Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DivE-In)

Charge

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DivE-In) will strengthen relationships, skills, and analysis to promote constructive change within DUL. The Council will propose library-wide goals, devise strategies, make recommendations, and support education and training initiatives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. Acknowledging that these issues are ever-evolving and that DUL are part of a much larger community, the Council will evaluate the Libraries’ strengths and challenges in these areas with the intention to further enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. To be successful, this work must be collaborative and engage many different aspects and groups within DUL, demonstrating transparency. Recognizing that diversity initiatives must be embedded within the culture and practices of the Libraries to be truly transformational, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council will work in concert with the Executive Group, Library Human Resources, and appropriate departments and committees to meet its goals.

Membership

  • Brandon Britt, Access Services Librarian (2022-2024)
  • Greta Boers, Librarian for Classical Studies and the Linguistics Program (2021-2023)
  • Imari Morehead, Monograph Acquisitions and Processing Associate (2021-2023)
  • Jianying Shou, Serials Maintenance and Retention Librarian (2021-2023)
  • Joyce Chapman, Assessment Analyst & Consultant (2022-2024), Vice-chair
  • Lucy Vanderkamp, Research Services Associate, Rubenstein Library (2021-2023)
  • Meredith Parker, Employee Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator, Ex Officio
  • Shelita McPherson, Business Services Staff Assistant (2021-2023)
  • Tim McGeary, Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies and Technology (2021-2023), Chair
  • Will Shaw, Digital Humanities Consultant (2022-2024)

Theme

To advance the work towards being an anti-racist library, DivE-In will focus on inclusion this year (2021-2022). We hope to foster an inclusive community by prioritizing actions, events, and educational opportunities that center belonging and respect. We will call on all staff to respect and appreciate the backgrounds, experiences, work, and contributions of every individual and to demonstrate that everyone belongs in Duke University Libraries.

Current Activities

Bystander Training Follow-up

Duke University Libraries created mandatory Bystander Interventions workshops. These are highly interactive virtual workshops with polls, DUL-specific case studies and DUL-specific scripted role plays, in which we learned and practiced how to:

  • Effectively respond when harassment, callous behavior or insensitive remarks occur
  • Engage parties who have caused harm to others in ways that deescalate the situation and recognize the power differentials that often prevent intervention
  • Model bystander interventions to create a culture where harassment and bias incidents are less likely to occur or re-occur

Inclusive student training

A group of student supervisors will seek to codify how to foster inclusion with our student staff. We will examine supervisor practices and hope to share with all student supervisors steps to encourage respectful communication, professional development support, and help undergraduate students make connections to the library field.

Onboarding Task Group

Duke Libraries created a new Onboarding Task Group with the following charge:

  • Review current and past onboarding processes. Identify practices that should remain as they are, those that should be modified, and those that should be discontinued.
  • Review onboarding practices at other academic libraries and schools and departments at Duke and identify best practices.
  • Identify information that all new staff need (policies, fire/emergency plans, Library culture, IT, etc.); it is expected that this will include those items in the current onboarding program and items not part of onboarding at this time.
  • Identify employee groups that have unique onboarding needs (e.g. supervisors, department heads, those with financial responsibilities, location-specific).
  • Develop and recommend for discussion, input, and approval (by LHR, Admin Council, and EG) a standard onboarding process for all new DUL employees.
    • Develop and recommend for discussion, input and approval, processes/templates, or elements needed to address unique needs identified.
    • Update and/or draft tools for onboarding, including presentations and checklists.
    • Ensure that the process includes a plan for promoting DUL values on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Racial Healing Circles

Duke University Libraries are working with organizers at Duke’s Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) to develop opportunities for DUL staff engagement as we seek to live up to our guiding principle: “Diversity Strengthens Us.” Story Circles serve as a complementary strategy and resource to the work of TRHT because they aim to build the skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed to improve interactions across lines of difference and borders.

Report Recommendation Transparency Tool (R2T2)

DUL has prioritized anti-racism and DEI work through the Racial Justice Roadmap, and the actions, initiatives, and progress are being tracked through R2T2. R2T2 is a Report Recommendations Transparency Tool, web accessible for viewing and searching, accessible and sustainable in the way it can be updated and added to.

Take-5!

Take-5! Is a bi-weekly email sent to all Duke University Library staffs, which lists 10 events on campus and in the Triangle related to diversity, inclusion and equity. The list is divided into two sections: educational events which encourage reflection, and arts and leisure events, and is geared to staff as well as their families.

Duke University Resources