The Annual ALA Conference recently took place in Washington DC from June 22nd-28th. This annual conference and exhibition is the largest library event of the year. Featuring educational programs and a trade show, the ALA Annual gatheers everyone who plays a role in libraries, such as the librarians and library staff, friends of libraries, trustees, authors, publishers, and educators.
Albany Public Library proudly took part in this event to discuss the Branching Out program, supported by the American Library Association, Center for Law and Justice, and Friends & Foundation of APL.
The session was titled: “Branching Out: Pushing Our Libraries To More Deeply Connect With Communities of Color”.
Albany Public Library was the recipient of ALA’s 2021 Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant for its Branching Out program, a community initiative intended to uplift local Black voices in music and art. The library expanded this through additional grants, including FFAPL and the Center for Law and Justice, and sponsorships into a multi-library program involving the creation of a traveling mural displayed throughout the region and forging new relationships with libraries and people of color in their communities. Artist collective Amplified Voices led 9 teens in a paid educational art intensive where they learned techniques of self-expression, activism, and painting, culminating in the design and creation of the mural. At each display site, the art was further amplified through live performances by local BIPOC performers, who also offered educational art programs for patrons in the weeks following their performances. The initial grant supported three sites hosting this, which was expanded to two more in adjoining counties with additional sites throughout the region currently being scheduled.
The central mission was two-fold: to more deeply support BIPOC artists in the community, and to push libraries to better connect with communities of color in their neighborhoods. Every aspect was conducted through an equity framework, with direct funding of BIPOC artists and Black-owned organizations and donated goods and services by predominantly white organizations (including the library). The ALA session shared the history of the communities served, the internal and external work done by the library leading up to this program, and the amazing individuals and organizations who joined together to make it happen.
From the Conference Program Guide.
