Cheery Friday Greetings!
Diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, accessibility—and we could add belonging—are hugely important to SCRLC. We try to embed these principles into everything we do.
As we specifically say in our Commitment to Diversity Statement, “SCRLC is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility in all aspects of our operation. The DEIJA Advisory Committee and all SCRLC leadership acknowledge that DEIJA work can at times be challenging and strongly encourages all members to continue learning and commit to helping one another and our colleagues in that process.” Please click on the link to read the full statement.
Truly, one of the many challenging aspects of this work is that it is ongoing, huge, and never finished. DEIJA work isn’t something we can do and check off as accomplished. It is a process. A journey. A commitment.
Part of this journey involves continuous learning, which is why we have developed an ongoing DEIJA Learning Circle for SCRLC members. The group will meet the third Tuesday, every other month at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom, beginning Tuesday, July 16. There are still some spaces.
The DEIJA Learning Circle grew out of the BRAVE Dialogues program that we offered to the SCRLC community last summer. Some of the participants continued meeting after the program ended to continue their dialogue related to race, LGBTQIA+ topics, and more.
Each DEIJA Learning Circle discussion will focus on a recent article or recorded webinar. Next week’s meeting is a discussion of last month’s Shifting the Narrative: What does it mean to center BIPOC library worker needs? webinar, presented by Twanna Hodge.
Register below, review the webinar, and join the discussion!
Learning is an integral part of DEIJA work. One might ask, “OK, we keep learning, so now what?” The work can seem overwhelming.
As those of you who attended the May webinar, Guided DEI Engagement: What we Learned in a Year, featured our three DEI grant awardees, there are many different aspects one can take on, and not everything at once. Although the webinar was not recorded, some of their resources have been added to the LibGuide. Next year, we hope to offer additional grant funding for SCRLC members to carry out DEIJA work specific to the needs within their institutions.
We heard from one esteemed colleague during a field visit that they have made the search process more equitable, i.e., does everyone have the same opportunity to interview in-person? Whom does the search process exclude? They center the applicant rather than the institution. After the conversation, I realized that for future positions at SCRLC, we should pay for all travel expenses and upfront as necessary. In the area of recruitment, that is one component; plus, we’ve not even discussed retention and how to ensure our institutions are places where everyone feels included and like they belong. The quest for more information about Belonging led me to Berkley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, and in turn, to the Belonging Design Principles: A resource guide for building belonging, which was created by Ashley Gallegos & Cecilie Surasky last year on August 7. Perhaps this is a future conversation.
What would you like to see SCRLC address in the area of DEIJA—and B?
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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