Bridging the Gap: In Support of Female Librarianship webinar to be held May 4

The ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Women and Gender Studies Section, and the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) Feminist Task Force will host a complimentary webinar titled ‘Bridging the Gap: In Support of Female Librarianship’ on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, 2:00 pm (ET) / 1:00 pm (CT). Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session.

Despite the widespread number of women working in libraries today many of us, particularly women of color, regularly experience instances where our contributions, opinions, and suggestions are undermined when at work. Over time this results in poor morale, loss of individual confidence, and, in extreme cases, a hostile work environment.  What are the factors that contribute to the demeaning of women’s contributions?  While studies support the anecdotal evidence women regularly share about the gender inequities still at play in the general workforce, how do these inequities play out in the library workforce?

What are effective strategies that women can employ to combat being undermined in the workplace?  What can employers do to assure that the contributions of women are not regularly devalued?  What can women do to make sure we are not contributing to demeaning or undervaluing our female colleagues — and how can we better lift-up and support female colleagues? 

Join us in a lively discussion as we seek to better understand the factors that contribute to undermining and undervaluing women in the library workplace and identifying strategies that can be used to make the library work place an environment where women’s many contributions are valued. Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session.

Speakers include:

Shawnta Smith-Cruz, Visiting Assistant Professor, PRATT Institute
N.M. Hayes, VP – Black Caucus of the American Library Association 
Emily Drabinski, Interim Chief Librarian at the Min Rees Library at the Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)