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Diversity and Inclusion in Libraries: A Call to Action and Strategies for Success
The news and scholarly literature are replete with stories and articles describing the challenges that diverse individuals face in their local communities and workplaces. Diversity and Inclusion in Libraries: A Call to Action and Strategies for Success is arranged in three parts: Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter, Equipping the Library Staff, and Voices from the Field.
This book tackles these issues head on and should appeal to a broad audience interested in diversity as it relates to libraries and librarianship, including professional librarians and paraprofessional library staff. Offering best practices strategies tempered by experiences and wisdom, this book will help libraries realize a high level of inclusion.
This book tackles these issues head on and should appeal to a broad audience interested in diversity as it relates to libraries and librarianship, including professional librarians and paraprofessional library staff. Offering best practices strategies tempered by experiences and wisdom, this book will help libraries realize a high level of inclusion.
210 pages, Paperback
Published July 24, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 30, 2022
"In a recent study of public library staff should represent the diversity of the communities served; there was little support, however, for actively attempting to advance proportional representation through education or hiring."
"Though many libraies alike talk the talk when it comes to embracing and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives, they often fall short when it comes to walking the walk."
"It is our collective responsibility to create opportunities where individuals are encouraged and supported to bring their most authentic selves to the table."
"I've also argued that libraries can never be neutral (Bourg, 2018). There is no doubt that libraries are vital and trusted social institutions. As the chapters in this book illustrate, however, libraries and those of us who work in them continue to have significant work to do to live up to the value of diversity and inclusion we espouse individually and collectively."
"The hard reality is that, when it comes to diversity and inclusion, libraries are neither the idealized, safe, neutral, all inclusive havens many of our wishful-thinking fans imagine we are nor the cesspools of social justice run amok, led by rabid left-wing zealots, as some or our detractors accuse us of being. The truth is that libraries are overwhelmingly White-not just demographically but culurally as well. As Hathcock explains, the cultural whiteness of American libraries and librarianship "is a theoretical concept that can extend beyond the realities of racial privilege to a wide range of dominant ideologies based on gender identity, sexual orientation, class, and other categories."
"Integrity is not a matter of words alone; it requires acting in accordance with rational principles and values. Organizations based on integrity model their values and systematically cultivate a culture of trust and respect. It is a breach of integrity to know that one is right but then proceeds to defy the right in practice. It is not a breach of integrity but a moral obligation to change one's views if one finds that some idea one holds is wrong."
"Morality alone doesn't change organizational culture or an institution's priorities. Instituting change, not for the sake of change alone, but for a change that is the catalyst for creating fairness when and where it doesn't exist, requires moving organizations from separate points of view to inclusiveness and migrating people from conflict to collaboration that allows for all to contribute at the highest possible level."
"Marginalized groups recognize discriminatory practices in the workplace despite how well they are camouflaged. When witnessing the lack of marginalized individuals' representation in management positions that determine hiring and promotion decisions, what is evident is not an inclusive and diverse culture. There is an absence if women and minorities assigned to work on high-profile projects in many organizations, and they often encounter passive-aggressive tactics used to attack their credibility, reputation, and competency."
"Libraries and librarians exist in society and respond to social norms and values, as well as the times in which libraries exist and in which librarians practice their profession."
"Principles enshrines in the founding documents states "all men are created equal," yet the dissonance of owning human beings and the lack of equal treatment granted to enslaved African peoples escaped the founding fathers, steeping them in contradiction, hypocrisy, and conflict. It is in this soil soaked in the rhetoric of freedom, exceptionalism, and equality that American libraries were founded. Removing, ignoring, or making an attempt to erase race from discussions related to libraries would ignore the roots of race as a founding principle that shaped America and its library services from the start."
"As defined in the psychology literarure, Alabi provided examples of microaggressions, microinsults, and microinvalidations, distinguishing such overt acts as lynching to more subtle behaviors and actions. Her literature review discussed the toll that microaggressive behaviors have on students and faculty of color as they navigate environments where they experience these behaviors. In particular, Alabi noted that repeated exposure can "have negative consequences for promotion and tenure for faculty."
