47 SPEC Kit 356: Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity Committee now chaired by rotating staff with interest in and commitment to D&I. This made
the committee more progressive and action oriented.
Effort to increase post-MLS residencies and fellowships for archivists and librarians of color. Effort
to process diverse collections, especially special collections and archives. Creation of Diversity &
Inclusion Working Group in 2016. We have changed some of the hiring processes.
Established a dedicated Diversity Council comprised of stakeholders in every unit established and
funded a diversity residency program established liaison relationships with intercultural offices
and centers on campus developed a librarian exchange program with Cape Peninsula University of
Technology significantly increased the number of diversity workshops, exhibits, and speakers in the
library incorporated diversity/inclusion workshops into bi-annual in-service day program.
Expanded and made programs more comprehensive to those already established to help students and
staff. The library has implemented Human Books this past year and will continue to include this yearly.
We have also started a program called: CWRU Global Voices, a project that celebrates the individuals
from around the world who make our community unique.
Increased awareness. Making physical changes such as gender-neutral washrooms.
Integration of a grassroots Diversity Caucus into the library’s committee structure and strategic plan.
It is now a more organized effort with better-defined programs. The Equity and Diversity Committee
and subcommittees are in their first year and we expect to see continued improvement in the
years ahead.
Less oriented toward programs and presentations designed to inform, more oriented toward open
dialogue and discussion.
More external hiring more use of post-LIS internships and fellowships and of LIS practica.
Our campus hired its first Vice Chancellor for Diversity &Inclusion! The Libraries had a successful
and productive partnership with the vice chancellor. Some outcomes included new library programs,
participation by library staff in diversity summits, etc.
Our changes include the expansion of diversity projects and programming in the Oral History
Department, and an emphasis on partnerships with diverse student organizations for both ongoing
programming as well as special grant-funded outreach programs. In addition, faculty within the
Special Collections division have become involved with the Liberated Archives discussion through
SAA, and our Women’s Archives have taken on the job of documenting the January 2017 Women’s
Marches within the state.
Our programming for educating staff and recruiting a diverse staff have both been ratcheted up
exponentially in the past five years.
Parent institution has recently articulated a Workplace Diversity and Employment Equity Strategy to
re-affirm its commitment and to create a framework for future progress.
Previously, we had a longstanding diversity committee with only one charge: to recruit and hire the
diversity resident every other year. In 2016, when the university created new standards, we began to
reimagine the committee and the new committee members have been selected and will begin their
work late summer.
Recruitment: changes to the composition of search committees to comply with provost guidelines
experimenting on places to post job vacancies and tracking candidate pools training committees in
inclusion and unconscious bias. Change Makers: a program sponsored by the Women’s Center that
annually creates a cohort of staff &faculty to engage in a personal journey to create a more inclusive
environment. Library has highest number of participants from the program.
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