<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:12.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Please consider taking a few minutes to read the message below and participate in the survey if you wish.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was created in the spring of 2014 by then ALA President Barbara Stripling.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Task Force is currently in the information-gathering phase.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tfedi1web">https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tfedi1web</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>To aid with information gathering, it has launched a series of short surveys to be conducted at times to coincide with the ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences through 2016. These surveys are designed to help understand the culture of the association, the profession and our communities with respect to equity, diversity and inclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The first survey presents the definitions created by the task force — equity, diversity, and inclusion — and asks individuals to consider ALA’s current alignment with those definitions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The survey can be accessed at <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tfedi1web">https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tfedi1web</a>. Responses will be collected through Feb. 16, 2015. ALA members and nonmembers are encouraged to participate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The final, analyzed results of the survey will be reported by April 2015 via the Task Force's ALA Connect community and distributed through various ALA channels.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Please take a few minutes to answer the survey, which should take no more than seven minutes to complete.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>“Embracing and celebrating diversity and creating a more inclusive profession have been long-standing goals of the American Library Association. With your help, we hope to ensure these values are upheld,” said Task Force co-Chairs Trevor A. Dawes and Martin L. Garnar.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’s charge is to develop a plan and strategic actions to build more equity, diversity and inclusion among our members, the field of librarianship and our communities. The most important Task Force outcome is the public and honest conversation that generated by its plan and recommended actions. The final Task Force report will include recommendations for ensuring that a continuing focus on equity, diversity and inclusion is embedded throughout the ALA organization.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Trish Burns<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Director, Public Libraries of Saginaw<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>505 Janes Avenue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Saginaw, MI 48607<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>989-755-9833<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>tburns@saginawlibrary.org<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>ALA Councilor for Michigan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>