On-Demand 2-Part Webinar Series: Transgender People in Libraries
This 2-part Webinar Series is on transgender people in libraries.
Learning Outcomes: Please review learning outcomes listed below.
Who Should Attend: Administrators
and managers seeking guidance in hiring and retaining
trans/gender-diverse employees as well as responding to
anti-trans/anti-LGBTQ+ challenges to books, programs, and/or staffing
decisions in their libraries; library workers at all levels seeking best
practices in working with trans colleagues, serving trans patrons, and
better understand and fight back against anti-trans/anti-LGBTQ+
misinformation.
On-Demand Webinars
Part One: Working with Transgender Patrons and Colleagues
Presented on: Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Description: This webinar is the first in a two-part series on transgender people in
libraries. An introductory look at gender and gender identity, this
webinar places emphasis on translating knowledge and awareness into
actionable best practices in a library setting. Attendees will come away
with a better grasp of concepts of gender, gender identity, and
pronouns, as well as why it is a vital topic in our society today. Tips
for best practices give attendees concrete actions they can implement in
order to better serve patrons and colleagues across the spectrum of
gender identities in their libraries.
Learning Outcomes:
- Define conceptual information about gender identity, including: the difference between sex assigned at birth and gender identity, the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, terminology such as "cisgender" and "transgender," and what pronouns are;
- Articulate why it is important to learn about and incorporate best practices about gender-diverse people into day-to-day operations;
- Recognize and challenge unconscious biases in themselves and others in regard to the way gender and assumptions about gender influence interactions;
- Implement best practices such as: including pronouns in introductions, practicing the use of different pronouns, recognizing and addressing problematic behaviors such as misgendering; and
- Create authentically gender-inclusive spaces for employees and patrons alike.
Part Two: Understanding and Fighting Anti-Trans Misinformation
Presented on: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Description:
This is the second webinar in a two-part series about transgender
people in libraries. As the transgender population increases in size and
visibility, a resulting backlash has gripped America--and libraries are
in the crossfire. Misinformation campaigns targeting transgender people
are being leveraged as part of a concerted effort to censor books,
displays, and programs; reduce free access for patrons of all ages;
harass or threaten library and information science (LIS) workers; and
interfere with or even shut down the operations of libraries across the
country. Thus, LIS workers have a major stake in understanding and
combatting anti-trans misinformation when they encounter it; but, due to
these campaigns' widespread nature, it can be difficult for the average
person to discern between what is fact, what's fiction, and what's
opinion. Learn how and why anti-trans misinformation is created and
spread, how you can distinguish between reliable and unreliable
information, and why LIS workers have a uniquely important part to play
in speaking out against anti-trans misinformation in what prior
attendees have called "the most powerful session I have attended in a
while" and "the first authentic information I've gotten on this civil
rights issue."
Learning Outcomes:
- Define the concepts of cultural narratives and frameworks, and explain how misinformation campaigns leverage them to spread misinformation more effectively;
- List common American cultural narratives and frameworks about transgender people;
- Identify the animating goals of anti-trans misinformation at the root of today's misinformation campaigns;
- Distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information about transgender people, lives, and experiences; and
- Take action to call out and speak up against anti-trans misinformation where it intersects with the professional LIS values of access, literacy, inclusivity, and equity.
Presenter:
Tech Requirements