You’re Welcome:How We’re Inviting Folks into Arts

Librarianship

Marianne R. WilliamsLibrarian-in-Residence

University of Arkansas Libraries

March 29, 2019Find Yourself: Developing a Professional Identity in Art Librarianship Interactive Panel

ARLIS Salt Lake City

Who has the same birthday?

Goldenberg, Russell. 2019. “The Birthday

Paradox”. The Pudding. Accessed March 15, 2019.

https://pudding.cool/2018/04/birthday-paradox/.

What just happened?

How did you end up doing what you are doing?

In thinking about who gets welcomed... In 2007, the Diversity Counts report

from ALA stated “credentialed librarians are predominantly women, ages 45-54, and white. They are not limited by disability and work full-time” (Davis and Hall, quoted in Vinopal (2016))

Some initiatives designed to welcome:

● ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program● ARL’s Kaleidoscope Program

(formerly Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce)

● ACRL Diversity Residency Programs● Kress Fellowships● ARL/Society of American Archivists

Mosaic Program● REFORMA● ALA Round Tables (New Members,

GLBTQ+)● ARLIS Yearlong Mentorship Program● Banff Centre Library Practicum● ARLISNAP

The library staffing pipeline

“The library staffing

pipeline is rooted in the

discrepancies in

socioeconomic status based

on race and ethnicity,

discrepancies which are

inherited generationally”

(Vinopal 2016)

The privilege of mobility

and choosing where to live

is still largely limited

to white people in the

United States (Vinopal

2016)

With great opportunities should come great support

Housing and relocation allowances

How are new folks welcomed into your institution?

Meet Leyla

Associated Student Government. 2019. “Leyla

Coronel Moreno”. University of Arkansas Student

Government. Accessed March 15, 2019.

https://asg.uark.edu/.

Recruiting outside of the humanities

Think about the mission, data, and follow through of your institution

Folks don’t stay where they don’t feel welcome

Expanding your personal network + community

ReferencesHudson, David James and Gina Sclesselman-Tarango. May 20, 2016. “On Structures

and Self-Work: Locating Anti-racist Politics in LIS.” Presentation at LACUNY

2016 Institute: Race Matters: Race, Racism and Antiracism.

https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/library-publications/33/.

Kuecker, Elliott. 2017. “Recruiting and Retaining LGBTQ-Indentified Staff in

Academic Libraries through Ordinary Methods.” In the Library with the Lead

Pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2017/recruiting-and-

retaining-lgbtq-identified-staff-in-academic-libraries-through-ordinary-

methods/.

Thorpe, Kirsten. 2019. “Transformative Praxis - Building Spaces for Indigenous

Self-Determination in Libraries and Archives.” In the Library with the Lead

Pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2019/transformative-praxis/.

Vinopal, Jennifer. 2016. “The Quest for Diversity in Library staffing: From

Awareness to Action.” In the Library with the Lead Pipe.

http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2016/quest-for-diversity/