TCPL Contributors
This page was created by Cady Fontana, Makerspace Librarian and Sophia McKissick, Community Engagement Librarian from the Tompkins County Public Library.
Community Resources from Tompkins County Public Library
Hello from Tompkins County Public Library, located downtown at 101 E Green St, Ithaca.
All residents of Tompkins County are eligible to apply for a free library card, and gain access to thousands of books, DVDs, eResources, virtual programming and much more!
Browse the resources on this page, visit us in person, and place "holds" on items of interest.
Email questions to askalibrarian@tcpl.org or call the Reference Desk at 607-272-4556 for assistance.
How to place holds on items at TCPL
Check out eBooks and eAudiobooks for free!
Request a book/binge bundle
Looking for an escape? Want to try something new? TCPL staff will create a special bundle just for you, based on your interests! Available for children, teens, and adults.
Explore our research databases
Research databases are subscription-based services that offer you access to thousands of books, magazine articles, images, charts and primary sources. Options include America's Voice Project, JobNow, Gale's Diversity Studies Collection, Heritage Quest, Mango Languages, and many more.
Check out a copy of "So You Want to Talk About Race" from TCPL
So You Want to Talk about Race by Call Number: 305.8009 OluoISBN: 9781580056779Publication Date: 2018-01-16In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America.
Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy -- from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans -- has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair -- and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend?
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.
Book Lists
New Fiction, Essays & Poetry from Black Authors.
Young Adult stories of love, resilience, Black Girl Magic, and Afro-futurism.
Adult graphic novels featuring black artists, writers, and/or characters.
For those who want to take anti-racist action but don't know where to begin.
Anti-Racism Reading List for Teens
Black Lives Matter: an anti-racist reading list for teens.
Anti-Racism Reading List for Kids
Anti-racism books for kids of all ages.
Movie & Music Lists
Shining a light on Black writers and directors as well as actors.
Black Lives Matter. Black Stories Matter.
Local resources around Ithaca
These resources provide opportunities within Ithaca for people to learn about and contribute to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures. The list also includes resources for those seeking community support.
- Advocacy CenterThe mission of the Advocacy Center is to increase the safety and reduce the trauma for those who have been impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and child sexual abuse. Their trained advocates and volunteers work to provide high quality, trauma informed services guided by the needs of each person they serve. Services are all free, confidential and provided regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, religious belief, ability level or immigration status.
- Diversity Consortium of Tompkins CountyThe Diversity Consortium of Tompkins County, Inc. (DCTC) is a joint effort of local employers and leaders dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in Tompkins County.
- Greater Ithaca Activities CenterThe Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) is a center for all ages, particularly youth and teens. It serves the immediate neighborhood and the greater Ithaca area by providing multicultural, educational, and recreational programs focused on social and individual development.
- Multicultural Resource CenterMRC engages in cultural and systemic transformation by building with our communities to eliminate barriers to racial justice, cultural dignity, equity and inclusion, and indigenous rights.
- Open Doors EnglishOpen Doors English provides affordable, comprehensive English classes, to empower students to live fuller lives, and to build richer community connections.
- Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources of Tompkins CountyOpportunities, Alternatives, and Resources (OAR) of Tompkins County assists and advocates for people who are or have been incarcerated in the Tompkins County Jail, and their families and friends.
- Southside Community CenterSince its incorporation in 1934, the Southside Community Center, Inc., continues to affirm, empower, and foster the development of self pride among the African-American citizens of greater Ithaca. Through forums and activities in education, recreation, political and social awareness, the Southside Community Center is a community resource center. We serve as a vehicle to develop an appreciation for the contributions and presence of those peoples of African descent in the greater Ithaca community and in the larger world community.
- Tompkins County SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice)Tompkins County Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a chapter of National SURJ, a network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice and against white supremacy. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multiracial majority for justice with accountability to people of color-led organizations locally and nationally.
- Women's Opportunity CenterThe Women's Opportunity Center (WOC) is a not-for-profit organization that supports social and economic self- sufficiency primarily for economically disadvantage women. WOC provides employment skills training, individualized coaching, financial literacy, computer literacy, health and wellness coaching, and professional dressing.