35 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 301 2020 Libraries (ASERL) is another example and created DEI task forces, one focused on recruitment and one focused on retention. ACRL, ARL, ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services, and the Public Library Association formed the Building Cultural Proficiencies for Racial Equity Framework Task Force.3 The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is another example, as is the work that National Associations of Librarians of Color (NALCo) are doing in engaging and supporting library staff of color. There is a lot of infrastructure that already exists. So we need to (start or further) connect, collaborate, create, document, disseminate, assess, and rinse and repeat. Sometimes, you need to experiment, take risks, launch something and see how things work. For example, the BIPOC in LIS Mental Health Summit offered this spring came out of conversations in other spaces, not necessarily institutions. Being able to host the summit proves that we can work both within and outside existing (hierarchal) structures and institutions. I agree wholeheartedly with Kumaran and Witt. Additionally we and many others who do this work need consistent support and investment (time, resources, folks’ willingness to push beyond discomfort or pain) from our organizations, the associations, and the profession. Puente: Many thought-leaders and practitioners who do this work talk about dismantling and recreating systems. What comes to mind when we speak of those systems and which, if any, are the ones directly related to libraries, archives, information, and cultural heritage organizations? Kumaran: This will require that we reimagine what libraries mean, particularly academic libraries. Academic libraries were established within dominant culture and developed out of the white foundational figures. What would the library look like for Indigenous/Black populations to feel comfortable within them? What would it take for the dominant cultures to accept the underrepresented perspectives? There is a lot of work to do in terms
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