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ARL Fall Forum 2020
Thursday, October 8, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The theme of the 2020 Fall Forum was “Leading Libraries toward Anti-racism in a Changing World.”
The impact of COVID-19 has been broad and deep—on our libraries, our institutions, our families, and our communities. Unfortunately, some communities have been impacted disproportionately. Low-wage workers, including many Latinx individuals in meatpacking plants, are on the front lines. Data shows that members of the Black and Indigenous communities suffer greatly from COVID-19. And people of Asian origins, unjustly blamed as a cause of the pandemic by some, are frequently victims of hate speech or derogatory internet memes and posts. At the same time, systemic racism has once again taken the national spotlight in the US after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others sparked worldwide protests. Our work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion has never been more important.
This year’s ARL Fall Forum was designed to help library leaders who are now challenged with leading their organizations, often with reduced funding, in a dynamic and increasingly volatile environment. In these difficult and anxious times, leaders are required to make hard decisions while maintaining employees’ morale and the organization’s commitments to anti-racism, equity, diversity, and social justice. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued protests against white supremacy, the Fall Forum explored how research libraries can keep anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront and contribute to progress in transforming organizational culture and society for the better.
COVID-19 Update
This meeting, originally scheduled to be held in Washington, DC, took place via videoconference.
Meeting Details
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Hashtag #ARLforum20
