The mission of the Arizona Library Association shall be to promote library service and librarianship in libraries of all types in the state of Arizona.

• Developed statewide materials purchasing contracts
• Lobbied and obtained the end of use taxes on books
• Provide continuing education credits for school librarians
• Sponsor the Horner Fellowship
• Provide regional forums to obtain statewide input to the association
• Nominate young librarians to the Snowbird Leadership Institute

Webinar Description:  

Discover the joy of reading diversely! Attendees will learn how to discover diverse titles and authors using a variety of resources. They will also be given tools to highlight these materials for their customers in displays, booklists, and readers’ advisory. The presentation will include a curated list of DEI-focused titles and authors as prime examples to keep staff and customers on the pulse of what great representation looks like. Finally, keep the conversation going by gaining knowledge about DEI-focused book clubs and other ways to discuss these titles.

Presenters: 

Chris Amarillas (she/her) is a born-and-raised Arizonan with over five years of experience in public libraries. She currently serves as a digital collections librarian and youth programming supervisor at Avondale’s Sam Garcia Library branch. Her work centers on thoughtfully developing collections and programs that reflect a wide range of experiences.

Anna Chenoweth (she/her) is a neurodivergent and queer librarian who has been working in public libraries for almost 15 years. She is currently the Physical Collections Manager for Phoenix Public Library and is passionate about making sure that every community member can see themselves in library collections. As the current Chair of the AZLA EDI Committee, she is excited to support library staff across Arizona with all things EDI-focused.