The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.
After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:
Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The EDISJ Committee has supported PLA’s strategic goals by using consensus based decision making to identify 5 committee projects that support EDISJ work in libraries, including:
Project 1: EDISJ & MEAC conference proposal on PLA Project Outcome & Benchmark
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Professional Growth, Advocacy & Awareness, and Organizational Excellence.
Project 2: Host EDISJ Conference Listening Sessions at ALA & PLA
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, Advocacy & Awareness, and Organizational Excellence
Project 3: Create a living document of EDISJ library resources by state, including training resources.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, and Organizational Excellence.
Project 4: Create a document with base level accommodation language that does not require HR/official paperwork, including developing talking points for staff in libraries that celebrate religious observances and how to communicate with supervisors about time off.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ and Organizational Excellence.
Project 5: Write regular EDISJ articles for Public Libraries Magazine.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, and Organizational Excellence.
Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The EDISJ Committee could follow the work of other committees more closely to see if there are additional opportunities for collaboration.
What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
I recommend new committee members attend the first meeting in July so they can meet the committee members that are offboarding, learn about the succession plans for each project, and if they are unable to attend monthly committee meetings I recommend that they participate by being active on our ALA Connect page. For those attending ALA and PLA I recommend that they attend the EDISJ listening sessions so that they know what PLA members want to see from the EDISJ committee. Lastly, this can be emotionally demanding work, so I recommend that members practice not just self care, but community care within the committee.
What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)
Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
EDISJ is currently collaborating with MEAC, but we could also partner with the Leadership Development Committee to help funnel emerging minority leaders into the EDISJ committee, so that they have an opportunity to build a portfolio that reflects national / association wide projects.
Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
The PLA EDISJ committee has provided a space for members to connect and be in community during a very challenging time for library workers. At times like these I am thankful we have organizations like PLA to bring us together. National committee work provides a reminder that even though we come from very different libraries, in various states, we often face similar challenges.
Submitted by Oscar Gittemeier & Lewonda Gipson on 06/06/2025