"Diverity is much more than a novel idea or talking points for presentations. It encompasses the whole person and includes age, culture, education, personality, skills, life experiences, sexual orientation, physical challenges, and gender, as well as race and ethnicity. It is important to further the process of diversity by expelling stereotypes about librarians and the profession in general. Librarianship is a White, female-dominated profession, which can create a challenge when attempting to recruit and retain people of color but more specifically Black male librarians. There is a gap in understanding the professional, personal, and cultural challenges of minorities in majority-White professions."
"Microaggressions are often subtle and therefore may go unrecognized, particularly by those in positions of power and privilege. Indeed, Sue notes that "the power of racial microaggressions lies in their invisibility to the perpetrator and, oftentimes, the recipient," who is left to parse the dynamics of a surprisingly or unexpected negative interaction after the fact. The covert nature of these slights can make microaggressions difficult to document and can contribute to negative workplace and educational environments for minority groups. Like a death by a thousand tiny cuts, the small indiginities of microaggressions add up over time to cumulative harm, fatigue, and damage to recipients. Studies have shown that the effects of racial microaggressions have been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes, underscoring the severity of these interactions for minorities."
"There has always been backlash when the oppressed have used methods that were meant to exclude them. All of these actions and reactions have encouraged others ti oush against the system in more and more creative ways."
"We need more of us within the information profession to push against the prevailing winds and try new ways of engaging the field and the public. Continue to share ideas that can be discussed widely, debated often, and made accessible in as many venues and resources as possible. Understanding the importance of addressing social justice within the profession allows for a more dynamic and engaged profession. The ultimate outcome is that subversive librarianship becomes the norm, and in so doing, we transform and extend the ewlevancy of our work."
"Once you understand the community or communities you serve, you can begin to start building relationship necessary to create community partners, conduct outreach, and develop programs to better reflect your patrons. You may also begin to envision how you can hire staff with diverse competencies, such as language or cultural skills, and even create cadre of diverse volunteers to assist with programming and large events."
"We are convinced that one of the reasons a number of qualified applicants do not get interviews is because of the personal biases of individual search committee members. These biases, judgments, and microaggressions manifest in the language used when talking bout applicants. People tend to want to hire people who are just like them, so they use themselves as a "proxy to judge is that person going to be good on the job?"
"Just like other types of libraries, the racial and ethnic demographic of many public libraries reflect that of librarianship, so in most cases a majority of th elibrary planning committees are likely comprised of individuals from the dominant race. The problem with this is that the lived experiences of individuals from the dominant race is typically so drastically different from people of color that it may prevent them from seeing diversity and inclusion training as a necessary competency. An unfortunate consequence of having a homogenous workforce is the potential exclusion of prominent racial and equity issues, which causes further perpetuation of current biases in librarianship."
"Creating an organizational culture that embraces change and promotes the uniquences that individuals bring to the workplace requires an awareness of implicit biases and the barriers that they present in the environment."
"Libraries are essential knowledge centers that aggregate and disseminate information to a variety of individuals in a manner that provokes change."
"Research indicates that libraries will need to be creative and include diverse groups of people in order to change the dynamics of the culture. Incorporating listening sessions where different perspectives can be expressed will allow libraries to identify and slowly dissolve obstacles that hinder personal and professional development."
"If the library is truly committed to retaining a diverse workforce and fostering a path of success, it must remove obstacles that undeniably prevent professional growth and career advancement. This means creating an environment that values all employees. This inclusive environment must be free of microaggressions and hidden biases, two barriers known for creating cold, distant, and unfriendly workplaces, making librarians from underrepresented groups feel unappreciated and isolated."
"People cannot be comfortable with who they are, so they assimilate in hopes of impressing others or appearing how others would want them to instead of being themselves."
"I find it difficult to bring my authentic self to work because there are assumptions about me as a Black man that are not palatable for my White colleagues. I think that my colleagues have good intentions but do not share my experiences socially, professionally, and culturally. This plays into me not being comfortable being fully open in my identity. There is an unspoken, unrealistic expectation for me to be perfect with no room for error. If I make a mistake in my diction or performance, I amperceived as not being qualified for the job I hold. The field of librarianship is definitely lagging behind in its progress toward fiversity and inclusion and has a long way to go."
