'Woke' training in Wales urges librarians to avoid holding meetings in 'racist' historic buildings

Staff are being taught “critical whiteness studies”, as well as how to deal with issues such as the “dominant paradigm of whiteness”.

Created by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip) in Wales, the directions state that librarians should check that any training sessions should not be held in buildings with a “racist” past, The Telegraph has reported.

Advisers on the process said staff should also be trained in “anti-racist library practices”.

The document said: “Be mindful of the venue and if you have a choice, do not choose a venue that represents a racist legacy.

“If you have to use a venue that has a racist past, acknowledge this as early as possible to demonstrate your commitment to systemic issues.

“You can even acknowledge historical context in the event invitation.”

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The guidance also adds that training materials given to staff should avoid “harmful wording or imagery”.

The guide is part of an effort across Wales to comply with the Labour Government’s 2022 Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, which sought to set the “right historical narrative”.

Following a 2021 Government-backed dossier, entitled “The Slave Trade and the British Empire: An Audit of Commemoration in Wales” many buildings in the country, ranging from pubs to community centres, have been added to a list of sites linked to slavery.

Venues flagged as having ties to slavery include The Gladstone Library in Hawarden and The Goronwy Owen primary school in Anglesey.

In total, 93 buildings in Wales were examined as part of the audit.

The new training was criticised by the campaign group Don’t Divide Us, which seeks to promote a “common-sense” approach to race issues in the UK.

Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, the group’s founder and education expert, said: “Libraries are places associated with rationality, enlightened thinking and public service for the general public.

“They are not the playthings of those whose preferred radical politics means that librarians have to assent to false and wholly negative beliefs about the country in which they live, and by extension, also about its people.

“This is the opposite of public service. Even if systemic racism was a problem, it wouldn’t be ameliorated by fake confessions or choosing venues according to their alleged sinfulness by past associations. Unless we want to go back to pre-modern cultural standards.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Inclusive Futures was developed by Cilip as a guide for the Library Sector in Wales. The Training Model offers advice on venue booking and advises on a number of considerations that would optimise participation and engagement.”