On the call were Alexandra (Alex) Almestica, Tom Haymes, Maurice Coleman, Paul Signorelli, Diane Huckabay, and Jill Hurst-Wahl. We began with Jill giving an overview of why she wrote five blog posts (below) on diversifying library staff. We then launched into a lively and informative conversation about diversity in the profession. We provided stories from our own lived experiences as we talked about this complex problem. We recognized the lack of data that could help us understand aspects of the problem, and why that data doesn’t exist. In the end, we acknowledged that this is a problem that some just don’t understand. And if don’t understand it, you can’t address it.
You can listen to the show on Talkshoe and through your favorite podcast service. Our next show will be on March 25, 9 p.m. ET on Talkshoe.
Resources
- The Struggle to Diversify Library Staff, part 1 – Defines the problem
- The Struggle to Diversify Library Staff, part 2 – Lists what people have done to try to diversify librarianship. Have they worked?
- The Struggle to Diversify Library Staff, part 3 – Tackles what it means to be an educated librarian and lays out possible new paths to achieve that. I think my thoughts here might be deemed radical.
- The Struggle to Diversify Library Staff, part 4 – An addendum which asks how do we prompt real change
- The Struggle to Diversify Library Staff, part 5 – Includes notes from a conversation on this topic with the ALA group on Librarian Education Reform
- Poppy Noor. (March 2021) So your company uses diversity training. Does it even work? The Guardian
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have failed. How about Belonging, Dignity and Justice instead? World Economic Forum
- Librarians and Library Media Specialists. Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Donella Meadows. Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System
- Podcast interview – “The Truth About Jims” – with Minda Harts, who wrote the book The Memo. Description – ” What’s it like to be a Black woman in the workplace? Best selling author Minda Harts talks about space, grace, color blindness and a certain aunt of hers who we hope isn’t listening.” (Added 03/17/2021)
T is for Training 