Equity and Inclusion

Welcome!

Elizabeth Barrera Rush
Research shows that children are more successful in school and beyond when they feel their identity is respected and when they experience a variety of people and cultures unlike their own. As a librarian, being responsible for providing an environment that celebrates diversity is undoubtedly a daunting task. This page seeks to explore ways to help create a place that allows students to feel safe, welcomed, and valued. It also strives to be a place where open dialogue happens. I invite you to be yourself and share in this safe space. As we learn from others, we can explore ways to establish a brave space that empowers all who rely on us for help.

Elizabeth Barrera Rush
District Library Specialist, Texas

Becoming More Inclusive Starts with Us

by Elizabeth Barrera Rush

The most rewarding and successful thing I ever did as a librarian was to give every student the opportunity to select their own topic for research. My goal was to teach relevant research skills, to give the students the ability to discern which method of presentation was best in the context of their topic, and to have them communicate their findings to an audience. It just made sense that if a student would draw upon their own life experiences, a self-selected topic would make it easy to practice the skills I wanted them to learn.

However, for two years, I had a difficult time convincing the students that personal interests or curiosities were valuable, important, and legitimate places to begin an information quest. For me, this begged the question, what caused my students to believe that the things that were important to them were not worthy of being studied in school?  Read More >>