"Though I am an African American woman, I am aware and have learned through trial and error that there are not always people whitin my own culture who are for the good of my people. My experience is a testament that the value of libraries and what they mean to the students, the faculty, and the community is not always recognized. Every story ends, and this one did, too. I decided to walk away from a place that was no longer for me. Once the chapted was closed, I was able to grieve, see my own mistakes, and not be bitter. Nothing in my life is one-sided. I had to look in the mirror, too, in order to be able to look back at what I did not want to become in the present or future."
"It may take you years to learn about who you are and accept everything about your being, but it takes seconds to judge someone else. Being smarter than the people who hire you means that you can chart your own path."
"Books were an escape and a window to look into, even though I was on the outside looking in."
"There is a sense of alientation that comes with being a person of color in a predominantly White community. There is another, more acute sense of isolation that comes from not quite fitting in with those who do look like you."
"I was most comfortable reading books and enjoyed school, but being bookish and smart was not readily embraced in either culture. I wa an "other" straddling two cultural identities, being both and neither."
"In general, it has been my experience that libraries want to better support patrons with disabilities, but many do not realize they are doing a poor job of meeting the needs of this group of patrons."
"Though many libraies alike talk the talk when it comes to embracing and supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives, they often fall short when it comes to walking the walk."
"It is our collective responsibility to create opportunities where individuals are encouraged and supported to bring their most authentic selves to the table."
"I've also argued that libraries can never be neutral (Bourg, 2018). There is no doubt that libraries are vital and trusted social institutions. As the chapters in this book illustrate, however, libraries and those of us who work in them continue to have significant work to do to live up to the value of diversity and inclusion we espouse individually and collectively."
"The hard reality is that, when it comes to diversity and inclusion, libraries are neither the idealized, safe, neutral, all inclusive havens many of our wishful-thinking fans imagine we are nor the cesspools of social justice run amok, led by rabid left-wing zealots, as some or our detractors accuse us of being. The truth is that libraries are overwhelmingly White-not just demographically but culurally as well. As Hathcock explains, the cultural whiteness of American libraries and librarianship "is a theoretical concept that can extend beyond the realities of racial privilege to a wide range of dominant ideologies based on gender identity, sexual orientation, class, and other categories."
"Integrity is not a matter of words alone; it requires acting in accordance with rational principles and values. Organizations based on integrity model their values and systematically cultivate a culture of trust and respect. It is a breach of integrity to know that one is right but then proceeds to defy the right in practice. It is not a breach of integrity but a moral obligation to change one's views if one finds that some idea one holds is wrong."
"Morality alone doesn't change organizational culture or an institution's priorities. Instituting change, not for the sake of change alone, but for a change that is the catalyst for creating fairness when and where it doesn't exist, requires moving organizations from separate points of view to inclusiveness and migrating people from conflict to collaboration that allows for all to contribute at the highest possible level."
"Marginalized groups recognize discriminatory practices in the workplace despite how well they are camouflaged. When witnessing the lack of marginalized individuals' representation in management positions that determine hiring and promotion decisions, what is evident is not an inclusive and diverse culture. There is an absence if women and minorities assigned to work on high-profile projects in many organizations, and they often encounter passive-aggressive tactics used to attack their credibility, reputation, and competency."
"Libraries and librarians exist in society and respond to social norms and values, as well as the times in which libraries exist and in which librarians practice their profession."
"Principles enshrines in the founding documents states "all men are created equal," yet the dissonance of owning human beings and the lack of equal treatment granted to enslaved African peoples escaped the founding fathers, steeping them in contradiction, hypocrisy, and conflict. It is in this soil soaked in the rhetoric of freedom, exceptionalism, and equality that American libraries were founded. Removing, ignoring, or making an attempt to erase race from discussions related to libraries would ignore the roots of race as a founding principle that shaped America and its library services from the start."
"As defined in the psychology literarure, Alabi provided examples of microaggressions, microinsults, and microinvalidations, distinguishing such overt acts as lynching to more subtle behaviors and actions. Her literature review discussed the toll that microaggressive behaviors have on students and faculty of color as they navigate environments where they experience these behaviors. In particular, Alabi noted that repeated exposure can "have negative consequences for promotion and tenure for faculty."
