Vision, Mission, and Values
VISION: Equitable access to library and information services for the people of Oregon.
MISSION: The State Library of Oregon cultivates, preserves, and delivers library
and information services to foster lifelong learning and community engagement.
VALUES
Equity: We challenge our personal and organizational biases in order to improve
our practices and better serve all communities.
Access: We commit to ensuring information is preserved, discoverable, and
available.
Collaboration: We invest in sustained and intentional partnerships by
sharing expertise and resources to achieve mutual goals.
Public Service: We deliver excellent customer service and stewardship of
resources to support democracy and the public good.
Adaptability: We anticipate and evolve as needs change to deliver innovative results to our customers, to our partners, and to each other.
The State Library believes that all Oregonians should have equitable access to library and information services. We acknowledge that past and present inequity has excluded many from the wide range of benefits provided by libraries. We understand that systemic racism exists today within the library profession. The State Library is committed to advancing anti-racist practices and policies and integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion principles into our daily work, decision-making, and programs and services. Guided by our vision, mission, and values, the State Library has the following goals for 2020 - 2023:
- Utilize the State of Oregon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan to develop and implement a State Library equity framework to assess and improve our policies and services, remove barriers and address potential bias, and better serve communities that experience racial disparity and oppression.
- Reconcile the agency's racist beginnings by acknowledging the actions and beliefs of the first state librarian Cornelia Marvin Pierce, the influence those beliefs may have had on the agency's practices and services, and the resulting impact on communities and individuals. Engage with the OLA EDI Anti-racism Special Committee to develop strategies for addressing this past.
- Provide ongoing learning opportunities for State Library staff to deepen their understanding and practice of anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles and strategies.
- Conduct a continuing education needs assessment and engage with libraries to determine the initiatives, education, and resources necessary to support libraries throughout the state in meeting the needs of communities and individuals.
- Support OLA's commitment to anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion through methods such as grant funding, collaboration, deployment support, and promotion to the library community.
The State Library is committed to listening, learning, growing, and taking actions to address institutional bias within our agency as well as provide leadership and support for libraries across the state. Libraries are uniquely positioned to fight inequity and racism through free and open access to resources, programs, and services, and it is critical that library staff are empowered with the training and development needed to reach communities that are being marginalized and oppressed, create welcoming and inclusive environments, and respond to community needs.
