“Articulate the importance of designing programs and services supportive of diversity, inclusion, and equity for clientele and employees.”
Introduction
In any information environment, information professionals are dedicated to acquiring and providing access to all kinds of information. When we reach out to diverse communities, the kind of information we are able to acquire multiplies, creating benefits for all our users. This is especially noticeable in archives, where many materials are acquired by donations. A specific community must have trust in the archives before they are willing to let them be custodians of their records. When only one community is represented in the archival records, the type of information available to users is limited. Additionally, having diverse communities provide input when interpreting records can enhance the knowledge available to researchers.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Problems in Archival Description
Rowan & Gonzalez (2022) found in a study of the collections at Florida International University (FIU) that digital collections can have numerous problems with metadata that is non-inclusive, discriminatory, or degrading. Even when a collection is diverse, employees will describe the collection based on their own bias, and past guidelines for metadata vocabulary did not consider how different kinds of communities would want to use the materials. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of diverse employees and a lack of communication and trust with diverse communities.
It is vital that record descriptions are accessible to many kinds of people, because if they cannot find the information, they will not have it. If true information about different cultures and life experiences is not available in trusted scholarly sources, we will have fewer tools to combat the misinformation that continuously propagates online.
How to Promote a Diverse Environment
Bright (2022) points out that an individual need not be from a community that is considered “diverse” or “marginalized” to be able to “learn how to work with and within diverse communities.” Not only can anyone learn this, but everyone needs to learn how to work with diverse groups of people. Simply hiring a few people who represent different groups does not fix inherent problems of bias and exclusion within information organizations. All employees must share the load of improving services to members of diverse communities and updating record descriptions to reflect their needs.
Kreitz (2008) explains that developing a more diverse organization requires more than just writing it out as a goal. It requires understanding, at all levels of the organization, why diversity is important to the organization, and setting specific measurable goals for achieving better diversity. These goals must be continuously revisited and assessed. It means willing to commit to ongoing changes within the organization and acknowledging that humility is needed to keep learning how to improve.
Rowan & Gonzalez (2022) discuss how to improve metadata to make it more inclusive. They outline their procedures for attempting to remedy the problems they found at FIU, a process which they acknowledge is ongoing and not perfect. The plan involves communicating with diverse groups both inside and outside the university, creating a thesaurus that clarifies what language is and is not appropriate, and training archivists to help them understand what is needed to make the metadata more inclusive.
Evidence Items
Evidence Item 1: Review of Vancouver Public Library’s Diversity Plan
My first item of evidence is a discussion post I wrote for the course INFO 204: Information Professions. In the post, I analyze the diversity statement approved and published by the Vancouver Public Library in 2010. In the post, I discuss where the diversity statement’s language is helpful, and where it could be expanded or clarified based on the American Library Association’s recommendations for creating a diversity plan.
This item shows my ability to critically analyze and provide input on diversity policy. It shows my understanding that writing a diversity plan is only part of the process, and that any organization needs to follow through with specific goals and assessments in addition to writing such a diversity statement in order to successfully achieve effective change.
Evidence Item 2: American Sign Language Class Reflection
My next piece of evidence is a reflection essay I wrote for the course INFO 281: Cultural Competence for Information Professionals. It describes my experience attending a class on American Sign Language (ASL) in my community. I also discuss who uses ASL and why, some basic aspects of deaf culture, and the barriers present in information organizations for individuals who use ASL as their primary language. The essay is presented in the context of the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) framework, promoted by the Cultural Intelligence Center. More information on CQ can be found at their website.
This item of evidence shows my ability to seek to understand a particular group or culture to understand what they need to truly feel included in an organization. It acknowledges my own weaknesses in trying to understand and connect with people who experience life differently than I do and describes some of my attempts to overcome those weaknesses, such as reaching outside of my comfort zone and trying to communicate with people in ways that are comfortable for them.
Evidence Item 3: Addressing Cultural Competence in the American Alliance of Museums
This evidence item is an essay I wrote for the course INFO 281: Cultural Competence for Information Professionals. It is my review of the “Ethics, Standards and Professional Practices” of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and how they address cultural competence in these standards. First, I outline what cultural competence standards in a museum should include based on scholarly writings in the field, then I identify where the AAM standards meet those criteria, and where they need more work.
This item shows my ability to critically analyze and provide input on diversity policy. In a real-life situation, I would compose a document like this and then discuss my analysis with colleagues to determine what issues we can address immediately, which issues will require more time to change, and which issues are not as pressing as others. We would discuss specific ways we could implement changes and ways to assess whether the changes were successful. Although some of the things I describe in the essay may be difficult to measure, being able to discuss them openly in the workplace can help foster trust among diverse employees. This item of evidence also shows my ability to apply diversity and cultural competence standards in a museum environment, and my understanding of the writings of various authors on the subject. Diversity, equity, and inclusion principles should be regularly revisited and re-evaluated within any organization.
Conclusion
Creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment means talking and listening. I always try to be open and honest about what I am doing and why, and I will continue to do so in my future career. I will also try to listen better by asking for feedback from the people I work with, and by staying up to date with publications on diversity from organizations such as the American Library Association and the Society of American Archivists.
References
Bright, K. (2022). Equity of access, diversity, and inclusion. In Hirsch, S. (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (3rd ed., pp.66-79). Roman & Littlefield.
Kreitz, P. A. (2008). Best Practices for Managing Organizational Diversity. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(2), 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.12.001
Rowan, K., & Gonzalez, A. (2022, June 13). Decolonizing your library: Metadata that empowers. Annual IATUL Conference. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2022/ttl/1/