Library and Information Science Commons^™

Review: Implementing Excellence In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: A Handbook For Academic Libraries, Lalitha Nataraj

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Lee, C., & Lym, B. (Eds.). (2022). Implementing excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion: A handbook for academic libraries. Association of College and Research Libraries.

2021 Depaul University Library And Art Museum Climate Survey Report, Wendall Sullivan, Subcommittee For The Survey And Report, Idea Committee, Depaul University Library, April Hummons, Dorian Rodriguez-Spicer, Christine Mcclure, Matthew Krause

Climate Surveys and Reports

In the fall of 2021, the DePaul University Library and Art Museum’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Committee decided to conduct a survey of the library’s climate to establish a baseline for its work. The survey was sent to all full and part-time library staff and ran for six weeks. One of the goals of the IDEA committee is to bring awareness of implicit biases, micro-aggressions, exclusionary practices, and structural racism and discrimination within Library and Art Museum operations, environment, and culture; to review, audit and propose internal polices and processes for the Library and Art Museum to implement IDEA …

Meet Jonathan Wilson, Diversity Champion, Jonathan Wilson

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt:

Jonathan Wilson is the Outreach & Distance Library Services Coordinator/Assistant Professor at the Charles C. Sherrod Library.

The purpose of the Office of Equity and Inclusion is to maintain a close relationship with the faculty and staff to guarantee that our institutional culture, practices, and processes ensure a mode of interaction that will counteract, neutralize, and progressively overcome regressive and resistant patterns of discrimination that still persist in the higher education workplace and our region [...]

A Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (Dei) Approach To Collection Development In A University Library, Michele Gibney, Mickel Paris, Veronica Wells

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Articles and Papers

University of the Pacific’s objective in a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) audit of library collections was to examine the voices and subjects represented and reveal diversity gaps. During Spring 2021, in collaboration with library employees, eight student interns determined the methodology, assessed print and eBook collections, and provided recommendations on closing identified collection gaps. Initial results from auditing ~4,000 representative titles indicated University of the Pacific's library book collections lack the diversity to adequately reflect racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of students and their expectations for assignments and research. This paper documents the audit process and its impact on …

Closing The Gap: Supporting Equity, Diversity, & Inclusivity Plans In The Modern Library, Jameson Paul Ghalioungui

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) plans and initiatives are at the forefront of many library’s strategic planning (Mallon, 2019). Efforts, big or small, such as mandatory all-staff EDI training sessions (DGPL, 2021), EDI focused patron programming, or simply promoting the local library as a place of opportunity for all (ALA, 2019), demonstrate the American Library Association (ALA)’s Core Values in practice (ALA, 2006). The ALA has historically promoted themselves as supporters, allies, and anti-racists, playing an important role in many libraries’ strategic plans and philosophies. But, despite libraries being regarded as the ‘most inclusive’ institutions in the United States (Jaeger, …

Palaces For The People: Mapping Public Libraries' Capacity For Social Connection And Inclusion, Nicole K. Dalmer, Pam Mckenzie, Paulette Rothbauer, Ebenezer Martin-Yeboah, Kevin Oswald

FIMS Publications

Public libraries are trusted community hubs that foster connections with individuals of different socioeconomic statuses; ages; ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural backgrounds; and sexual and gender identities. Located in diverse settings, library branches offer resources and programs that meet the specific needs of their communities who are navigating the effects of our increasingly asocial society. Libraries have been shown to cater to individuals contending with higher levels of social isolation and loneliness, as well as increased rates of mental illnesses and antisocial behaviours. The shift to online environments during COVID-19 has exacerbated feelings of disconnection. During these times of change, …

Incorporating Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Principles Into Our Metadata, Nicole Lewis, Allie Mccormack, Rachel Jane Wittmann

Faculty Publications

This presentation was given at the Core Forum 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In early 2021, a group of librarians at two university libraries embarked on a journey to review and update harmful subject headings and other metadata in their catalog, digital library, and finding aids. This session will discuss the background of the project and where the librarians currently stand in the process of remediating these records, including their efforts to create student internships to address problematic language in archival finding aids as well as create a community user advisory group. Special attention will be given to creating …

Centering Our Collective Humanity Through Inclusive Leadership Practices, Annie Bélanger

Presentations

What if we brought the same compassion that we reserve for our users to our colleagues? This session will explore what inclusive leadership is and the traits and practices it encompasses. It will consider how leaders, whether formal and informal, can center empathy and compassion in their practice to increase equity-minded practices and fostering an inclusive organization. Attendees will be provided with approaches, frameworks, and tools to explore for their continued growth.

