PLA Education Program

Until now, there has never been a systematic study of Black History Month (BHM) programming in public libraries. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The University of Michigan, in partnership with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and the Public Library Association (PLA), undertook a national survey with a representative sample of U.S. public libraries. The results of this study are not just timely, but crucial given the controversies around the direction of DEI programs and the legislation targeting Black history in schools and other educational institutions like libraries. For those currently conducting BHM programming, you will learn what others are doing around the country and be inspired by new ideas. For those new to BHM programming, you will leave this session with six steps to create your first BHM program and know how to use the BHM Toolkit.

Mary Davis Fournier, PLA Executive Director, will introduce the panel. Deborah Robinson, PhD Principal Investigator from the University of Michigan, will present the main findings from the study. Grace Jackson-Brown, PhD, Emerita Professor from Missouri State University, will discuss the BHM Toolkit. Wanda Brown, MLIS, President of BCALA and former President of ALA, Amita Lonial, MLIS, former PLA Board Member, and Aaisha Haykal, MLS, Vice-President of Programs for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (the creator of Black History Month), will discuss the implications of the study for their respective organizations.