ICE in Academic Libraries: Tips, Protocols, and Strategies for Protecting Campus Communities

Recorded on 09/02/2026

Posted in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA)

Gain practical tips for how librarians can best respond and help keep their campus communities safe in this climate.

Access the webinar resource list provided by webinar panelists and attendees.

Summary:

Following TIE’s webinar “U.S. Newcomers in Academic Libraries” last year, and given the increasing threat ICE poses to immigrant and refugee communities across the United States, TIE is returning to the topic of how best to support these communities on college and university campuses.

While academic libraries are not always accessible to the public, last year, Inside Higher Ed reported that “[DHS] rescinded protections for ‘sensitive areas,’” including college campuses, leading to ICE raids on or near countless campuses (see here, here, and here). Most college and university administrations have published guidance regarding what to do if ICE arrives on campus, but “If ICE [has thrown] out the rules,” as Sara Weissman writes for Inside Higher Ed, “what does that mean for higher ed’s playbook?”

Our latest webinar brings together academic librarians from three institutions to share the steps and protocols they have employed on their campuses, along with suggestions for what other academic librarians can and should do to respond to this moment. Similar to PLA’s webinar, “Responding to ICE in the Library: Real World Approaches,” this webinar will provide actionable steps that attendees can begin implementing in their own libraries, with a specific focus on the academic library community. Attendees can expect practical tips for how librarians can best respond and help keep their campus communities safe in this climate.

This webinar does not require registration.
To attend the webinar on September 2nd at 1pm ET, click this Zoom link.

We encourage you to save this page or the Zoom link (https://ala-events.zoom.us/j/95744909317) in your calendar. You can do this manually or use these options: Add to Google Calendar, Add to Outlook Calendar, or Add to Yahoo Calendar.

Please note that the Zoom room size is limited, so plan to join on time! The webinar will run for one hour.

This webinar will be recorded. The recording will be available here on the landing page and on Choice’s YouTube channel the day after the webinar.

Speakers:

  • Image of Teresa Helena Moreno

    Teresa Helena Moreno

    Assistant Professor and LibrarianUniversity of Illinois Chicago
    Teresa Helena Moreno is an assistant professor and librarian at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her scholarship critically interrogates library practices and the role of libraries as cultural institutions. Through applying methodologies and theories found in feminist studies and ethnic studies, her interdisciplinary research critically examines the impact of libraries and information on the knowledge and intellectual traditions of the global majority.  She has also developed information literacy pedagogies that ask educators and learners to critically engage information.
  • Image of Ariel Dyer

    Ariel Dyer

    Reference & Instruction LibrarianBakersfield College
    Ariel Dyer is a Reference & Instruction librarian at Bakersfield College. She comes from a public library background, and graduated with her master’s in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University with an emphasis in leadership and administration. In her free time, she loves to hike, advocate for public library funding, and watch weird horror movies. 
  • Image of Kelly McElroy

    Kelly McElroy

    Outreach Librarian and Associate ProfessorOregon State University Libraries
    Kelly is an outreach librarian and Associate Professor at Oregon State University Libraries. She has been a member of the Library Freedom Project since 2018, where she collaborates with other library workers on trainings, projects, and publications related to digital privacy, security, and information democracy. 

All Choice webinars offer Zoom’s auto-generated AI captioning. If you have any questions, please contact: scofer@ala.org.

This webinar will be recorded. The webinar recording will be available here on the landing page and on Choice’s YouTube channel the day after the webinar.

This webinar is part of Choice’s Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) content strand, which explores issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in and outside of higher education.

Check out more TIE content here.

Unauthorized recording of any part of this event is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. This includes video or audio recording, chat or AI-generated transcriptions, and screenshots.

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