Library’s Pledge to Act against Racism (Summer 2020)

As of October 2020, this work is now part of the library’s commitment to diversity, equity, and justice. Please visit for current information.

The Wyndham Robertson Library affirms the Hollins University statement and President-elect Mary Dana Hinton’s statement in response to the racist murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many more. Black lives matter.

We also endorse the recent statements by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, and the American Library Association.

As encouraged by the Association of College & Research Libraries, we are committed to identifying and taking anti-racist actions, including “action against systematic injustices and inequitable policing practices.”

Our library has made the fundamental commitment to provide “a welcoming environment where all members of our community feel like they belong,” and “we strive for equity, diversity and inclusion through every aspect of our resources and services. This includes accessible spaces, diverse collections, and responsive policies and programming.”

We recognize we must incorporate anti-racist education and action into the fabric of our professional work. To that end, the library has committed to:

• Providing time for employees to learn about anti-racism while at work.
• Create a place on our website to document the equity, diversity, and inclusion work that we have been doing since we adopted our fundamental commitment towards EDI work in 2019.
• Each summer we create yearly goals for the upcoming academic year. We will publish our goals related to our work to dismantle racism and white supremacy, and provide updates on our actions. It’s much easier celebrate our success, rather than examining where we fell short, but we must learn from both.
• Strengthen our collaboration with the Hollins University Working Group on Slavery and its Contemporary Legacies, and identify specific actions we will take in partnership to further its mission to “research and educate the public about Hollins University’s historical connections to enslavement and the contemporary legacies of slavery on campus, within the neighboring historic Hollins community, and throughout the Greater Roanoke Valley.”