Libraries Connected made a commitment in our Black Lives Matter statement to work to address the challenges in the sector on this issue. We promised to support libraries work to understand our history of race and empire and to promote diverse content.

To begin work on these important issues, we are holding a series of three webinars during August and September open to all public library staff and key partners. 

The first of these webinars is Black Stories Matter: Promoting diverse content. In this session we heard from an author, publisher and bookseller to find out more about the challenges they face in ensuring that Black stories are published and promoted.

Speakers:

• Sara Collins, author of the Costa Winning debut The Confessions of Frannie Langton, a murder mystery that travels across the Atlantic and through the darkest channels of history
• Sharmaine Lovegrove, publisher at Dialogue Books, which aims to shine a light on stories for, about and by readers from the LGBTQI+, disability, working class and BAME communities
• Samantha Williams, founder of This is Book Love the online and mobile book shop that travels the county taking multicultural and bilingual books and content into schools, events and festivals nationwide.