4 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 301 2020 context of one of the most diverse, urban universities in the US and developed new programming and success metrics to reflect that. In an informal interview, three practitioners with responsibilities for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), either within their institutions or on a consortial/association level, discuss the impact of these two historical events on their current work and their future plans. Maha Kumaran is associate librarian for the Education and Music Library at the University of Saskatchewan. Jeff Witt is an organizational and leadership development professional for the University of Michigan Library. Twanna Hodge is the diversity, equity, and inclusion librarian for the University of Florida Libraries. The third article in this issue features the work of Kiyomi Deards, visiting program officer for the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. To help ARL prepare to enhance its professional development efforts, Deards has been researching competency frameworks in DEI, as well as training and developmental providers and experiences that libraries and other industries have been implementing on a local level. Deards and I highlight a few examples from the extensive data set of providers and methodologies she identified. These three articles are contrasting in their perspectives, from practical implementation of programs aligning with institutional mission, to a more comprehensive exploration of strategies for creating and sustaining organizational change in support of DEI and racial equity. As organizations and institutions struggle to find solutions to enduring and seemingly intractable problems, it seems clear that new approaches, vocabulary, and mindsets are needed in order to effect necessary changes. This issue of RLI offers several access points to this work, to the necessary change for the betterment of society, and to how libraries and archives can be catalysts for this critical work.
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