Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
The ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services supports library and information science workers in creating safe, responsible, and all-inclusive spaces that serve and represent the entire community. To accomplish this, we decenter power and privilege by facilitating conversations around access and identity as they impact the profession and those we serve. We use a social justice framework to inform library and information science workers' development of resources. We strive to create an association culture where these concerns are incorporated into everybody's everyday work.
As library and information services practitioners seek to make their institutions more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and just, here are just a few of the dozens of panels and learning opportunities that will be featured at the 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition in support of that work:
- Affirming Inclusive Library Services: Equitably Serving Patrons with Significant Disabilities
- Behind Bars, Beyond Books: Equity and Access in Corrections Libraries
- Beyond the Buzzwords: People-First EDI That Builds Around Your Library's Heart
- Charting Queer Visibility: A Content Analysis of Queer Picture Books, 2000-2024
- Cultivating Radical Empathy in Archives & Special Collections: Lessons from the BRE Collective
- Decolonizing the Stacks: A Diversity Audit of Indigenous Literature
- Libraries Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline
- Queer Kidlit Joy: Positive Representation in the Face of Censorship
- Read Trans Books: Resources for Collection Development, Reader’s Advisory, and More!
- Resilient by Design: Reframing Equity and Innovation in Libraries
- Tribes and Marginalized Communities of India: Subject Proposals that Contribute to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity
See more EDIA programs in the Preliminary Scheduler.
Recognition of Indigenous History of Chicago, IL
The Chicago area is located on ancestral lands of indigenous tribes, such as the Council of the Three Fires--comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations--as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations. These tribes had thriving trade networks in the Great Lakes area prior to European contact. Post-European contact, the tribes maintained trade arrangements with both the French and British. Some roadways in Chicago reflect the trade roads followed by these tribes. Learn more about the indigenous communities of the region.
Diversely-Owned Businesses
Join ALA in honoring the individuals who make Chicago a diverse, vibrant, and dynamic city through its restaurants, museums, cultural centers, and businesses by visiting minority-, women-, and LGBTQ-owned businesses. Here are some curated lists to explore while in town: