Editorial: Marin takes next step with ‘anti-racism and equity’ library plan

Keeping its promise to take a closer look at its services, procedures and priorities through the lens of racial and economic equity, Marin County has adopted an “anti-racism and equity” plan for its library system.

Many other changes and challenges have already been implemented. In fact, county staff and supervisors have made an assessment of decisions’ impacts on racial equity as an institutional gauge in the decision-making process.

Another step is the Marin County Free Library’s just-completed process aimed at improving racial equity, from its hiring to increase awareness and access of its varied services to underserved communities.

Equity has long been one of the library system’s priorities. Equity and inclusivity have been part of the library’s mission statement since 2013. Its new mission statement expands on that goal.

In addition, in 2017, the county required all county employees to attend eight hours of “cultural intelligence” training.

And in 2019, the county system did away with its tradition of charging fines for overdue books because the penalties were seen as a barrier to people borrowing materials.

One of the library’s new goals is to revise its hiring standards that require librarians to have a master’s degree in library and information science.

For some, particularly minorities, that step might be a higher climb, one that can be blocked by economics and educational hurdles.

Lowering that entry standard while also helping those employees earn those degrees could help broaden the diversity of the library system’s workforce.

While opening its doors to all, the library is planning to invest time and money on outreach and marketing to better connect with underserved communities.

That includes spending $100,000 to hire a design firm to help create the library’s racial equity plan.

That’s a considerable sum.

That investment of taxpayer money and staff talent and energy deserves to be evaluated – publicly – to determine the library’s progress toward meeting its goals.

The breadth of the plan is broad, even recognizing America’s past of displacing Indian tribes, including the Coast Miwok, and building a nation with the “labor of enslaved people.”

It also further refers to early public libraries’ exclusion of various groups, based on race, economics and sexual identification.

Upfront recognition of that history reinforces the plan, but it doesn’t necessarily test the short- and long-term effectiveness of the goals of the document.

It is going to take commitment, funding and assessment to make the plan what it should be – a living document. One that’s regularly evaluated, updated and revised.

Supervisors recently got a public briefing on the plan.

County staff should make sure follow-up public briefings are also scheduled to help keep the library plan’s goals vibrant priorities. The same timely evaluation should be expected of other county departments, as well.

It’s part of the county keeping its promise.