“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done at my library.” This is how Julie Perrin, director of the Jaffrey Public Library in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, describes a virtual conversation she recently hosted on gender identity. The topic itself wasn’t scary; Perrin was worried about her community’s reaction. (Programming Librarian June 23, 2021)

Hosting a community conversation on gender diversity can be an intimidating project for librarians, particularly in rural or noninclusive communities. Thanks to a Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries grant from ALA, the Jaffrey Public Library was able to move forward with a much-needed program: More than a Pronoun: A Panel Discussion on Gender Identity and Expression, with great success. Julie Perrin will share the planning process, panelist selection and support, safety concerns, implementation, and outcome of this successful project so that you can consider bringing a similar program to your community.

Julie Perrin (she/her) is the Library Director at Jaffrey Public Library, a rural library in New Hampshire. She holds a Master’s degree from Simmons in Boston, and, in 2020, was awarded Library Director of the Year by the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association. Julie is a passionate hands-on director, as comfortable writing grants and managing budgets as donning a lab coat to host science experiments for children or working with seniors at the local adult care center. She has been awarded multiple local and national grants for her library to support lifelong learning for all ages.

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