CORE VALUES April 13, 2024 at Old Dominion University

Purpose:

To bring the MLIS program (students, faculty, advisory board members, etc.) together to discuss librarianship’s core values and ALA’s updates.

Materials:

4" squares (scraps of paper board leftover from making enclosures for library books)

colored pencils (red, orange, green, blue, and purple)

graphite pencils

ballpoint pens (red, black, and blue)

glue sticks

french paper

archival double-sided tape

magnets

ALA Core Values: (with colors and definitions)

Access – Red (action, passion, strength, love) : Access provides opportunities for everyone in the community to obtain library resources and services with minimal disruption. Library workers create systems that ensure members of their community can freely access the information they need for learning, growth, and empowerment regardless of technology, format, or delivery methods. 

Equity – Purple (imagination, justice, wealth, wisdom) : Library workers play a crucial role in fostering equity by actively working to dismantle barriers and create spaces that are accessible, welcoming, and beneficial for all. This is accomplished by recognizing and addressing systemic barriers, biases, and inequalities to create inclusive library environments where everyone can benefit from the library's offerings and services.

Intellectual Freedom and Privacy – Blue (trust, power, loyalty, security) : Intellectual freedom empowers people to think for themselves and to make informed decisions while respecting each individual’s dignity and independence. Library workers encourage people to cultivate curiosity and form ideas by questioning the world and accessing information from diverse viewpoints and formats without restrictions or censorship. The right to privacy is a crucial safeguard to this freedom, ensuring everyone has the right to develop their thoughts and opinions free of surveillance. 

Public Good – Orange (optimism, freedom, success, warmth) : Public good is working to improve society and protect the rights to education, literacy, and intellectual freedom. Libraries are an essential public good and are fundamental institutions in democratic societies. Library workers provide the highest service levels to create informed, connected, educated, and empowered communities.

Sustainability – Green (nature, harmony, prosperity, health) : Sustainability means making choices that are good for the environment, make sense economically, and treat everyone equitably. Sustainable choices preserve physical and digital resources and keep services useful now and into the future. By supporting climate resiliency, library workers create thriving communities and care for our common good for a better tomorrow. 

ACTIVITY PART ONE:

We want color and texture. The more layers and overlap there are the better. Don’t be afraid to fill it up over and over.

Consider the following three questions:

Which Core Value resonates with you the most? Why?

Which is the most important for libraries today? Why?

Are they the same? Why or why not?

STEP ONE: Rank the 5 Core Values the best you can. Now draw / color your core with your top ranked value in the center using the colored pencils provided.

STEP TWO: Find someone who’s central core color is different from your own and partner up.

STEP THREE: Trade squares and take turns interviewing one other using the three questions above. Each time you record an answer, change your writing tool and turn the square clockwise. Pencil to red pen to black pen. By the end the writing will be overlapped in different directions. Write, or even draw, as much as you like. 

ACTIVITY PART TWO:

There are 56 slots available in the grid. If a group has less than 14 squares, additional squares must be made.

STEP ONE: Split up into 4 groups based on the number on your folder. Each group should include around 14 people.

STEP TWO: Turn your square clockwise one last time and, with a blue pen, write the answer to Question 4: What are your biggest takeaways from our core values discussions today?

STEP THREE: Gather the group's squares and cut each of them in half, creating two triangles. Collect all the bottoms and trade with another group. Now arrange the pieces into the grid provided before gluing them down as well as possible.

STEP FOUR:  Each group’s grid will then be cut into a quarter of a circle. The four quarters are then combined together to make a whole circle – a visualization of our collective Core Values.