39 SPEC Kit 356: Diversity and Inclusion
Location of state, state politics, budget cuts, and guns on campus.
Location of the university might be a barrier.
Our institution is located in a very rural area that has little racial and/or ethnic diversity. It’s been hard
recruiting a diverse workforce, especially recruiting people of color, to such a rural community.
Our rural location
Reluctance on the part of some applicants to relocate here and the perceived quality of public schools.
Rigid, cookie-cutter job postings and job requirements that have not changed in years. The same job
postings with the same language and requirements yield the same applicant pools. This is starting
to change this year after the library hired outside consultants to review the recruitment process and
make recommendations.
Salary levels percentage of diverse applicants in application pools
The city is much more diverse and cosmopolitan than most people realize so we try to sell the area in
our job announcements.
The general climate in the state regarding diversity has a chilling effect.
Though we post our vacancies in a variety of places, our applicant pools remain homogeneous,
especially for faculty positions.
We are often limited by the diversity experienced in library schools.
We have a geographical barrier because of a lack of diverse populations.
We have found that the current political climate in our state has affected diverse applicants from
applying to some of our positions.
With many positions, finding the right skill set means a small pool of candidates and difficulty in
identifying candidates
Additional comments N=3
Traditional recruiting practices do not always align with diversity efforts and purposes.
The current climate of North Carolina’s state government, including the passage of HB2, has definitely
hurt our recruiting efforts.
Unable to identify specific data to support responding to this question. At a campus level, the university
issued an optional survey in Fall 2016 to all employees to understand housing needs in recognition of
the high cost of living in the area. Though not supported by data, there is some sense that the high cost
of living may be a barrier to recruiting at a campus level.
RETENTION STRATEGIES
23. Has your library developed any strategies that assist in the retention of a diverse group of
employees? N=68
Yes 48 71%
No 20 29%
If yes, please indicate which of the following strategies your library has used. Check all that apply.
Also indicate up to three of the strategies the library has used that have been most successful.
N=48
Location of state, state politics, budget cuts, and guns on campus.
Location of the university might be a barrier.
Our institution is located in a very rural area that has little racial and/or ethnic diversity. It’s been hard
recruiting a diverse workforce, especially recruiting people of color, to such a rural community.
Our rural location
Reluctance on the part of some applicants to relocate here and the perceived quality of public schools.
Rigid, cookie-cutter job postings and job requirements that have not changed in years. The same job
postings with the same language and requirements yield the same applicant pools. This is starting
to change this year after the library hired outside consultants to review the recruitment process and
make recommendations.
Salary levels percentage of diverse applicants in application pools
The city is much more diverse and cosmopolitan than most people realize so we try to sell the area in
our job announcements.
The general climate in the state regarding diversity has a chilling effect.
Though we post our vacancies in a variety of places, our applicant pools remain homogeneous,
especially for faculty positions.
We are often limited by the diversity experienced in library schools.
We have a geographical barrier because of a lack of diverse populations.
We have found that the current political climate in our state has affected diverse applicants from
applying to some of our positions.
With many positions, finding the right skill set means a small pool of candidates and difficulty in
identifying candidates
Additional comments N=3
Traditional recruiting practices do not always align with diversity efforts and purposes.
The current climate of North Carolina’s state government, including the passage of HB2, has definitely
hurt our recruiting efforts.
Unable to identify specific data to support responding to this question. At a campus level, the university
issued an optional survey in Fall 2016 to all employees to understand housing needs in recognition of
the high cost of living in the area. Though not supported by data, there is some sense that the high cost
of living may be a barrier to recruiting at a campus level.
RETENTION STRATEGIES
23. Has your library developed any strategies that assist in the retention of a diverse group of
employees? N=68
Yes 48 71%
No 20 29%
If yes, please indicate which of the following strategies your library has used. Check all that apply.
Also indicate up to three of the strategies the library has used that have been most successful.
N=48