Student Participation In A Dei Audit As High-Impact Practice, Veronica Wells, Michele Gibney, Mickel Paris, Corey Pfitzer

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Articles and Papers

During Spring 2021, eight students at the University of the Pacific participated in an internship where they performed a DEI audit of the library's book and music score collection. An internship is one documented type of High-Impact Practices and research studies show that High-Impact Practices lead to higher retention and graduation rates. Deep learning occurred as student interns participated in developing the methodology, evaluating book and music score collections, reading assigned articles pertaining to DEI in librarianship and publishing, and providing recommendations on closing identified collection gaps. To evaluate their learning, the interns were asked to complete three surveys at …

Centering Or Empowering—Shifting Power To The Library Members, Annie Bélanger

Scholarly Papers and Articles

Libraries are activated by our community members and our staff. Libraries use a variety of words to describe the people that frequent them. The words are often used habitually, rather than after a critical review of their origin and impacts. If libraries are not neutral, how might this translate into the language that we use, the way we make decisions, and how we engage with our community members? This column will explore the growth of public services, the language we use to refer to the people we serve, and how to empower our community members as well as partners in …

Actions Speak Louder Than Words- Why Creating A Plan, Rejecting Neutrality, And Recruiting A Racially Diverse Staff Are Effective Ways To Increase The Presence Of Diversity In Libraries., Jennifer Van Vegten

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The urge to diversify workplaces has spread nationwide. Although many institutions feel that formal statements and pledges are enough to satisfy the public outcry, actions such as setting up a direct plan to address the rejection of neutrality, to expand the access of materials, and actively hiring and promoting a racially diverse staff are less often seen. In America’s libraries in particular, good-natured sentiments about how a modern, socially diverse library should look are met with half-hearted efforts. While some libraries, such as the Oregon Library Association, are making significant strides towards their intended directions, others, such as the Rural …

Look Who's Talking: Exploring The Dei Stem Librarianship Conversation, Sarah E. Lester, Kelly Durkin Ruth

Library Scholarship

Librarian research on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its various iterations dates back over a decade; however, in the context of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) librarianship this work still seems very limited. We collect and analyze papers published in STEM library and information science journals over the past 10 years to better understand the nature of this work. In our research we consider the content of existing conversations, what is missing from this discourse, and areas for further research.

Incorporating Inclusivity In Our Catalog, Nicole Lewis, Rachel Jane Wittmann

Faculty Publications

This presentation was given at the Utah Library Association Annual Conference in Layton, Utah.

In early 2021, the University of Utah embarked on the journey to review and update harmful subject headings in their catalog, digital library metadata, and finding aids. This session will discuss the background of the project and where we are currently at in the process of changing harmful subject headings.

Who Are We Missing? Conducting A Diversity Audit In A Liberal Arts College Library (Preprint), María Evelia Emerson, Lauryn Grace Lehman

Library and Information Science: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

This is a pre-print version of the original article:

Emerson, Maria Evelia and Lauryn Grace Lehman. (2022). “Who Are We Missing? Conducting a Diversity Audit in a Liberal Arts College Library.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 48(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102517

For the full, edited text please visit the link above.

In the spring of 2021, Thomas Tredway Library at Augustana College undertook an audit of the library's print book collection to determine if there were gaps in representation of the voices of authors of differing races/ethnicities; genders; or sexual orientations. With the results of this audit, Augustana College librarians now have a …

Ul Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, And Accessibility Framework, Annie Bélanger, Stacey Burns, Samantha Minnis, Susan Ponischil, Ashley Rosener

Library Reports and Communication

This framework is meant to provide a shared understanding of the University Libraries’ commitment and approaches toward Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA). The framework is intended to ground us in theory as we move toward action, to guide us as we make decisions about IDEA-related initiatives, and to prioritize our IDEA commitment in all that we do. The framework allows us to leverage systems thinking as well as to connect library efforts to the University’s goals, values, and frameworks for IDEA. While the framework does not provide action steps, it is meant to provide ways for all library colleagues …

Challenging The Glass Ceiling: Collaboration As The Key To Increasing The Number Of Librarians Of Color In Academic Libraries, Janet M. Reid, Patricia D. Sobczak

Collaborative Librarianship

Currently, libraries are engaged in creating environments that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This includes having candidates for hire submit statements regarding their approach to DEI and internal committees to look at policies and procedures regarding DEI. Also there is a lot of both internal and external training designed to help organizations and their members become more adept at creating environments with DEI in mind. What is often missed in all of this activity is how individual librarians, through mentorship and collaboration, can come together to foster DEI and support each other in success. This field report shows how …

Tackling Organizational Equity At Scale, An Academic Library Consortium Responds, Kim Armstrong, Gayle O'Hara, Josie Ragolia, Sarah B. Watstein

Collaborative Librarianship

This article focuses on the myriad ways the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a regional academic library consortium, has responded to the growing and longstanding need to address equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in library spaces and organizations. Specifically, the article highlights a range of initiatives and approaches to advance EDI that the Alliance believes are in the mutual best interest of Alliance staff, its leadership (Board of Directors and Council), collaborative workforce (Teams and Groups), and ultimately, Alliance member libraries and the users they support.

