Building Equity Based Summers

Has the lasting impact of the pandemic have you reevaluating traditional services and programs?

Finished the Project READY curriculum and wondering what's next?

Does "equity" feel to big to tackle by yourself?

If so, please consider applying to participate in the pilot of Building Equity Based Summers Through Libraries and Communities!

The Office of Library and Information Services is one of six state library agencies piloting the IMLS grant funded initiative Building Equity Based Summers Through Libraries & Communities (BEBS). Led by the California Library Association (CLA), this project will build on the work of CLA and the California State Library (CSL) in developing a shared equity language and a set of tools and resources for library staff to use to build community-centered equitable summer services for youth, families, and communities.

As part of this work, OLIS and participating state library agencies will

• Participate in equity-based co-design processes to reach a shared understanding and language related to this work

• Review, discuss, and customize materials developed as a part of the CLA/CSL project.

• Discuss and co-design training for library staff in pilot states on equity and summer services
  

• Recruit and select 5 public libraries, selected to represent a diversity of communities to work with on summer 2023 equity in summer services planning and implementation
  

• Train selected public library staff and support implementation - through coaching, mentoring, and a community of practice - of equity-based summer services in the summer of 2023

Learn more about California's BEBS work.

OLIS is seeking five public libraries to participate in the first year of this three-year initiative. Each participating library will be represented by one staff member or a team of up to three people. Team members should have roles in summer services work and may be frontline staff, staff from other departments, supervisors, directors and community partners outside the library.

Through training and co-design, participants will work with their state youth services coordinator and the other project teams to address the following questions:

• Do summer programs demonstrate attention to equity?
• How are libraries determining how and if summer programs are achieving equity goals?
• What impact are summer programs having on those that need them most?

Participation in the BEBS initiative will require of all team members:

• Attendance at four 2-hour learning sessions with other RI participants. The sessions will run from January 2023 - April 2023. Session dates, times, and mode of meeting will be agreed upon by RI participants.
• Participation in a Community of Practice (CoP) with the teams and state youth services coordinators from other pilot states (Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Ohio, Washington) and the BEBS project coordinators.
• Work within your library to begin considering and assessing your existing and planned summer programs and services with an equity lens.

Please note that year one participants will not be asked to change their summer plans, but to evaluate current summer programs and services in light of equity goals. This initiative emphasizes a co-design process in which participants and facilitators will learn together.

Participation in BEBS will be a commitment of approximately 2-5 hours a month, January - July. Participants will benefit by:

• Being part of a national initiative impacting summer services nationwide.
• Learning and developing new ideas, resources, and tools with a network of library staff throughout the country.
  
• Tackling equity with the support of a cohort representing a diversity of libraries and communities.
  
• Testing and assessing new tools and resources as early as summer 2023.
  

Libraries interested in participating in this project are asked to complete an application by November 21, 2022. Only one application should be submitted by libraries intending to participate with a team.

Please contact Danielle Margarida with questions related to BEBS participation.

Email: danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov
Website: http://www.olis.ri.gov/
Location: 1 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9309 401-400-3006
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri
Twitter: @olisri