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Social Justice and Libraries: What Your Library Can Do

This resource guide includes social justice resources for libraries.

This guide provides professional development for libraries to promote social justice in our communities.  There are many ways that libraries can support and promote social justice.  Explore this guide to expand your library's role in contributing to social justice.

What Your Library Can Do to Support Social Justice

  • Build inclusive collections.
  • Create opportunities for patrons to take action.
  • Design diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) displays.
  • Design programs that meet the needs of underserved groups.
  • Examine policies using a social justice lens.
  • Host book discussions on social justice issues.
  • Host community conversations.
  • Learn about anti-racism and equity in the profession.
  • Learn about social justice issues.
  • Offer staff trainings on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
  • Participate in Project READY.
  • Provide authoritative and reliable information.
  • Provide meeting space for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Purchase materials on DEI topics and from alternative publishers.
  • Recruit and develop a staff that represents the diversity of the community.
  • Serve as a safe community space during times of civil unrest.
  • Teach media literacy.
  • Use diversity, equity, and inclusion topics in information literacy training.

MLS Declaration of Inclusion

The MLS Team is committed to providing services that benefit and contribute to the library profession’s core values: diversity, inclusion, equity, access to information, free expression, privacy, and social justice.