In celebration of Carnegie Mellon University’s 125th anniversary, the University Libraries and the Office of the Vice Provost for Community, Culture and Engagement offered a new installment of the annual “Heading to the Point” on Tuesday, October 21. “From Margins to Mainstream: How Libraries Empower the Excluded” featured a powerful one-on-one conversation about the evolving role of libraries as agents of culture, community, and inclusion.
Vice Provost for Community, Culture and Engagement Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant sat down with Dr. Deborah J. Rogers, Director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP), to explore how libraries shape lives: providing space for belonging, tools for empowerment, and access to knowledge that transforms individuals and communities.
From the groundbreaking legacy of Vivian Hewitt (MM 1944) — the first Black librarian in Pittsburgh — to the creative spark that local libraries ignited in playwright August Wilson, libraries hold space for voices to be heard, ideas to grow, and communities to connect. Attendees reflected on the legacy of libraries as cultural institutions and their continuing relevance in a complex, connected world, from public access to personal impact.
Feature image: Heading-Grant and Rogers discussed Rogers’ journey to her current position, her experience welcoming young interns into the library for transformative experiences, and what the next chapter of inclusion at libraries might look like during their conversation.
