"wisest is he who knows that he does not know" (Socrates)

Diversity, equitable service and unbiased reception of the community have long been goals of public library service--so long, it sometimes seems, that policies, procedures and staff too frequently equate enunciating these terms with acting on them. Talking with public library staff about majority and minority culture, unconscious bias that leads to tangibly prejudiced behavior, and the differences between status and behavior has not lost a bit of its shiney newness across the past three decades. I teach a basic reference fundamentals course twice annually, and have for years, and I am thrilled to find that in the current cohort, there has been some deeper thinking about the differences between the status of homelessness and obstructive acts within the library building; between the diagnosis of mental illness and the willingness to help (or refuse to help) a client zero in on an information need/want. To the end of bringing more library staff aboard the reflective bus, I'm calling attention to Project Implicit, a research and training group tackling the thorny reality of unconscious thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that may render what we imagine to be acceptable standards into expressions of prejudice. Apply some rigorous self examination and explore the demonstration site, or even librarian up to add to the research data bank. You have nothing to lose but some hubris, and whatever community your library serves will be well served by some library staff self awareness.