Event Type
Presentation
Location
WHH 117
Track
Recruitment and Retention of POC in LIS
Start Date
13-7-2018 1:45 PM
End Date
13-7-2018 3:00 PM
Description
In an 87% white profession, it is no secret that many academic librarians of color feel ostracized by white notions of professionalism, suffering from microaggressions regularly at their institutions. As many librarians of color have noted, the whiteness of librarianship manifests itself from the beginning--in the library and information science (LIS) programs--and continues throughout our careers, becoming more pronounced the higher we go up the hierarchy. As the 2017 Ithaka S+R report Inclusion, Diversity and Equity: Members of the Association of Research Libraries found, “as positions become increasingly senior, they also become increasingly white.” Providing support and guidance to POCs just entering the profession, especially from those who have managed to successfully overcome the challenges inherent to being at the margins in academia, is crucial to overcoming the barriers that the whiteness of our profession poses. While there are formal mentorship programs that exist for minority librarians, there are also many opportunities for librarians of color to help each other navigate the professional space in a local context. At an institution that has an LIS program, part of this action is providing mentorship opportunities for library students of color. Two UCLA librarians at different points in their career together with two graduate student research assistants who they supervise will talk about the impact of the mentoring relationship between them. This presentation will take the form of a conversation between the four participants, with each sharing her views of and experiences in the mentorship space. By providing support for professional growth in conjunction with avenues for creativity and frank conversations, the librarians are attempting to carve out a space for those with marginalized and intersectional identities to thrive at their home institution.
Session 2A: Mentorship for Recruitment, Retention, and Self-Care
WHH 117
In an 87% white profession, it is no secret that many academic librarians of color feel ostracized by white notions of professionalism, suffering from microaggressions regularly at their institutions. As many librarians of color have noted, the whiteness of librarianship manifests itself from the beginning--in the library and information science (LIS) programs--and continues throughout our careers, becoming more pronounced the higher we go up the hierarchy. As the 2017 Ithaka S+R report Inclusion, Diversity and Equity: Members of the Association of Research Libraries found, “as positions become increasingly senior, they also become increasingly white.” Providing support and guidance to POCs just entering the profession, especially from those who have managed to successfully overcome the challenges inherent to being at the margins in academia, is crucial to overcoming the barriers that the whiteness of our profession poses. While there are formal mentorship programs that exist for minority librarians, there are also many opportunities for librarians of color to help each other navigate the professional space in a local context. At an institution that has an LIS program, part of this action is providing mentorship opportunities for library students of color. Two UCLA librarians at different points in their career together with two graduate student research assistants who they supervise will talk about the impact of the mentoring relationship between them. This presentation will take the form of a conversation between the four participants, with each sharing her views of and experiences in the mentorship space. By providing support for professional growth in conjunction with avenues for creativity and frank conversations, the librarians are attempting to carve out a space for those with marginalized and intersectional identities to thrive at their home institution.
