Managing and Marketing Inclusion in Libraries
On 28 October, 2021 at 15:00 CET, the IFLA sections on Management & Marketing and Library Services for People with Special Needs are hosting an exciting and inspiring joint virtual conference with a specific focus on managing and marketing for library users with special needs. The two-hour session will consist of a keynote speech, panel discussion, and audience interaction.
Keynote
Dr. Clayton A. Copeland, USA
Bringing IDEAS – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Solutions – to your Library
Panelists
- Mark Freeman, UK
Designing Autism friendly public library services: a UK perspective - Verena Lee, Singapore
Best practices in the field of library inclusion of children with disabilities - Marie Engberg Eiriksson, Denmark
Universal design to improve accessibility and inclusion
Host
Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
Speaker biographies
Dr. Clayton A. Copeland is on faculty with the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science. She is director of the iSchool’s Laboratory for Leadership in Equity and Diversity (LLEAD). Her research, which has been funded by the American Library Association, focuses upon equity of access to information for people with disabilities. Dr. Copeland also pursues research interests in literacy, technology, Universal Design, facilities planning, Universal Design for Learning, and materials and programming for children and young adults. She is an immediate-past editorial board member of the International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion.
Mark Freeman, MBE, is the Libraries & Information Services Manager for Stockton‑on‑Tees Borough Council, UK. He has worked in public libraries for over 45 years now, starting as a Saturday Library Assistant in 1976. His career spans periods in four different English library authorities and has included a full range of experience in the public library sector including specialisms in children and young people’s work, services for people who live with sight loss and general library management.
Since 2002 he has been a chief librarian firstly in South Tyneside and currently in Stockton-on-Tees, both in the North East of England. He has been actively involved with CILIP and the Society of Chief Librarians and was the first President of Libraries Connected from 2018-2020. He has been a corresponding Member of the Public Libraries Section of IFLA since 2018.
Mark was awarded the MBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2021.
Verena Lee is the Assistant Director of Public Libraries for the National Library Board Singapore. Verena started her amazing library journey as a children’s librarian, serving communities in various public libraries in Singapore, then developing services and content to promote reading in primary and secondary schools. She later became a library planner, designing spaces for new libraries, integrating service and design for library users from all walks of life. She is proud to be part of the team behind Tampines Regional Library, one of the five finalists for the Public Library of the Year Award in 2018.
Verena is currently involved in the development of accessible library spaces and services for the disability community. Her team is working towards opening Singapore’s first inclusive public library next year in 2022. She also manages Woodlands Regional Library, one of the three largest public libraries in Singapore, which offers programmes and services for persons with disabilities, including a sensory-friendly space for children with autism.
Marie Engberg Eiriksson is a Communications and Project Developer at Universal Design Hub at the Bevica Foundation in Denmark. A small unit working on mainstreaming Universal Design. She has worked with accessibility to libraries and library services for the past 10 years and is currently studying for a second masters in Universal Design. Marie is also a Standing Committee Member for the IFLA Section on Library Services for People with Special Needs, a Board Member at NDL and co-founder of Library Planet.