Goal Two of the RAILS Strategic Plan (2022-2025) is: RAILS models best practices in equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. This goal focuses on three objectives and will be the basis of RAILS' EDI work for the next three years. This pulse page will provide updates on what RAILS is doing, a list of upcoming and recorded EDI events, and EDI-related resources for our members. If you have comments or questions about the issue of equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion, please add them to the Comments section at the bottom of this page.
RAILS Initiatives
RAILS Strategic Plan
RAILS Strategic Plan (2022-2025): The RAILS Board approved a new strategic plan in January 2022 that includes a model for best practices in equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion (under Strategic Goal 2).
- Objective 1: RAILS will provide leadership in developing and providing resources that will support member libraries' efforts to provide equitable, diverse, and inclusive services.
- Objective 2: Examine all aspects of RAILS policies, procedures, and core services through an equity lens and make needed improvements.
- Objective 3: Work with RAILS members of all types to identify and implement ways to diversify library governing bodies and staff to increase representation and better reflect the communities they serve.
New RAILS Networking Group: Digital Equity Networking Group
If you have a passion for increasing digital equity and working towards mitigating the digital divide, please consider joining and participating in the RAILS Digital Equity Networking Group. Participants in this group will work together to identify barriers that stand in the way of digital equity and will collaborate on solutions and opportunities for bridging the digital divide. This meeting is open to all library staff from all Illinois libraries.
Climate Team
RAILS Climate Team recently finished work on a short welcome video for all RAILS staff that outlines our values as an organization. It especially highlights that an individual’s name, background, and where they come from shouldn’t affect the way that they are treated at RAILS or their ability to succeed here. We plan to show the video at our January staff meeting and then incorporate it into onboarding for all new staff.
EDI Forum
On January 15, RAILS administered a survey to all former and current members of the RAILS Board EDI Committee. We are hoping to receive feedback that will help guide the transition of this committee from a board committee to a member-focused committee. It is also our intention to follow this survey with a small focus group of members who can provide additional perspective on how a future iteration of this EDI committee can best support our membership.
First Meeting of RAILS Digital Accessibility Team
The first meeting of the RAILS Digital Accessibility Team was held on November 22. This staff-led team will help establish and maintain a web accessibility strategy that will help ensure our digital content and platforms are inclusive and accessible to all users, including individuals with disabilities.
Anne Slaughter Named DCEO Broadband Advisory Council Chair
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced that RAILS Director of Technology Services Anne Slaughter has been appointed the new Broadband Advisory Council Chair. Anne has been representing libraries on the Council since its inception in 2019. This is a wonderful opportunity for Anne and a great opportunity to continue her work in making libraries a visible part of digital inclusion and broadband efforts. Congratulations on this honor, Anne!
Freedom Lifted Renewal
RAILS has signed an agreement to continue providing Freedom Lifted’s Social Justice in Public Libraries to all RAILS member libraries. This asynchronous learning opportunity can be an important part of member library’s efforts towards providing better understanding of principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries. The new contract will extend access to this valuable program until September 2025.
Illinois Legislative Updates
ILA’s Public Policy Committee met on September 30. Legislative priorities related to the Libraries Connected proposal (related to providing complimentary internet service to libraries in their role as community anchor institutions; RAILS cosponsored this proposal) and Considering Equitable Compensation Reporting Requirements (related to the requirement for posting salary information for any employer of an IMRF participating organization for any employee making over $75k) were both accepted as priorities by the ILA Executive Board at their September meeting.
IMLS Grant Opportunity
RAILS has committed support to the IMLS-funded iLead: Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders with an EDI Lens. The initiative, which is designed as a no-cost, open-access national leadership program, has a focus on inclusive leadership. We are serving as part of a coalition that includes the Chicago Public Library and the Illinois Library Association, as well as many other national partners, in the event that the next stage of this project is funded by IMLS. The regional group is currently scheduling its first meeting for November 2024.
New Digital Accessibility in Libraries Pulse Page (May 2024)
To keep libraries informed and compliant with details related to digital accessibility, RAILS has released a new Digital Accessibility in Libraries Pulse Page. This page will be updated frequently with more information on digital accessibility issues, federal laws and guidance, resources for libraries, CE events, and more.
EDI Learning Cohort
The current RAILS Strategic Plan addresses our members' expressed need for EDI leadership by including it as one of our four strategic goals. With this in mind, RAILS launched an inaugural equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) learning cohort. Thirty-five RAILS members participated in the cohort, which began in October 2022 and ran through May 2023. Cohort members were selected from libraries across our service area and serve in various roles at their respective libraries. This special learning opportunity engaged participants in a collective discourse on critical EDI issues in a supportive setting and helped them learn together how to navigate the opportunities and challenges in the communities they serve. Contact Joe Filapek, RAILS Associate Executive Director or 630.734.5132 with any questions.
E-Resources
- eRead Illinois Axis 360 includes a curated list of racial justice titles with numerous anti-racism bestsellers. eRead Illinois Axis 360 members can access all of the titles in the bestsellers list. The list can also be added to an eRead library's Axis 360 site:
- Go to your Axis 360 admin page and login
- Navigate to Settings > List Management
- Click on the button next to "Hide Disabled Lists"
- Switch the lists status button for the Racial Justice list to "Enabled"
- The Racial Justice list should now appear on your Axis 360 homepage
EDI Training Grants
To support continuing education (CE) for member library staff throughout our service area, RAILS offers training grants of up to $2,000 for libraries, networking groups, or library consortia.
To qualify, CE events must be made available to all RAILS member libraries and of interest to a wide range of library staff. In addition to prioritizing geographic diversity and training for multiple library types in evaluating grant applications, RAILS will also prioritize events focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Internal EDI Initiative
The RAILS Climate Team, a dedicated group of staff members facilitated by equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant Biz Lindsay Ryan, is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive work environment. Recent initiatives include the development of an orientation video reinforcing our organizational EDIA principles, a staff survey to assess current understanding of EDIA, and the transition to staff-led facilitation in FY2026.
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