Event:

As the former home of the confederacy, the Richmond Public Library (RPL) had decades of decision making that did not embrace all its residents. Our director, Scott Firestine, is a firm supporter of EID in all ways for RPL with full Board of Trustees support. The focus of this proposal is our approach toward our collection. Our challenge was two fold. First, we needed to identify gaps in our holdings. Our goal is a collection that reflects authors and main characters that are different colors, genders, and disabilities. Especially in a city that has a large community of marginalized African Americans, literature that readers can identify with is essential. We, at the same time, sought to inventory material that reflected “Lost Cause” mythology. Once we completed our inventory, we worked with public historians and experts from our local rare and special collections to provide context and determine the best location for such items. Over the past 8 months we have made significant progress and would love to talk to Trustees, Foundations, and Friends groups about our approach and its benefits.

Presented by Christine Peterson