEARNING HERE.

SO IT'S NOT OUR TRADEMARK.

>> PERFECT.

SO THAT RELATES TO A QUESTION SOMEBODY ASKED, IF YOU DO THE TRAINING IN HOUSE OR DO YOU BRING OUT AND CONTRACT WITH OUTSIDE TRAINERS?

>> SO AT THIS POINT WE ARE DOING THEM INTERNALLY.

HOWEVER, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, WE WILL CONSIDER LOOKING AT EXTERNAL TRAINING.

BUT AT THIS POINT ALL OF THOSE OFFERINGS ARE OFFERED THROUGH INTERNAL FACILITATION.

>> AS FAR AS THE FACILITATION WITH THE SOCIAL AWARENESS TASK FORCE, WE WERE TRAINED -- THEY WERE OUR TRAINERS, THEY HELPED TRAIN US HOW TO BE BETTER FACILITATORS, THEY HELPED DEVELOP THE CURRICULUM THAT WE USE.

BUT WE ARE NOW -- WE'VE BEEN DOING IT NOW FOR THREE YEARS SO WE'VE TAKEN A LOT OF TRAINING NEW MEMBERS ON OURSELVES.

SO WE'RE CREATING A CURRICULUM RIGHT NOW AS WELL.

>> EXCELLENT.

AND I AM GOING TO POST A LINK TO THE RACE TO THE TABLE FOLKS, I KNOW YOU PROVIDED SOME INFORMATION ON THEM, SO A GOOD PLUG FOR THEM.

>> THEY WERE VERY, VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING US STARTED.

>> EXCELLENT.

SO IN TERMS OF THE TASK FORCE, DID YOU ALL RECRUIT FOLKS, WAS THERE AN APPLICATION PROCESS?

IS THAT A MIX OF SUPERVISORS AND FRONT LINE STAFF FROM DIFERG LOCATIONS?

>> IT IS.

WE WERE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT, I ALWAYS SAY DEI DOESN'T HAPPEN BY HAPPENSTANCE.

WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOE WE SELECT, SO WE KIND OF, THE FIRST GROUP WE PUT TOGETHER WE KIND OF VOLUN-TOLD THEM.

[LAUGHTER]

AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THIS.

WE NEED THIS PERSON, WE NEED THIS KIND OF DIVERSITY.

THIS WOULD BE A GREAT ELEMENT TO HAVE.

AND SO WE KIND OF EMAILED, AND EVERYONE SAID THEY WANTED TO DO IT.

NOBODY HAD TO DO IT, BUT WE SAID YOUR NAME CAME UP, WOULD YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.

WE'RE GOING THROUGH A PROCESS NOW WHERE WE'VE ADDED TWO MORE PEOPLE, AND IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS, SO SOME PEOPLE MAY WANT TO ROLL OFF AND DO SOMETHING ELSE.

BUT RIGHT NOW WE ALWAYS STAY AT ABOUT 12 TO 13 PEOPLE.

BUT IT'S VERY DIVERSE.

WE'VE GOT MANAGERS, FRONT LINE STAFF, OUTREACH PEOPLE, EVERYBODY.

IT'S A WIDE VARIETY.

>> EXCELLENT.

>> SOCIAL WORKER, CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYBODY.

>> FANTASTIC.

PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THE MICROTRIGGERS AND MICROTRANSACTIONS.

CAN YOU MENTION THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE REALIZED SOME OF THEIR PERSONAL MICROTRIGGERS, CAN YOU JUST GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THOSE THAT WERE REVEALED TO PEOPLE?

>> SURE.

WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE.

SO THE BOOK ITSELF TALKS ABOUT 58 -- JANET SMITH OWNS HER OWN FIRM, BUT SHE DID A LOT OF TRAINING IN CORPORATE AMERICA, SO AFTER HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF TRAININGS, THEY NARROWED COUNSEL THE 58 TRIGGERS THAT SEEM TO BE MORE RECURRENT THAN OTHERS.

