BANS, BANS, BANS…. Fighting to Protect Civil Rights in a Time of Political Unrest

Libraries and schools are under attack. There is a huge national push to levy a variety of challenges to peoples’ Constitutionally protected rights to intellectual freedom and free speech. Library employees and directors have been pushed out, fired, labeled pedophiles or groomers and are under duress. This presentation will cover real world techniques that have been utilized by the presenter with great success when addressing book, program, display, and reading list challenges from individuals, groups, and municipal bodies (including library boards).

There will also be a discussion and tips offered regarding curating library boards. Participants should leave the presentation with a variety of tools that will better position them to address a variety of challenges from a variety of audiences.

As a result of this program, attendees will learn:

• The value of knowing your audience
• How to create challenge forms
• How to adjust their framing based on audience
• How to deal with bad actors on boards

Presenter: Lance Werner

Fee: $20 Norweld/Other RLS Members  |  $35 Non Members

Please Note: If you are using a prepaid CE account, you will automatically be placed on the payment waiting list until your payment has been manually processed.

Log in information will be sent in your meeting reminder one day prior to the webinar.  Please watch for this information.

Lance Werner~ Biography

Lance has served as Executive Director for Kent District Library since 2011. He received a juris doctorate degree from Michigan State University’s College of Law and his master’s degree in Library Science from Wayne State University (WSU). In 2018 he was chosen as Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, and in years past he was the recipient of the Joey Rodger Leadership Award from the Urban Libraries Council, Librarian of the Year Award from the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the WSU Distinguished Alumni award, and Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker Award. Lance is currently involved in the ALA Policy Corps.