4 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 295 2018 ARL in particular have barely moved the needle in terms of hiring and retaining members of underrepresented groups. While there are some signs of improvement in terms of the salaries of members of underrepresented communities now being in line with those of their colleagues of Northern European ancestry both in the United States and Canada, Wilder makes a compelling case that overall the percentage of underrepresented groups in the profession has improved only a scant number of percentage points in the last three decades. And though there are regional variations, such as research libraries in the Western United States and Canada having a significantly higher percentage of members of underrepresented communities than their peer institutions in other regions of the US and Canada, those percentages are still far below the levels of the population of the Western regions of both countries. Wilder’s articles serve as a powerful illumination of the demographic shifts taking place in the research library profession, where progress has been made towards realizing long-standing goals vis-à-vis diversity and inclusion, the closing of the income gap across racial and ethnic lines, and the lopsided nature of the age distribution curve…and the inevitable major correction that has already begun as older librarians reach a natural age limit on how long they can continue working. The insights that Wilder’s research shines on these and other demographic realities both serves to elucidate these complex demographic trends while also serving as a call to action for leaders in the profession by identifying where they should put their energies in addressing the Wilder’s articles serve as a powerful illumination of the demographic shifts taking place in the research library profession…while also serving as a call to action for leaders in the profession by identifying where they should put their energies in addressing the emerging needs of their organizations and addressing disparities in the profession as a whole.
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