OF THOSE 58, YES, I SAW SOME PATTERNS HERE AS WE ROLLED THIS OUT, THAT ARE NOT UNIQUE TO GENDER, RACE, AGE, OR ANY OF THE TRADITIONAL DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY.

SOME OF THOSE INCLUDED, ONE, NOT SPEAKING TO PEOPLE.

THAT'S ONE OF THE TRIGGERS.

AND WE FOUND THAT WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE JUST IN THEIR OWN WORLD, OR THEY'RE IN THEIR OWN MIND-SET, THAT PART OF THE NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED BY YOUR LEADERSHIP AND/OR PEERS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR EMPLOYEES.

SO NOT SPEAKING WAS ONE OF THOSE TRIGGERS.

ANOTHER THING WAS THE CREDIT -- TAKING CREDIT FOR WORK.

I THINK SOMETIMES WHEN WE HAVE GROUP TASK FORCE AND GROUP DECISION MAKING, SOMETIMES WHO, WHERE THE THOUGHTS CAME FROM GOT A LITTLE BLURRED.

SO THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT COULD WE BE CLEARER WITH TAKING CREDIT FOR WORK.

OR PROVIDING CREDIT, GIVING CREDIT.

I HEARD TAMARA SAY YES, PLEASE GIVE THEM CREDIT.

THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR EMPLOYEES.

SOME OF THE OTHER DISCUSSIONS I THINK WERE AROUND MAKING SURE THAT EMPLOYEES WERE RECOGNIZED.

SO RECOGNIZE -- RECOGNITION AND AWARDS AND RECOGNITION WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR EMPLOYEES.

SO WHILE THERE ARE 58 TRADITIONAL KIND OF TRIGGERS, OURS KIND OF FELL WITHIN THE TOP 10, I THINK WE COULD NARROW OURS DOWN TO THE TOP 10.

>> EXCELLENT.

I'M GOING TO POST THIS LINK TO -- IT LOOKS LIKE JANET'S WORK IS PART OF THIS MICROTRIGGERS SITE, SO -- AND HER BOOK YOU SAID WAS CALLED --

>> IT IS "MICROTRIGGERS, THE SETTLE AND LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER."

OKAY.

EXCELLENT.

LET'S SEE.

SO PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN YOU SHARING YOUR FACILITATOR TRAINING THAT YOU'RE DEVELOPING, AND I KNOW I'VE ALREADY ASKED TAMARA ABOUT THAT, SO WE'LL DEFINITELY STAY IN TOUCH AND FOLLOW ALONG WITH OTHER TRAINING THAT YOU ALL CREATE AND PROVIDE.

AND THEN THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS OF YOUR STAFF OVERALL AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.

SO LIBRARIANS AND ALSO MANAGEMENT.

>> SO PROBABLY NOT UNIQUE TO ANY OTHER LIBRARY SYSTEM, OUR GENDER DEMOGRAPHICS DO VERY HIGH FOR WOMEN.

WE MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO TRY TO RECRUIT BEYOND OUR GENDER AS FAR AS SOME OF THE ROLES HERE.

I WOULD TELL YOU THAT WE'VE HAD SOME IMPROVEMENT IN OUR EFFORTS, YOU ASKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP.

WE HAVE HAD SOME IMPROVEMENT, SO IN OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM WE HAVE 23% DIVERSITY, WHICH IS AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PAST COUPLE YEARS.

AND THAT IS SPECIFIC TO PEOPLE OF COLOR.

AS I SAID, THAT NUMBER IS VERY -- SKEWS HIGH ON GENDER, BUT WE ALSO HAVE 23% MALE ON THAT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM.

SO WE'RE SEEING SOME IMPROVEMENT.

WE TRACK OUR DIVERSITY METRICS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.

IT GETS RECORDED TO OUR CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.

WE LOOK AT TRENDS, WE LOOK AT TRACKING, WE LOOK AT REASONS FOR LEAVING, SO IT'S NOT JUST THE NUMBERS THEMSELVES, BUT THE CAUSE AND EFFECT OF THOSE NUMBERS.

