Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our Libraries

ASERL and its member libraries have long supported just and equitable access to information resources, and strive to build collections, services, and staffs that reflect the diverse nature of the communities we serve.  In May 2018, ASERL members unanimously approved a Values Statement on Diversity and Inclusion.  

As part of that statement, ASERL members strive to:

1. Understand and communicate the principles of diversity and inclusion in order to attract, retain, and grow the skills of employees from a variety of populations;
2. Set achievable and measurable goals, and regularly monitor and assess progress towards those goals;
3. Seek constructive input from employees at all levels of our organizations to ensure programming is relevant and useful;
4. Allocate resources to ensure programming is successful and sustainable;
5. Build library collections that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve;
6. Maintain transparency regarding our successes and challenges over time;
7. Acknowledge impact of past and present actions.

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 ASERL DEI Committee Members:

• Denelle Eads (UNC-Charlotte) deads@uncc.edu
• Michael Fitts (University of Alabama, Birmingham) fitts@uab.edu
• Karen Manning (Georgia Tech) km17@mail.gatech.edu
• Kimberly Sheldon (Georgia Tech) kimberly.sheldon@library.gatech.edu
• Rodrigo Castro (Wake Forest University) castror@wfu.edu
• Kristine Shrauger (University of Central Florida) kristine.shrauger@ucf.edu
• Zhiwu Xie (Virginia Tech) zhiwuie@vt.edu
• Colise Hunt (East Carolina University) huntco17@ecu.edu

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Current Initiatives:

The DEI Taskforce has undertaken a multiphase approach to its work and is in Phase 3 of its initiative.

PHASE I: The DEI Taskforce completed an environmental scan of DEI retention and recruitment practices among non-profit, for-profit and tech startup companies. 

Last Name	First Name	University
Bartley	Kelsa	University of Miami, Medical Center
Ben-Knaan	Kineret	University of Miami
Buenaventura (Ven)	Basco	University of Central Florida
Brannen	Michelle	UT, Knoxville
Carrillo	Erin	Virginia Commonwealth University
Clemons	Adam	University of Mississippi
Coghill	Donna	Virginia Commonwealth University
Doan	Joy	University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Fitts	Michael S.	University of Alabama, Birmingham
Graham	Adrienne	Georgia State University
Hale	Grace	Virginia Commonwealth University
Hodge	Twanna	University of Florida
Holmes	Gerald	University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Hunt	Colise	East Carolina University
Manning	Karen	Georgia Tech
McElfresh	Jenessa	Clemson University
McLellan	Amanda	East Carolina University
Palmer	Megan	Clemson University
Pellerin	Amanda	Georgia Tech
Riggs	Sandra	University of Georgia
Samuels	Glen	University of Central Florida
Sheldon	Kimberly	Georgia Tech
Shrauger	Kristine	University of Central Florida
Tillman	Teresa	Duke University

PHASE 2: This phase took the outcomes from Phase 1 and completed the following tasks:

• A conversation with DEI Librarians
• An analysis of DEI statements, mission, vision, and strategic plans among ASERL and ARL institutions
• A look into Diversity Residency Programs
• Assessment Instrument – Retention

Last Name	First Name	University
Ben-Knaan	Kineret	University of Miami
Brannen	Michelle	UT Knoxville
Carrillo	Erin	Virginia Commonwealth University
Kimberly	Sheldon	Georgia Tech
Fitts	Michael S.	University of Alabama Birmingham
Graham	Adrienne	Georgia State University
Hodge	Twanna	University of Florida
Hunt	Colise	East Carolina University
Laning	Melissa	University of Louisville
Manning	Karen	Georgia Tech
McLellan	Amanda	East Carolina University
Eads	Denelle	University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Chandler	Renesha	University of Louisville

PHASE 3: Looking at benchmarks for recruitment and retention

Team Members include:

News & Updates

• NEWS: ASERL and BTAA launch Library Accessibility Partnership. See the announcement.
• ASERL has hosted several DEI related webinars.  Current listings are available on our home page and previous webinars which include the recordings and slides are available on our ASERL archive page.
• ASERL has recruited ASERL members for our ASERL DEI Taskforce.  The ASERL DEI Taskforce will focus on recruitment and retention trends along with creating an environmental scan of the ASERL member libraries. The ASERL DEI Taskforce also hosts several DEI related webinars and will work on some regional trainings that will take place in 2022.
• For more information including current roster, timeline and outcomes, visit ASERL DEI Taskforce Libguide