In this episode, we hear from Ayn Reyes Frazee and Mai Takahashi, co-chairs of the newly formed EDI Committee of ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children, a division of ALA). Frazee, who serves as current president of the Oregon Association of School Libraries, is a high school librarian in Portland and was a 2019 ALSC Equity and Diversity Fellow. Takahashi is a youth services librarian at the Seattle Public Library, working closely with Seattle’s Indigenous community and with local nonprofits that serve currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families. She was a 2020 ALSC Equity and Diversity Fellow.

 The duo discusses the formation of the committee from the viewpoint of BIPOC library staffers serving diverse communities, and the career paths and advocacy for youth that led them to these positions. We hear their vision for the on-going scope of work ahead in the effort to bring more voices to the table.

Hosts: Ericka Brunson-Rochette & Constance Palaia
Date of Interview: January 16, 2024

Association of Library Services to Children
ALSC EDI Committee
ALSC Equity Fellowship
JCLC (Joint Council for Librarians of Color)