>> EXCELLENT.

AND I WANT TO MENTION, I KNOW THAT TAMARA PROVIDED IN THE LEARNER GUIDE THERE ARE FIVE STEPS THAT THEY SORT OF HONED IN ON IN TERMS OF GETTING STRATEGIC ON THEIR DEI EFFORTS.

SO DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PIECES IN THERE THAT TOUCH ON SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE BROUGHT UP.

HAVE YOU ALL IN THE DIVERSITY TRAINING EXTENDED TO TOPICS RELATED TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DEVELOPMENT DISABILITIES, GENDER, AND AGE?

>> YES.

SO ON THAT -- I THINK I GAVE YOU A SAMPLE ON SLIDES FOURD -- 48 AND 49, ARE A SAMPLING, TO PAGES OF SAMPLING OF OUR EFFORTS.

AND ONE OF THOSE WHICH I DON'T SEE THERE IS -- OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SESSION TALKS ABOUT SEXUAL DIFFERENCES, SEXUAL AWARENESSES, SOME OF OUR LGBT TRANSGENDER EFFORTS THAT COMES UP INTO THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

AS FAR AS INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, WE HAVE TWO SESSIONS, ONE THAT FOCUSES ON INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THAT RELATES MORE TO OUR CUSTOMERS, AND THEN ONE THAT FOCUSES MORE WITH OUR EMPLOYEE POPULATION.

WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BUILDING RELATIONSHIP CURRENCY, WE TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES WITH OUR GENERATIONS.

THE WAY WE BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR MILLENIALS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY WE BUILD OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER GENERATIONS.

SO WE -- WE WEAVE IT AND EMBED IT WITHIN SOME OF THE BROADER SESSIONS OR WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO THE PARTICULAR DIMENSION OF DIVERSITY.

>> FANTASTIC.

THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.

>> IF THERE'S -- IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, WE CAN PROVIDE THE OTHER LISTINGS.

>> YEAH.

THIS -- THIS IS I THINK PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS EAGER FOR EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE THE -- THERE'S A RESOUNDING YES THERE.

AND I WANTED TO CONFIRM WITH FOLKS, I KNOW THERE WERE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH CHAT ABOUT THEIR RESOURCES, SO WE'LL DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP WITH THE TEAM AND GET ANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT, WILL THERE BE ANOTHER WEBINAR ON EXTERNAL PROGRAMMING, AND THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS FOR YOU TO DO IN THE LEARNER GUIDE AROUND THAT AS WELL, I WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THE ALA'S DIALOGUE AND DELIBERATION RESOURCES FOR LIBRARIES.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES AND PROGRAMS AND WEBINARS RELATED TO THAT THAT DEFINITELY FOLLOW ALONG THE SAME LINES IN TERMS OF HOW DO YOU FACILITATE THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

SO DEFINITELY KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.

AND WE'RE JUST ABOUT HERE AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR, SO I WANT TO THANK ALL THREE OF YOU AND YOUR WHOLE TEAM, PLEASE LET YOUR STAFF KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE GREAT WORK YOU ALL ARE DOING TOGETHER AT RICHLAND LIBRARY, AND HURRAY FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES' ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.

I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH EVERYONE LATER ON TODAY ONCE THE RECORDING IS POSTED, I'LL ALSO PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE ATTENDED TODAY.

AND I WILL ALSO BE SENDING YOU AS YOU LEAVE THE ROOM HERE TO A SHORT SURVEY.

WE LOVE TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON TODAY'S SESSION, AND IT WILL HELP US GUIDE OUR ONGOING PROGRAMMING AND WE'LL ALSO SHARE THAT WITH THE RICHLAND TEAM AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN, AND THANK YOU TO OUR CAPTIONER AND OUR SUPPORT, AND EVERYONE, HAVE A FANTASTIC REST OF THEIR WEEK.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.