Public libraries welcome all people. All are entitled to respect and civility. All are invited to learn for themselves what is true and what is good. Honest discourse is welcome here. 

Calvert Library is making a long-term commitment to be an equity-focused and antiracist organization. This Equity Statement is a declaration of our intent and a commitment to creating a library that is inclusive in all facets including staff development, programming, policies and collection management. We acknowledge that throughout our history, Calvert Library has not always lived up to our ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion. We dedicate ourselves to learn from the past in this process of change and recognize that our work will be ongoing.  

We have set goals that are months and years ahead to ensure that our intentions do not fade into the background as new challenges emerge. Calvert Library commits to: 

  • Building a culture that is open, receptive to change and respectful of differing perspectives 
  • Fostering and defending intellectual freedom, providing access to information and protecting the right to read for all 
  • Ensuring that our services, programming, spaces and resources are intentionally diverse and intentionally inclusive; are representative of all life experiences, identities, beliefs, abilities and cultures; and are accessible to all 
  • Recognizing, valuing, empowering and learning from all members of our community, particularly those marginalized voices that have historically been silenced      
  • Seeking partnerships with antiracist and equity-focused organizations and individuals to broaden our resources, perspectives, networks and knowledge  
  • Actively working toward a more diverse staff through equitable hiring and career development practices. 
  • Providing ongoing training and learning opportunities for all library staff and members of the Board of Library Trustees 
  • Holding ourselves accountable to our commitment and our community by being transparent about our successes and failures through annual public reporting 

Calvert Library is committed to anti–racism and strives to promote equity, inclusion and lifelong learning for all community members. We believe continuous improvement must occur on all levels of our organization and commit to cultivating an environment where all members of our community are accepted and valued. 

Approved by the Board of Library Trustees, June 2021
Revised March 19, 2024