Recruitment of diverse library candidates is often a stated goal and priority for many libraries and archives and one way academic libraries attempt to meet this goal is by creating diversity resident librarian positions. These diversity library residencies are temporary, entry-level professional positions that are designed to introduce a new professionals from underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds to the landscape of working in academic libraries. While it is clear that these diversity residencies help academic libraries meet their recruitment goals, what is less clear in diversity residency are frameworks that support diversity residents themselves and to help ensure their retention and advancement in the profession.

In this session, members of the ACRL Residency Interest Group (RIG) Subgroup on Diversity Residencies will illustrate the process of creating the Diversity Residency Toolkit. Designed to be used by both hosting institutions and resident librarians, the toolkit contains both guidelines and assessment tools to help ensure the residency supports the resident’s professional goals and personal growth. The authors’ approach to developing the toolkit is rooted in our personal experiences as former or current resident librarians as well as the body of research on library diversity residencies, both of which informed the creation of a Resident Centered Framework (RCF). We argue that utilizing the RCF to formalize and support the residency is the most effective approach to contributing to retention of library professionals from underrepresented backgrounds.

Panelists

Kalani Adolpho (they/he) is a Processing Archivist for Special Collections and Archives at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries. Their research interests include ethical issues in description and trans and gender diverse inclusion in libraries. Kalani is the current convener for the ACRL Residency Interest Group, and a member of the Homosaurus editorial board. He holds an MLIS and BA in History from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Maya Bergamasco (she/her) is the Faculty Research & Scholarly Support Librarian at Harvard Law School Library, where she provides in-depth tailored research and scholarly publication support to the HLS community. Maya’s academic interests include community outreach and engagement, critical data studies, and user instruction. She is a past ALA Spectrum Scholar and current ALA Emerging Leader. She holds a MLIS from Simmons University and a BA in English literature from State University of New York at Geneseo.

Michelle Peralta (she/her) is an archivist for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. She holds an Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University, as well as a Master of Arts in History and Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from San Diego State University. Her interests include community archives, reparative archival description, and primary source instruction.

Mallary Rawls (she/her) is a Humanities Librarian at Florida State University. She works with the English department, African American Studies, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies programs. Her research interests include critical information studies, critical librarianship, African American literature, and American history.

Laura Tadena (she/her), is the Community Engagement Librarian at Austin Public Library in Austin, Texas, and a current ALA Emerging Leader. Laura’s background is in architecture, education, and organizational development. She specializes in addressing inequities in the built environment and creating inclusive and welcoming library spaces and services. She holds a MLS with a School Librarian Certificate from the University of North Texas, a BS in Architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is an MBA candidate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Willa Tavernier (she/her), is the Research Impact and Open Scholarship Librarian at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interests are in public open digital scholarship, equitable scholarly communication and how the idea of community intersects with open access and scholarly communication resources and providers. She holds an MLIS and Graduate Certificate in College Teaching from the University of Iowa, an LL.M. in International Business from American University Washington College of Law, an LEC from the Norman Manley Law School and an LL.B. from the University of West Indies at Cave Hill. Her most recent work is the public open digital scholarship project Land, Wealth, Liberation – the Making & Unmaking of Black Wealth in the United States.

Ana Corral (she/they) is a Graduate Medical Education and Research Librarian with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She primarily supports the College of Medicine students and faculty with liaison services, research support, and evidence-based practices. Prior to this role, Ana was the Community Engagement & Research Librarian with the University Libraries at Virginia Tech, where she provided support for community-based research and initiatives. Her research interests include community-based participatory research methods and health information applications and the interaction between language, colonial research practices, and information access and dissemination. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, both from the University of California, Berkeley.