Driving Change: A Model For Collaborative Librarianship In Prince George’S County, Maryland, Nicholas A. Brown, Kyla Hanington

Collaborative Librarianship

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has a long-standing partnership with the county’s human rights education and enforcement agency, the Office of Human Rights (PGCOHR), formerly the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission (PGCHRC). The two agencies serve over 967,000 Prince Georgians, a majority-Black (64.4%) and Latin or Hispanic (19.5%) population with a sizable immigrant community (22.7%). The civil rights issues of 2020 hit close to home in Prince George’s County and the agencies have sustained a multi-year effort to provide residents with opportunities to learn how to engage with social justice topics for personal and collective advancement. …

Journey To Idea 2.0: Moving From Education To Action, Annie Bélanger, Stacey Burns, Samantha Minnis, Ashley Rosener

Presentations

Join members of one university library’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee to learn about their journey from IDEA to IDEA 2.0 over the course of a few years. This library took steps to move beyond simply educating their colleagues to actively reviewing and addressing systems level issues. They will share their challenges and progress with a number of initiatives. These initiatives include drafting a detailed IDEA framework for the library, conducting an organization-wide policy and culture audit, facilitating library-wide action-oriented workshops, incorporating IDEA goals for all individuals and departments, and leveraging systems-thinking to empower individuals to be leaders …

Grand Valley State University Libraries Journey To Idea 2.0: Moving From Education To Action Toolkit, Lucille Near, Annie Bélanger, Stacey Burns, Samantha Minnis, Ashley Rosener

Library Reports and Communication

An annotated bibliography of resources to explore and advance inclusion, equity, diversity, accessibility work (IDEA). Includes background documents related to IDEA work at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and Grand Valley State University Libraries, as well as toolkits and frameworks external to GVSU.

Review Of Deconstructing Service In Libraries: Intersections Of Identities And Expectations, Emily Komornik

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

In Deconstructing Service in Libraries: Intersections of Identities and Expectations, Veronica Arellano Douglas and Joanna Gadsby bring together nineteen essays from the perspectives of library workers of differing race, ethnicity, gender identity, and job title to discuss service and what it means in their respective roles. Arellano Douglas and Gadsby’s edited volume offers essays that highlight the frustration of librarians who feel underappreciated, undervalued, and, perhaps most importantly, underestimated in their professional spaces. Within Deconstructing Service in Libraries, Arellano Douglas and Gadsby collect insightful, real-world examples of library professionals tackling these issues, offering solidarity alongside valuable professional advice. This book …

Acrl Diversity Alliance Webinar - Kindly Hire Me: The Process And Impact Of Inclusive Hiring, Annie Bélanger, Preethi Gorecki

Presentations

This presentation will explore perspectives on inclusive hiring practices from both sides of the table. Grand Valley State University Libraries developed inclusive recruitment and high-empathy hiring practices, which they implemented in 2018. The Dean and a past diversity resident team up to dissect the hiring process from both of their perspectives. Annie Bélanger discusses the work behind critically examining the existing hiring process, designing an inclusive recruitment plan, and implementing a new structure in order to ensure empathy to applicants going through the process. Preethi Gorecki then discusses the impact of inclusive hiring on perceptions of the work environment, satisfaction …

Law Library Blog (February 2022): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Critical Analysis Of Arl Member Institutions’ Diversity Statements, V. Dozier, Adebola Fabiku, Sandra A. Enimil

Copley Library: Faculty Scholarship

In March 2018, the Board of Directors of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) approved a new mission statement that includes a call to “promote equity and diversity” and lists “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) as one of its four priorities. ARL encourages but does not mandate similar visible commitments from its member institutions. This is evident by the resource webpage that ARL maintains entitled, “ARL Library Statements and Signs Affirming Our Core Beliefs.” The listed members represent approximately 19% of ARL’s membership. After reading the existing statements, the authors noticed a similar pattern in terms and context. This led …