Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) has been an ongoing topic within the world of librarianship long before Pathways. Listed below are a few links to journal articles, news stories, conference presentations, and statistical reports that highlight the struggles of DEIA within librarianship throughout the years.
Statistical Reports
The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) 2022 Statistical Report— The ALISE Statistical Report “presents an overview of the current state of library and information science education in the US and Canada and highlights several notable trends the data exhibit over time. ALISE annually collects data from its institutional members in these categories: faculty and staff, students, curriculum, and income and expenditures.”
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) 2021 Fact Sheet for Library Professionals— The AFL-CIO Fact Sheet for Library Professionals “explores the role of library staff in the workforce, the demographics, educational attainment and wages of librarians, as well as the benefits of union membership for librarians and other issues faced by library staff.”
Issues in LIS Education
“Black Students in Predominantly White Library Schools” by Helen E. Williams (1987)— “This study sought to determine the nature of the educational experiences and social interactions of black students enrolled at predominantly white library schools from 1962 to 1974.”
“Predictors of Student Performance with Emphasis on Gender and Ethnic Determinants” by Donald O. Case and John V. Richardson (1990)— “With the help of an ALISE Research Grant, a study was conducted of the 1,042 students who attended UCLA’s GSLIS for more than a single quarter between 1972 and 1987.”
“Recruitment and Mentoring of Minority Students” by Ismail Abdullahi (1992)— “The author offers strategies for increasing the enrollment of minority students in schools of library and information science and promotes mentoring as an effective means of retaining students.”
“Recruiting and Retaining Students of Color in LIS Programs: Perspectives of Library and Information Professionals” by Kyung-Sun Kim and Sei-Ching Joanna Sin (2006)— “The study was conducted to identify effective strategies for recruiting and retaining students of color in library and information science (LIS).”
“Reflecting Our Communities” by Kate Angel, Beth Evans, and Barnaby Nicolas (2012)— This magazine article, from American Libraries published by ALA, talks about different methods the BC Library internship program took to improve diversity amongst its students.
Issues in Librarianship
“Hidden Barriers: The Experience of Academic Librarians and Archivists Living with Invisible Illness and Disability” by Samantha Huntington Peter, Katelyn Quirin Manwiller, Amelia Anderson, Heather Crozier (2021)— This presentation from the Association of College and Research Libraries 2021 Virtual Conference includes the slide show, handout, written transcript, and recording of how living with an invisible illness or disability impacts the abilities of LIS professionals.
“Library board gets input from workers—Board chair thanked Black employees for ‘bravery’ in citing workplace discrimination” by Mensah M. Dean (2020)— This news article from the Philadelphia Inquirer reports about the conflicts occurring within the Free Library of Philadelphia System after long-term president and director, Siobhan Reardon, resigned under pressure from Black employees and Mayor Jim Kenney for racial insensitivity.
“Systemic Workplace Barriers for Academic Librarians with Disabilities” by Joanne Oud (2019)— “This qualitative study involved interviews with ten academic librarians with disabilities in Canada. With a grounding in the social model of disability, it examines their workplace experiences and concerns and the barriers they face within the context of cultural assumptions about disability and work, finding that the major barriers encountered are lack of awareness of disability issues and negative cultural stereotypes of disability.”
“Underrepresented, Underemployed: In the library-job search, some face special barriers” by Anne Ford (2018)— This article, published by American Libraries, covers the many ways librarianship has failed to diversify. It includes issues facing POC, people with invisible disabilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves” by Fobazi Ettarh (2018)— This article, published by In The Library With The Lead Pipe, speaks up about how librarianship has gained an “inherently good and sacred” reputation without taking the people who work as librarians into account.
