DEI Initiatives
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Beaverton City Library practices Equity Everyday. Examples of recent DEI action items include:
Outreach
- The summer 2023 launch of our Bookmobile which will carry materials to different locations around Beaverton including parks, senior living facilities, apartment complexes, and more!
- Handed out thousands of free books to youth at free meal pick up sites.
- Summer outreach team visited seven local title one schools.
- The Library on Wheels program (L.O.W.) serves thousands of children in Beaverton and the surrounding area.
- The addition of a Library Outreach specialist with a focus on adults. Core audience includes newcomers, immigrants, and refugees.
Collections
- Increased circulating material budgets for non-English materials for kids and adults.
- The addition of several Community Bookshelves throughout the city that give our neighbors access to books without having to check them out or return them.
- Annual additions to the Library of Things collection to provide access to STEM and recreational resources.
- Added circulating Mobile Hotspots to make the Internet more accessible.
Our Spaces
- Increased the number of English/Spanish bilingual signs, webpages and publications.
- Partners in the Library include Greater Good Northwest, CareOregon and the Washington County Law Library.
- Host seasonal Citizenship Classes.
- Since 2022, we have provided one-on-one tech help and monthly Computer Classes.
Staff Development
- Formation of the Anti-Racism Action Committee made up of library staff.
- Creation of a DEI Toolkit through a fellowship program.
The Equity Everyday Card was designed by BCL staff to help center equity while making decisions about our work (programming, outreach, storytimes, access, etc.).