Advocacy & Resources Committee

Charge

Serves as a support to those who advocate for library services for the LGBTQIA+ communities, their families, and their allies at the local, state, and national levels. Works with other ALA units, including specific divisions, the Chapter Relations Committee, and the Committee on Library Advocacy, to integrate LGBTQIA+ advocacy into their planning and advocacy strategies. Provides support through a variety of means, including:

  • Creating, evaluating, and maintaining bibliographies and resource lists on the RRT website.
  • Soliciting new resources from RRT members that meet established criteria and reviews them for inclusion on the RRT website.
  • Developing and maintaining toolkits.
  • Providing continuity for advocacy efforts (ex. June is LGBTQIA+ Book Month).
  • Suggesting website changes for the RRT 'Advocacy & Issues' page, including a mechanism on the web page for users to suggest new topics or other changes on the page.
  • Cultivating future leadership to sustain the advocacy efforts of the RRT.

Roster

Eden Devon Biskin (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Kelly Kreps Depin (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Jeremy Gunnoe (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Ms. Laura C. Haynes (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Jonathan Khan (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Dr. Gwendolyn D. Reese (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Ms. Tenley Nadine Sablatzky (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
April Sheppard (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Kestrel S. Ward (Member, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023)
Monica L. Chapman (Primary Staff Liaison, June 19, 2020, to June 30, 2023)

Previous Year / Next Year

Displaying active committee roster as of 07/01/2022. Last retrieved on 04/19/2024. Members can log in and refresh the page to view full contact information for committee members.

Resources

Composition

The committee will consist of 10 to 15 members, a board liaison, and will be led by a chair. Ideal candidates will have a background in ALA advocacy, communication, and digital skills.

Origin

At the ALA 2012 Midwinter Meeting, the Rainbow Round Table Steering Committee charged the Resources Ad-hoc Committee one year (January 2012 to January 2013) to assess, develop, and maintain all resources listed on the 'Publications' page of the round table website.The content on this page was on the 'Popular Resources' page of our old website. 

During the November 2013 round table board meeting, the RRT Resources Ad-hoc Committee was charged as a standing committee. The committee began work in July 2014.

The Advocacy Committee was originally charged at the November 2013 RRT Executive Board Meeting as an ad-hoc committee. Slight amendments were made to the charge during the meeting that are captured in the November meeting document comments' area. At ALA Annual 2015, the RRT Executive Board voted to make the Advocacy Ad-hoc Committee a permanent standing committee. 

At the 2018 ALA Annual meeting and the 2019 ALA Midwinter meeting, the RRT Executive Board voted to merge these two standing committees into a single committee.

Get Involved

Serving on a Rainbow Round Table committee requires membership in ALA and RRT. Learn more by visiting our membership page. To volunteer for a committee, visit our volunteer form page.