A survey of diversity and inclusiveness initiatives at Carnegie Doctoral Research Institutions libraries

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe survey findings on diversity and inclusion initiatives at the Carnegie Doctoral Research Institutions of Higher Education libraries. The findings would be helpful to libraries that are at the beginning of their own diversity and inclusion initiatives or that wish to compare ongoing efforts. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey of Carnegie Doctoral Research Institutions of Higher Education libraries using Qualtrics, an online survey software. Link to the survey with a short explanation was e-mailed to the 324 identified contacts and 151 responses were received at the end of the survey. Findings Survey responses revealed that the most prevalent types of diversity and inclusion initiatives fall into one of three categories. These are the creation/enhancement of library collections, recruitment and collaboration with other campus units. Not surprisingly, lack of money and other resources are identified as challenges faced by those who engage in these initiatives. Originality/value No other research currently exists for those interested in assessing diversity and inclusion initiatives at the Carnegie Doctoral Research Institutions of Higher Education libraries.

Putting DEIA into practice: incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility into student employee training

“…There are many ways in which libraries are acting to incorporate DEIA and antiracism into what they do. Diversifying collections, hiring diverse full-time and student workers, collaborating with other campus units, and creating programming and displays have been most popular with libraries at doctoral granting institutions, while training library workers came in sixth with 61% of libraries conducting training for their employees (Koury et al, 2019). Training library employees is not always the first, second, or even third way in which library workers work toward DEIA.…”

Gender and racial bias in email reference services

“…Despite making up 13.6% of the population of the United States of America (US Census Bureau, 2021), only 4.9% of ALA accredited degrees were awarded to Black or African American students in 2021 (Bajjaly and Drulia, 2022). Diversity efforts in libraries often focus on collection development, recruitment and collaboration, but neglect staff retention, resulting in stagnation in the number of minority librarians (Koury et al, 2019;Kung et al, 2020). Importantly, librarians of color report that they experience and witness microaggressions towards others at work more frequently than White librarians, who have a lower awareness or sensitivity to microaggressions (Alabi, 2015).…”

Academic Libraries and the Strategic Vision for Diversity in Higher Education

“…The perspective on diversity has changed considerably over the past few decades, as discourse on diversity has shifted from visual dimensions (gender and race) towards more subtle ways of identifying people on the basis of their ethnicity, race, ability, language, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and national origin and recognized by the Association of Research Libraries (Koury et al 2018). In his landmark work Beyond Race and Gender, R. Roosevelt Thomas has pointed out that contrary to earlier emphases on gender and race, diversity implies visible and non-visible characteristics such as "personality traits, internal and external qualities, and formal and informal organizational roles."…”

“…She has listed a number of helpful tools to make workplace more friendly to librarians from diverse backgrounds, which include a welcoming climate, balance of work and life, communication channels, networking, mentoring, professional development, support for research. Of these tools, networking and communication are vital components of collaboration across campus units-one of three categories of diversity initiatives, which include library collections, and recruitment (Koury, 2018).…”