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The Burnaby Public Library’s board of directors has approved funding to keep operating three employee inclusivity groups, following reporting in The Tyee that highlighted staff backlash against planned cuts.
The groups, each made up of fewer than a dozen employees, recommend policies, initiatives and training to make the library more inclusive for racialized, trans and Indigenous staff and patrons.
Last October, Burnaby Public Library asked the three groups to wrap up their ongoing work.
But after hearing concerns from staff, the library’s board of directors approved $25,000 in funding to keep the groups running until the library can come up with a long-term way to continue inclusivity work.
“Staff and management are committed to [finding out] how we prioritize and fund this work going forward, so that it isn’t something that becomes optional,” chief librarian Beth Davies said. “Instead, it’s something that becomes part of who we are, and it’s funded.”
The decision bucks a North American trend of backlash against workplace inclusivity — or “DEI” — and comes amid growing financial pressure on B.C. public libraries.
The three groups — one for trans inclusion, one for anti-racism and one for Indigenous initiatives — were formed between 2018 and 2020.
According to Davies, employees are given four work hours per week, either as additional hours or within existing schedules, to meet and implement changes that would make the organization more inclusive. (A member of one of the working groups previously told The Tyee they spent around eight hours per month participating.)
They have helped the library make changes including switching to gender-inclusive washroom signs and contributed to organization-wide diversity training.
Currently, the groups consult with the library on educational programs and book lists. The trans inclusion working group helps run the library’s booth at Burnaby Pride.
But Davies said the employee hours spent on this work is not tracked, and the inclusivity groups did not have a line in the library’s budget.
The library has plans to review how it can continue inclusivity work, and ensure any inclusivity groups have a clear mandate and specific funding. Davies said the organization planned to end the groups while it came up with a recommendation how to continue inclusivity work.
“The key thing, and the reason why we stopped the equity working groups in their current form, is that the recommendation will include how we would fund this work going forward,” Davies said.
But some staff spoke out against the change. A Dec. 11 report by Davies to the library’s board and trustees noted that reporting by The Tyee shed light on staff’s reaction.
“Some staff have expressed disappointment that the equity working groups in their current forms are ending,” Davies said in the report. “Other staff have expressed understanding for the need to evaluate this work, and a desire to have the work be more systemic and operationalized.”
With the new funding, Davies said the groups will be able to continue in their current form until the library comes up with a new system.
“I think the staff that we heard from who were disappointed that the equity working groups were ending will be very happy with this decision to provide this interim funding,” she told The Tyee.
She added she’s hoping to bring a proposal — and a budget — for how the library can continue inclusivity work to the board in May. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
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