Building Welcoming Communities: Durham Libraries Engage Diversity


The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 2(1-2), 2018 
ISSN 2574-3430, publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/ 

Building Welcoming Communities: 
Durham Libraries Engage Diversity 

Durham Library Partners in Diversity (DLPD) 

Keywords: diversity; Durham (Ontario, Canada); collaborative; coordination; positive space; 
welcoming communities 

Publication Type: poster 

Abstract 

Public libraries are one of the last free shared spaces in a community. At their best, public 
libraries provide a positive space for diverse communities to come together,  learn, share, 
and shape their communities. They play a critical, though sometimes overlooked, role in the 
settlement and integration of newcomers.   

Public library staff in Durham Region have joined together to create welcoming communities 
for diverse populations across the Region. Through representation on the Local Diversity and 
Immigration Partnership Council, membership with the Welcome Centre Immigrant Services 
sites, engagement in Public Health priority neighbourhood strategic initiatives, shared 
programming, joint positive space and cultural competency training for all library staff, and 
a myriad of other joint program initiatives, public libraries in Durham are intentionally 
engaging, supporting, and learning from the diverse populations that make u p the Region 

(and beyond!).  

With a population of 645,000, Durham Region lies to the east of the City of Toronto and is 
part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The Region is growing in both population numbers 
and in diversity. It is made up of eight municipalities and each of those municipalities has a 
public library system. In 2009, representatives from the eight Durham libraries came together 
to better coordinate multilingual library collections across the Region. The scope of the 
group quickly expanded to include multicultural joint programming initiatives and training. 
It morphed again in 2015 to include “big-D” Diversity, a greater involvement in policy 
development and an expanded focus on all-staff training opportunities. This change in scope 

is reflected in the name of the collaborative, Durham Library Partners in Diversity (DLPD).  

This poster presentation provides details on the growth of the DLPD collaborative and 
highlights the joint programming and community-wide initiatives. It also shares the impacts 
the collaborative has had on member organizations as well as on the community at large.  

Durham Library Partners in Diversity (DLPD) is a network of public library professionals 
from the eight municipal library systems in Durham Region, Ontario plus representation from 
the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP). The DLPD provides opportunities for members’ 
professional development, and opportunities to collaborate on research or activities aimed 

http://publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/,


Building Welcoming Communities: Durham Libraries Engage Diversity 

 

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 2(1-2), 2018 
ISSN 2574-3430, publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/ 

at improving multicultural services to diverse populations in Durham Region libraries.  

Note: Any inquiries regarding this poster should be directed to: Sabrina Yung, Chair of the DLPD, 

Manager of Community Engagement, Pickering Public Library, email: sabrinay@picnet.org. 

97

http://publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/,
mailto:sabrinay@picnet.org