"Diverity is much more than a novel idea or talking points for presentations. It encompasses the whole person and includes age, culture, education, personality, skills, life experiences, sexual orientation, physical challenges, and gender, as well as race and ethnicity. It is important to further the process of diversity by expelling stereotypes about librarians and the profession in general. Librarianship is a White, female-dominated profession, which can create a challenge when attempting to recruit and retain people of color but more specifically Black male librarians. There is a gap in understanding the professional, personal, and cultural challenges of minorities in majority-White professions."
"Microaggressions are often subtle and therefore may go unrecognized, particularly by those in positions of power and privilege. Indeed, Sue notes that "the power of racial microaggressions lies in their invisibility to the perpetrator and, oftentimes, the recipient," who is left to parse the dynamics of a surprisingly or unexpected negative interaction after the fact. The covert nature of these slights can make microaggressions difficult to document and can contribute to negative workplace and educational environments for minority groups. Like a death by a thousand tiny cuts, the small indiginities of microaggressions add up over time to cumulative harm, fatigue, and damage to recipients. Studies have shown that the effects of racial microaggressions have been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes, underscoring the severity of these interactions for minorities."
"There has always been backlash when the oppressed have used methods that were meant to exclude them. All of these actions and reactions have encouraged others ti oush against the system in more and more creative ways."
"We need more of us within the information profession to push against the prevailing winds and try new ways of engaging the field and the public. Continue to share ideas that can be discussed widely, debated often, and made accessible in as many venues and resources as possible. Understanding the importance of addressing social justice within the profession allows for a more dynamic and engaged profession. The ultimate outcome is that subversive librarianship becomes the norm, and in so doing, we transform and extend the ewlevancy of our work."
"Once you understand the community or communities you serve, you can begin to start building relationship necessary to create community partners, conduct outreach, and develop programs to better reflect your patrons. You may also begin to envision how you can hire staff with diverse competencies, such as language or cultural skills, and even create cadre of diverse volunteers to assist with programming and large events."
"We are convinced that one of the reasons a number of qualified applicants do not get interviews is because of the personal biases of individual search committee members. These biases, judgments, and microaggressions manifest in the language used when talking bout applicants. People tend to want to hire people who are just like them, so they use themselves as a "proxy to judge is that person going to be good on the job?"
"Just like other types of libraries, the racial and ethnic demographic of many public libraries reflect that of librarianship, so in most cases a majority of th elibrary planning committees are likely comprised of individuals from the dominant race. The problem with this is that the lived experiences of individuals from the dominant race is typically so drastically different from people of color that it may prevent them from seeing diversity and inclusion training as a necessary competency. An unfortunate consequence of having a homogenous workforce is the potential exclusion of prominent racial and equity issues, which causes further perpetuation of current biases in librarianship."
"Creating an organizational culture that embraces change and promotes the uniquences that individuals bring to the workplace requires an awareness of implicit biases and the barriers that they present in the environment."
"Libraries are essential knowledge centers that aggregate and disseminate information to a variety of individuals in a manner that provokes change."
"Research indicates that libraries will need to be creative and include diverse groups of people in order to change the dynamics of the culture. Incorporating listening sessions where different perspectives can be expressed will allow libraries to identify and slowly dissolve obstacles that hinder personal and professional development."
"If the library is truly committed to retaining a diverse workforce and fostering a path of success, it must remove obstacles that undeniably prevent professional growth and career advancement. This means creating an environment that values all employees. This inclusive environment must be free of microaggressions and hidden biases, two barriers known for creating cold, distant, and unfriendly workplaces, making librarians from underrepresented groups feel unappreciated and isolated."
"People cannot be comfortable with who they are, so they assimilate in hopes of impressing others or appearing how others would want them to instead of being themselves."
"I find it difficult to bring my authentic self to work because there are assumptions about me as a Black man that are not palatable for my White colleagues. I think that my colleagues have good intentions but do not share my experiences socially, professionally, and culturally. This plays into me not being comfortable being fully open in my identity. There is an unspoken, unrealistic expectation for me to be perfect with no room for error. If I make a mistake in my diction or performance, I amperceived as not being qualified for the job I hold. The field of librarianship is definitely lagging behind in its progress toward fiversity and inclusion and has a long way to go."
