Dear colleagues in preservation and conservation,
In recent years, our research team has been examining our field's current state of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in preservation and conservation. While recent social movements have asserted the human rights of marginalized communities, preservationists and conservators have not always kept up the pace in our DEIA efforts. If we are the caretakers of the bibliographic and archival record, why do our identities and experiences go unexamined?
Our past surveys included checked boxes that often reflected homogeneity and exclusivity, but they also revealed voices and stories from our colleagues who crave change. Conservators frustrated that no one else on their staff looks like them, managers scratching their heads over how to find and hire diverse teams, students and interns learning to navigate all of it.
Your anonymous response to this survey will add your voice to our data, and hopefully create a foundation of knowledge to inform how we develop our workforce. Please take 5 minutes to respond by February 11th. While we originally made a call for submissions in October, the response rate has been low due to the increased demands on our field. This is our last effort to capture the current nature of the staff experience in Library and Archives Preservation. We hope that you will consider taking the time to respond to the survey. If you believe that you have responded already, please disregard.
Survey link: https://uiuc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MvliaLFAnJXpNI
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hain Teper, Miriam Centeno, and Zach Maiorana
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Jennifer Hain Teper (she/her)
Bud Velde Preservation Librarian
Professor and Head, Preservation Services
Room 425 Main Library
1408 W Gregory Drive
University of Illinois
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-5689
jhain@illinois.edu