DEI Statement for the Libraries
The Rowan University Libraries are committed to continually working to become more inclusive spaces for all library users and workers, to build the cultural competencies of our staff, and to embrace diversity in our collections and resources. We strive to break down barriers to success for our marginalized users and staff members, challenge and discard practices that result in inequities, and create an environment where all users and employees of the Libraries can feel their identities are fully respected and represented.
DEI Committee
The current membership of the RUL DEI Committee is as follows:
- Ash Lierman (chair)
- Marryam Naqvi (past co-chair)
- Marlowe Bogino (CMSRU)
- Mercedes Byrd (SOM Sewell)
- Samantha Kennedy (Campbell)
- Serena Powell (Campbell)
- David Wynkoop (SOM Stratford)
Strategic Goals for DEI and Progress Reporting
The Libraries' Strategic Action Plan goals for DEI can be viewed at the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion's Strategic Action Plan Dashboard, under the All Library Services Units Department/Unit selection:
Hiring Practice Recommendations
Division of DEI Faculty Hiring Toolkit
Wherever applicable, the Libraries' DEI Committee strongly recommends that all search committees for library faculty and administrators follow the recommendations of the Division of DEI's Toolkit for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Faculty Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention:
Recommendations from the Libraries' DEI Committee
Based on a review of the best practices literature and current practice in other institutions, the Libraries' DEI Committee has also compiled a list of recommendations for the hiring process at the libraries, at both the librarian/administrator level and the staff level:
We also offer these recommendations in a slightly condensed checklist form for use by search committees:
- Candidate Interview Preferences Form templateWe encourage search committees to modify and use this form to request candidate details and preferences prior to scheduling first-round screening interviews. All candidates must be interviewed using the same method, so committees should select a method all candidates indicate is acceptable.
Job Description Suggested Language
The below is language that we suggest including or adapting in job descriptions to be posted for the Libraries, particularly for faculty or administrative positions:
Rowan University and the Libraries are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through our work at all levels of the organization. The DEI Strategic Action Plan for the university is publicly available, including the Libraries’ specific goals (accessible using the All Library Services Units option under the Department/Unit drop-down). More information on the Libraries’ DEI work can also be viewed at the following link: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rowan University Libraries
In addition to other application materials, all candidates should submit a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement of approximately one page. This statement should provide brief, specific examples of the candidate’s developed knowledge of DEI principles and practices in academic library work, the candidate’s experience promoting DEI through their professional work, and the candidate’s plans to continue promoting DEI in their work at Rowan should they be selected for the position.
Evaluating Candidate DEI Statements
Bibliography of Research
Finally, below is a bibliography of the sources that were consulted to compile the Libraries' internal recommendations:
Reading Group
The Libraries' DEI Reading Group is currently reading:
Pushing the Margins: Women of Color and Intersectionality in LIS by ISBN: 1634000528Publication Date: 2018Using intersectionality as a framework, this edited collection explores the experiences of women of color in library and information science (LIS). With roots in black feminism and critical race theory, intersectionality studies the ways in which multiple social and cultural identities impact individual experience. Libraries and archives idealistically portray themselves as egalitarian and neutral entities that provide information equally to everyone, yet these institutions often reflect and perpetuate societal racism, sexism, and additional forms of oppression. Women of color who work in LIS are often placed in the position of balancing the ideal of the library and archive providing good customer service and being an unbiased environment with the lived reality of receiving microaggressions and other forms of harassment on a daily basis from both colleagues and patrons. This book examines how lived experiences of social identities affect women of color and their work in LIS.
Past readings:
Newsletter Archives
The Libraries' DEI Newsletter is published monthly, and produced by founding co-chair Marryam Naqvi. Its contents consist of resources, professional development opportunities, university news, and national news relating to accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. The newsletter also includes the topic and any pre-work for the upcoming DEI activity in our monthly RUL Staff Meeting.
Past issues of the newsletter are available below in PDF format. For the best experience, please download each issue locally and view it in Adobe Reader, rather than in a browser window.
Past Workshops
The DEI Committee presented three professional development workshops to the Libraries in July through September of 2021. Slides for each of these workshops follow below.