The Hunterdon County Library (HCL) serves everyone in our community.  As such, HCL makes diversity, equity and inclusion a priority in planning and decision making for staffing, collections, services and organizational change.  

This Library is dedicated to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful organizational culture that appreciates and supports individual differences. HCL will foster attitudes of respect, open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness.

At Hunterdon County Library, we value our employees' diversity and the diversity in the community we serve by:  

• Being welcoming and inclusive to all.
• Fostering attitudes of respect, open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness.
• Encouraging the exploration of new ideas and perspectives in a safe and positive environment.
• Maintaining a comprehensive collection of multi-format materials for children, teens, and adults, featuring a wide array of characters, subjects, languages, authors, and illustrators with differing perspectives.
• Seeking out and working with diverse communities and organizations to determine appropriate ways to design, deliver, and evaluate services.  
• Engaging the Library Commission, library leadership, and staff in ongoing inclusion training, education, and professional development.
• Creating a safe workplace environment in which employees’ voices can be included, heard, valued, and treated with respect.
• Developing and implementing programs and services that incorporate the differences that make us a community, ensuring fair and equitable treatment with access to appropriate resources and opportunities.
• Continuously and consciously reviewing our policies and practices with an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens.

The Hunterdon County Library recognizes and actively affirms the dignity of those it serves, regardless of heritage, education, beliefs, race, income, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical or mental capabilities.  

As a library system, we are unwavering in our dedication to fostering a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and represented. Through intentionality and tangible actions, we will embed and amplify these commitments throughout our library and the communities we serve.  

We affirm and acknowledge our responsibility as an inclusive public organization by providing safe spaces where all people can connect, thrive, and belong.

Approved by the Hunterdon County Library Commission, January 21, 2022