The california library association will collaborate with the national summer learning association and webjunction to work with library staff across the country on the building equity-based summers…

The California Library Association will receive $837,782 under a Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program to collaborate with the National Summer Learning Association and WebJunction on the Building Equity-Based Summers project. This project will provide training and resources to library staff nationwide to develop equity-focused summer services for youth and families from underserved communities. Key activities include co-designing materials, a community of practice for participating libraries, and opportunities for staff to engage stakeholders and pilot new initiatives. The goal is to enhance skills for incorporating equity principles into programming and build capacity of state library agencies to support such efforts across their libraries. This aligns with the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program's focus on developing a diverse workforce to meet evolving community information needs.

The california library association will collaborate with the national summer learning association and webjunction to work with library staff across the country on the building equity-based summers project to build equity into summer services. The project will bring opportunities for states to RE-envision summer services and effectively engage youth and families from minority communities. Activities will include CO-design and training, reflection on learning, review and iteration of materials, a community of practice, opportunities to connect with community stakeholders, and implementation of equity-based practices. The project will result in enhanced skills for library staff to work with youth and families from minority communities and state library administrative agency staff in CO-designing and bringing equity-based initiatives to library staff in their state, as well as the youth, families, and adults who, through targeted equity-based opportunities, will learn, grow, and thrive.