Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Summer 2022 Activities:

• Completed Individual Skills Training Guidelines
• Completed Workplace Skills Training Program Proposal
• Completed proposal for External Recruiting Partnerships
• Summer series of EDI Drop-In Discussion sessions

Next Priorities:

• Select an external program to provide EDI training for all staff
• Form a working group to scope manager/leadership training
• Continue Drop-In Discussion sessions
• Implement Workplace Skills Training Program
• Begin working on recommendations for external recruiting partnerships
• Query off-hours staff regarding support needs

Spring 2022 Activities:

• Purchased significant collections that increase our global and diverse holdings, including Colonial Caribbean; Indigenous Peoples of North America; Indian Rights Association Digital Archive; African Research Online; Manchuria Daily News Online; Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia Online. 

Next Priorities:

• Training for hiring managers and search committees
• Networking with local schools and organizations to aid in recruiting diverse staff
• Operationalize staff development
• Continue review of services and spaces

Fall 2021 Activities:

• Created a 10-week library staff conversation partners program

• Created and provided a pronoun program for library staff

• Restructured the EDI Advisory Committee to provide more direction and better integration with departmental work. New structure relies on more task forces and fewer standing committees. Current task forces include Staff Development, and External Recruiting Partnerships. Ongoing subcommittees include Collections, and Learning Opportunities. Other work and projects will be completed by departments and stakeholders.  The EDIAC will coordinate all EDI work, monitor progress on activities, and collaborate with ULAC to prioritize previously identified initiatives as well as new ideas.

Collections (Liaison: Teo Doras & Bee Lehman)

• All subject liaisons drafted EDI collecting statements for their specific areas. Discussions on how to implement these are forthcoming.
• Discussions on creating an EDI fund for collections is progressing.
• Personnel changes (Head of Metadata was on leave; new Head of Collections transitioning to their position) slowed down some projected work for the summer

• Making decisions about the parameters for the database inventory (often called the A-Z list) and cleaning up access points within that list (accessibility of access concern)
• Continuing discussions of the EDI fund
• Liaison discussion on implementing EDI collection statements.
• Finalizing makeup of EDI Collections committee

• Decisions made for consistent data standards in the A-Z list
• Liaisons discuss and have plans on implementing their EDI collecting statements
• EDI Committee clarifies what positions are permanent, what positions rotate, and when and how that happens

• Collections are the heart of the library. EDI review aligns the collection with stated goals.

Services (Liaison: Scott Britton)

• Reviewed spaces and policies throughout the libraries for EDI concerns
• Identified things we want to change
• Policy changes were easily discussed and approved

• Services is continuing to work from the spreadsheet of issues uncovered with the Services assessment last fall.
• Any issues involving Systems, TCs, or user experience research is postponed until the spring semester
• Focusing on accessibility in services and instruction content and delivery through a critical lens

• Complete review of accessibility equipment, services and policies
• Review exhibit spaces for accessibility, EDI content and outreach to marginalized groups
• Plan and implement staff training and system enhancements regarding gender and preferred names.

• Services are central to the library mission and it is critical that everything we offer is accessible and inclusive.

Physical Spaces (Liaison: Rodrigo Castro)

• Conducted preliminary assessment of physical spaces to determine priorities

• Update & operationalize emergency plans for various libraries
• Establish what level of training for the emergency plans is needed & then provide training regarding those plans
• Determine roles & responsibilities for staff involved in those plans
• Further priorities have been identified for Bapst and O'Neill (see milestones for specifics)

• Completion of these six priorities in Bapst and O'Neill:
  • Update the library emergency plan
  • Provide training on how to operationalize the library emergency plan
  • Provide training on how to identify and locate services for students with disabilities
  • Provide training on how to locate and operate specialized software
  • Develop mechanisms to engage the community in the curation of exhibits, book displays, and other programming activities

• This project touches upon critical aspects of EDI: Accessibility, Navigability, Equity, and Cultural Representation. It is vital to making services, resources, and collections accessible to users. It also addresses elements of safety and security that need to be improved or updated.

Staff Support (Liaisons: Joceyln Figlock & Cat Ruth-Coleman)

• Reached out to off-hours employees, but did not receive any responses
• LGBT affinity group working on pronoun usage in the libraries
• Provided general support for facilitators for BIPOC, LGBT, and Disability affinity groups

• Continue to check-in with affinity groups as they establish their goals and norms
• Targeted reach-out to off-hours staff for feedback

• Connect with off-hours staff and assist them in creating plans for better inclusion.
• Continue to support affinity groups with logistics and goals

• The Staff Support Group’s priorities are vital to creating a welcoming, inclusive work environment and culture. Our goals help improve communication throughout the libraries by supporting employee engagement and a sense of belonging.

EDI Learning Opportunities (Liaison: Luke Gaudreau)

• Worked with OID to deliver 5 summer sessions (including one with XULAC and one with ULAC) on the danger of a single story.
• Sent follow-up assessment after these sessions
• Changed name from EDI Staff and Leadership Training to EDI Learning Opportunities

• Creating a resource kit and providing mechanisms to bring people together for small, unfacilitated group discussions around a resource

• Launch of these small groups by the end of the fall semester

• Learning opportunities are a core element of cultural growth for the libraries that center on recognising difference and how that affects day to day experiences. We need to continue in this area to grow our abilities to navigate EDI conversations around all aspects of our work.

Workforce Recruitment & Retention (Liaisons: Shatoya White-Gay, Katherine Fox):

• Multiple recommendations submitted to ULAC, responses received and documented/incorporated. See the longer document for a summary of each of these recommendations and responses.
• Fall 2021 steps determined

• EDI recommendations for the Interview process
• EDI recommendations for the Onboarding process
• Evaluate EDI training on diversity and hiring that is planned for ExULAC meeting and discuss if/how to roll out to a wider library audience who will be on search committees.
• Connect with OID, Institutional Research, ULAC, and potentially other internal departments/ groups to further develop a retention survey for Spring 2022

• Submit recommendations to ULAC for further evaluation
• Evaluate and decide if/how to roll out diversity and hiring training to search committees

• With a fairly high number of positions needing to be filled, we have a chance to examine and change the ways we recruit, and evaluate our hiring practices and policies. This would ultimately help staff to be more EDI aware, and potentially help us increase and retain a diverse, and inclusive staffing model.