Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Call for Proposals: 2010 National Diversity in Libraries Conference

The 2010 National Diversity in Libraries Conference (NDLC), “From Groundwork to Action,” will take place July 14–16, 2010, in Princeton, New Jersey. The NDLC is a biennial event that serves as a regional meeting for library staff members to discuss diversity issues, especially issues common to the host region’s culture. ARL is co-sponsoring the 2010 conference along with Columbia University Libraries, Ocean County (NJ) Library, Princeton Public Library, Princeton University Library, and Rutgers University Libraries. The 2010 NDLC Planning Committee invites proposals for presentations at the conference. Please consult the conference wiki for submission guidelines and further information on the event https://qed.princeton.edu/main/NDLC2010/Call_for_Proposals.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

ALA Diversity Event: 2nd National Dialogue on the Curriculum of Readiness for the 21st Century Librarian"

The 2nd National Dialogue on the Curriculum of Readiness for the 21st Century Librarian event has been expanded by the ALA Committee on Diversity into a Town Hall Meeting on diversity. The event is scheduled for Friday July 10, 2009 from 8:30am-12:00pm in the Palmer House Hilton, Adams Ballroom. The meeting will focus on four key discussion topics:

1. Unifying library diversity advocacy efforts across member associations
2. Encouraging diversity in ALA leadership groups
3. Enhancing LIS education to facilitate the recruitment of students from under-represented backgrounds
4. Fostering workplace diversity and organizational change to better promote and retain members of under-represented groups in the LIS profession

This event is intended to bring together representatives from the various ALA committees, affiliates, divisions, sections, and round tables. Participation as an individual interested in diversity or as a representative of a particular constituency is welcome.

Those planning to attend should please contact Rob Gould at rgould@ala.org by June 1. A final confirmation and additional information will be provided to all scheduled attendees by June 15.

For additional information, contact Ismail H. Abdullahi (iabdullahi@nccu.edu), Miguel A. Figueroa (mfigueroa@ala.org), or Robert Gould (rgould@ala.org).

The Kaleidoscope Concern: ACRL Digital Publication by Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick

Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick has recently digitally published an annotated bibliography on racial and ethnic diversity in librarianship through ACRL. From the ACRL site: "This annotated bibliography...includes new areas of study such as gender issues and white privilege with regard to racial minority and ethnic librarians. It covers the concerns, goals and strategies surrounding the recruitment, retention, and advancement of librarians of color and contains over 80 years of the profession’s earliest training initiatives and current best practices. Also traced in this bibliography is the evolution of the specific idea of affirmative action to the more nebulous concept of diversity in libraries. Books and book chapters, dissertations and theses, articles, poster sessions, presentations, reports from professional library associations and consortia, and multimedia objects are annotated in here."

The document can be downloaded from ACRL's Digitial Publications site.

Congratulations to Trena!

Temporary Resident Librarian Position at Syracuse University

Syracuse University Library seeks an energetic, innovative, and service-oriented individual to enhance the Library's ability to meet the needs of a diverse university community by serving a two-year appointment as Learning Commons Resident Librarian. Members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
This is a temporary, 24 month, benefits eligible position.

Visit the Syracuse University Library's Employment Opportunities page for full information.

Monday, May 4, 2009


The American Library Association's (ALA) Diversity Counts report shows that less than one percent of credentialed librarians are African American males. Spawned by Julius Jefferson's 2008 ALA program on African American male librarians, this program discloses the results of a recent study that explored which factors lead African American males to choose to pursue a graduate degree in library and information science (LIS) and practice LIS as a career.

Panelists will discuss why they became a librarian, share career goals, and reveal their own triumphs and challenges in LIS.

Panelists:

Damon Campbell, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Jon E. Cawthorne, San Diego State University
James B. Jones, Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library


Moderator:

Julius Jefferson, Library of Congress

Program Producer/Researcher:

Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick

Location:
Hilton Chicago - Conference Room D

Please make plans to attend this informative and engaging program and discussion during the American Library Association's Annual Conference this July!