General

DSRT & ULA Board Statement on Racism and Violence

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The Diversity Services Roundtable (DSRT) and Board of Directors of the Utah Library Association (ULA) stands with the American Library Association (ALA) and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in condemning violence and racism towards Black people and all People of Color.

The Diversity Services Roundtable and ULA condemns the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers within the Minneapolis Police Department and denounces all acts of violence against Black people and People of Color. Racism weakens our institutions and destroys our communities.

DSRT and ULA stands in solidarity with library workers, with library users, and with members of the communities we serve and support who are susceptible to acts of prejudice, threats of violence, and even death based solely on their race or ethnicity. The pervasive racism present in our nation denies its residents equal rights and equal access and as such is a barrier to the goals of the library profession.

DSRT and ULA calls on Utah library and information services leaders, staff, and advocates of all races and backgrounds to abolish racism against Black people and against all People of Color and to see to it that it has no place in our institutions, our policies, our practices, or our behaviors.

The Diversity Services Roundtable is committed to our mission of promoting inclusivity, equity, and diversity in our profession and association, and to our goals of communication and promotion, and training, programming, and diversity initiatives.

DSRT Officers:
Chair: Chaundra Johnson
Vice Chair: Cristina Reyes
Secretary: Jennifer McKague
Member-at-large: Katie Wegner

ULA Board of Directors:
President: Daniel Mauchley
Vice President: Rita Christensen
Past-President: Vern Waters
Members-at-Large, Section Chairs, and Liaisons

In the following video, DSRT Chair Chaundra Johnson reads the statement in full.

If you would like more information, please see our page on the ULA website. DSRT officers contact information is also listed there if you would like to reach out to one of us directly.

Diversity Services Round Table (DSRT)

Update: Library Day on the Hill ask funded for 2020!

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Dear Utah Library Community,

I hope you are all staying safe and sane in these tumultuous times. With everything going on in the world, Library Day on the Hill probably feels like a million years ago! I’m pleased to let you know that the Utah legislature did fund our primary ask in 2020: $270,000 one-time and $375,000 ongoing funding to support internet connections to 70 urban and rural libraries on the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN). This funding covers the portion of the cost that is not covered by the federal E-Rate program and ensures that all public libraries in the state can purchase bandwidth according to their usage and needs and not their individual budgets. I have no doubt that having librarians directly advocating to their representatives about the need for high-speed, reliable internet helped UETN’s legislative priority move through committee successfully. Thanks to all of you for your civic engagement and commitment to making sure Utah libraries are able to meet the needs of our users.

Unfortunately, not every library request was funded this year. In addition to the UETN ask, Library Day on the Hill participants were also advocating for the PALS (Parents Advocating for Librarians in Schools) legislative ask of $3.2 million for an impact study to place 20 certified teacher librarians in 20 schools to measure the impact that having librarians in schools has on literacy scores. While the ask got close, it was not funded as part of the 2020-2021 state budget.

The Utah Library Association Advocacy Committee is thrilled with the results of Library Day on the Hill 2020. Not only did we bring the library community together in our state’s Capitol, we had the opportunity to meet individually with 80/104 of our state’s representatives to talk about the critical role libraries play in our communities. Many of us also had the gratifying experience of hearing how much our libraries mean to them and their constituents. Personally, I loved hearing about how much my representatives love Overdrive, our children’s programs, and the way we support small businesses. Most importantly, the additional $270,000 and $375,000 of ongoing UETN funding will have a tremendous impact on our libraries, particularly in rural areas.

Thank you again for making Library Day on the Hill 2020 a success, and we hope to see you again for Library Day on the Hill 2021 on February 11, 2021!

Sincerely,

Rebekah Cummings, Library Day on the Hill, Co-Chair

Alfred Mowdood, Library Day on the Hill, Co-Chair

Peter Bromberg, ULA Advocacy Chair

IF Committee News

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[6/23/12] Committee Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 28, 10 am, Logan Library.

[6/21/12] At Wanda’s direction, ULA has decided to hold off issuing a statement about the Davis County School District issue until more information is forthcoming. Wanda is working to meet with the key players and hopes for a satisfactory solution for all involved.

[6/11/12] The ULA Executive Board, Wanda and Joseph from the IF Committee, Shay from the School Library Section, and Donna from the Utah State Library met at the Day-Riverside Library to discuss an official statement regarding the Davis County School District issue. A draft was composed and it is expected to be finalized soon.

[6/8/12] Wanda and Joseph attended the quarterly meeting of the ULA Board of Directors at the new West Jordan Llibrary where the Davis County School District issue was discussed. It was decided that an emergency meeting of the ULA Executive Board plus representatives from the Intellectual Freedom Committee and the School Library Section would meet again on Monday, June 11 to further discuss the situation and work on an official statement from ULA.

[6/5/12] We are monitoring the recent challenge to a children’s book in the Davis County School District (see Salt Lake Tribune 5/30/12 and 6/1/12).

 

 

 

Join Us Virtually!

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McSRT Home  | McSRT Officers | Milestones | Agencies Serving Multicultural Populations

 

Dear McSRT Participant, 

This is an invitation to attend the Wimba online meeting of the “ULA Multicultural Services Round Table.”

Please follow the instructions below to prepare for this virtual meeting.

 

Key Links for Joining the Online Meeting

· Wimba Setup Wizard: http://bit.ly/WimbaWizard

· Virtual Room: http://bit.ly/ULA-McSRT

 

Instructions

1. To Set Up Your Computer 

  • If this is your first Wimba online meeting, walk through the Wimba Setup Wizard as soon as possible. The wizard will ensure you have the software and configuration you need to see and hear the online meeting.
  • We will be using Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) so that you can hear the meeting through your computer’s speakers or headphones. If you wish to speak during the meeting, you will also need a microphone. I strongly recommend using a headset with a built-in mic; these are inexpensive and work very well.
  • If you are not able to use sound on your computer, you can hear the meeting’s audio by calling a phone number. Once you have entered ULA Multicultural Services Round Table Meeting Room you will see the phone number and instructions for getting a unique PIN (numeric password) that you will use on the phone. Please note this is not a toll-free number.

 

2 Connect to the Wimba Online Meeting 

  • Plan to join the room 10 minutes before the start time of the meeting.
  • Go to the following URL to join the meeting room “ULA Multicultural Services Round Table”  http://bit.ly/ULA-McSRT
  • A new window may open and you will be directed to a Participant Login page.
  • Type your name in the space provided and click the “enter” button.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!