Hi everyone,
I hope that you are all doing well. I'm back with another great topic from the Online Discussion Forum Committee! This month's topic is centered on BIPOC Recruitment and Retention.
Last year, I interviewed Nancy Kirkpatrick, Executive Director and CEO of OhioNet for the Spectrum Blog Scholar Q & A series. During the interview, she stated that "There are two aspects to building diversity. First, people need to identify the things that need to change individually, and within the systems/organizations where they live and work. Second, people and systems/organizations must be willing to do the necessary work to make and support changes".
I believe that building diversity–both aspects–is vital to achieving successful BIPOC recruitment and retention. With that said, here are a few questions to begin our discussion.
What are your thoughts on the current state of BIPOC recruitment and retention in the LIS field? Does your institution/organization actively participate in the recruitment and retention of BIPOC professionals? What programs/initiatives are in place to intentionally support BIPOC recruitment and retention? What work needs to be done to ensure that recruited BIPOC professionals are retained?
Feel free to join the conversation and share your thoughts. As always, I'm really looking forward to reading your responses!
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Doreen Dixon
Electronic Records Archivist
Cowles Library, Drake University
She/Her/Hers
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