*Indicates a prioritized action for 2018.
Over the next two years, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee plans to collaborate with appropriate partners across our organization to achieve the following goals:
Make the Temple University Libraries and University Press (TULUP) safe(r) spaces, both in our physical and online spaces.
Actions:
- *Compose a diversity statement for Temple University Libraries that will be displayed in public areas and on the library website.
- Collaborate to set goals for successful inclusive public programming and social media content.
- Recommend a standardized statement for library administration to release when diversity and inclusion arise in current events and/or in the Temple community.
- Represent marginalized populations in marketing materials (e.g., include images of various types of people). Explore the use of additional diverse marketing channels (such as radio, TUportal ads, TU College listservs).
- Investigate low cost solutions for creating more inclusive spaces in the Libraries, such as all-gender restrooms.
- *Identify strategies for more inclusive content and design on the library website, including our digital collections.
- Incorporate universal design principles into website redesign.
- Investigate biases built into our online discovery and access tools.
Create more opportunities for TULUP employment and leadership by members of marginalized groups, and create structures to support employee retention.
Actions:
- *Work with library administration to explore implicit bias training for all search committee members and all staff members responsible for student assistant hiring.
- *Review recruitment procedures for new staff and provide feedback to library administration, including standardized language to be included in TULUP job descriptions.
- Develop mentoring program for library staff, including library student assistants. Distribute formalized language about participation in mentorship to supervisors and staff for inclusion in performance review (e.g., in PDP yearly goals).
- Contribute to continuing success of the resident librarian program by refining goals and guidelines.
- Investigate staff interest in workplace affinity groups (i.e., a POC affinity group that would have lunch once a month).
- *Compose bank of interview questions about candidates’ commitment to diversity and inclusion to be recommended for use by search committees.
Make diversity and inclusion an integral part of work culture at TULUP.
Actions:
- Read and discuss the ARL SPEC Kit 356 “Diversity and Inclusion (September 2017)” to gain an understanding of what has been done already in the field regarding diversity and inclusion.
- Review TULUP current policies to see if they align with the ALA’s “Diversity Standards: Cultural Competency for Academic Libraries (2012)” as described at: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/diversity.
- *Provide staff training on micro- and macroaggressions, and explore processes for addressing staff concerns.
- *Develop a monthly “community of practice” series for staff to discuss diversity and inclusion.
- Encourage and reward staff contributions to diversity goals by, for instance, drafting language for all supervisors encouraging them to emphasize the “Diversity” PDP competency for their staff.
Contribute to ongoing diversity efforts at Temple University.
Actions:
- *Identify university committees that do diversity work and pursue library representation.
- *Meet with IDEAL staff to determine how TULUP can support their work.
- Collaborate with student organizations to create programming.
- Participate in and promote campus-wide diversity and inclusion activities.
- Develop a list of diversity and inclusion resources to be shared with TULUP staff.