"Though I am an African American woman, I am aware and have learned through trial and error that there are not always people whitin my own culture who are for the good of my people. My experience is a testament that the value of libraries and what they mean to the students, the faculty, and the community is not always recognized. Every story ends, and this one did, too. I decided to walk away from a place that was no longer for me. Once the chapted was closed, I was able to grieve, see my own mistakes, and not be bitter. Nothing in my life is one-sided. I had to look in the mirror, too, in order to be able to look back at what I did not want to become in the present or future."
"It may take you years to learn about who you are and accept everything about your being, but it takes seconds to judge someone else. Being smarter than the people who hire you means that you can chart your own path."
"Books were an escape and a window to look into, even though I was on the outside looking in."
"There is a sense of alientation that comes with being a person of color in a predominantly White community. There is another, more acute sense of isolation that comes from not quite fitting in with those who do look like you."
"I was most comfortable reading books and enjoyed school, but being bookish and smart was not readily embraced in either culture. I wa an "other" straddling two cultural identities, being both and neither."
"In general, it has been my experience that libraries want to better support patrons with disabilities, but many do not realize they are doing a poor job of meeting the needs of this group of patrons."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2020
Yikes! This book has a startlingly myopic focus on aspects of diversity and inclusion related to race and ethnicity while providing only the most meager lip service to issues dealing with gender, gender identity/expression, LGBTQ status, disability, and age. It is literally more problematic and discouraging than the issues it seeks to address. How does this happen???
Unforgivably, more than one of the writers use the term "transgendered" in different chapters. The only chapter that used affirming and technically correct language was the one, singular chapter on transgender inclusion.
In case anyone needs to know this, the current years is 2020 and the term is transgender or a transgender person. If you wouldn't say that a person of color is "blacked", then you shouldn't say a transgender person is "transgendered".
Almost nothing is discussed regarding LGBTQ people as library staff. The GLBTRT (Rainbow Round Table) is literally THE oldest queer professional organization. It is never mentioned one single time in the entire text! Are other interest groups/round tables? YES, abundantly.
The book had a few bright spots: Chapter 17: Say My Name (trans inclusion), Chapter 12: Inside the Mind of an African American Male Librarian (intersectionality), Chapter 16: Disability and the Library Workplace, and Chapter One: From Whence We Come (library history). Chapter One would be great for an MLS/MLIS Foundations course reading.
Overall, fuck. This is some bullshit. People need to broaden their definitions of diversity and inclusion if they are going to write about it. And OMFG, Rowman & Littlefield needs to stop publishing shit like this.
Read something else; even if it isn't library-focused it has to be better than this. Anything.
Jesus Fucking Christ.
Unforgivably, more than one of the writers use the term "transgendered" in different chapters. The only chapter that used affirming and technically correct language was the one, singular chapter on transgender inclusion.
In case anyone needs to know this, the current years is 2020 and the term is transgender or a transgender person. If you wouldn't say that a person of color is "blacked", then you shouldn't say a transgender person is "transgendered".
Almost nothing is discussed regarding LGBTQ people as library staff. The GLBTRT (Rainbow Round Table) is literally THE oldest queer professional organization. It is never mentioned one single time in the entire text! Are other interest groups/round tables? YES, abundantly.
The book had a few bright spots: Chapter 17: Say My Name (trans inclusion), Chapter 12: Inside the Mind of an African American Male Librarian (intersectionality), Chapter 16: Disability and the Library Workplace, and Chapter One: From Whence We Come (library history). Chapter One would be great for an MLS/MLIS Foundations course reading.
Overall, fuck. This is some bullshit. People need to broaden their definitions of diversity and inclusion if they are going to write about it. And OMFG, Rowman & Littlefield needs to stop publishing shit like this.
Read something else; even if it isn't library-focused it has to be better than this. Anything.
Jesus Fucking Christ.
September 27, 2020
A good look at the necessity of working towards better diversity in libraries. My favorite two chapters were probably "Disability in the Library Workplace" by JJ Pionke, and "Recommendations for Achieving Cultural Humility and Critical Consciousness in Cross-Cultural Communications by Kenyon Railey."
August 23, 2021
A good starting point for library folks who aren't well versed in these areas. The history of library engagement and a few of the case study chapters (part 3) are the highlights of the volume.
September 30, 2021
Essays on a timely topic for professional reading.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews