As our country fights against the unlawful fascist takeover of the U.S. government, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) becomes ever more apparent. At its core DEI  is about representing the needs of the people that are served by and serve in organizations. 

Wong, Figueroa, and Cardenas-Dow (2018) define diversity initiatives as work “focus[ing on] groups that have previously been excluded or experienced prejudice or discrimination and adopt active, significant, and intentional efforts to overturn or correct these experiences” (p. 53).  Equity takes into account the diversity of the population, considers what their background brings to the table (such as different abilities when it comes to movement, inadequate access to funds, historically limited opportunities, ect), then seeks to overcome any limiting factors that disproportionately hinder those individuals. While inclusion is preemptively taking steps to create environments that are welcoming and accessible to all. By eliminating hurdles for minority groups and individuals with different abilities inclusion ensures that everyone has an opportunity to participate. 

The U.S. is home to a diverse population, with people of many ethnic and racial backgrounds; sexual and gender orientations; social and economic status; and neurological and physical abilities. Minorities in these realms and others need to be taken into consideration so that the programs, services, and materials offered in information organizations reflect and are accessible to the communities that use these items. While this may seem like a purely ethical endeavor, DEI is critical to effective implementation of information services and handling of materials and data. 

Programs, Services, and Materials

Access and representation are two significant considerations when it comes to providing programs, services and materials with DEI in mind. Not only do individuals need to be able to easily access materials and services, but the contents of the collection and events should reflect the interests and needs of the community as well. 

As outlined by the ALA Library Bill of Rights (2019) providing adequate access across a diverse population means that no one is turned away based on the color of their skin or how they present themselves. Potentially it means limiting or rolling back fines on materials even if they are turned in “late.” And making sure that there are resources for everyone no matter what abilities they may have. This means that the information professional must understand the population they are working for, and not cause harm by not purposefully limiting access to materials that represent any part of their community. 

Furthermore organizations should actively be working against censorship. According to Winston (2021) collections centering Black individuals and histories are often censored through structural application of metadata and description meaning that finding these stories are difficult for the community they are most important to. There is a power behind record creation and preservation that will always have political ramifications.

Employment

While the above statements outline how an organizations clientele should be treated with DEI in mind, there is a far greater chance of failing without representation within the ranks of an institution. More than that, it’s illegal to judge a potential worker based on race or disability status.

Evidence

UNO Internship: Collection Processing – Native American Studies Records

UNO Internship: Outreach Research – Omaha Queer Archives

The first two pieces of evidence to showcase my understanding of competency C are research documents containing notes created for the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Archives and Special Collections; one is the Scope & Contents information for the UNO Native American Studies (NAS) Program Records and the second is a spreadsheet of research on the Omaha Queer Archives (compC_NAS_S&C; compC_NewVoice).

During the summer of 2024 I completed a 100-hour internship at the UNO Archives and Special Collections. The internship included working with processing, outreach and digital archivists. For this piece of evidence I will be detailing the work I did in processing the UNO NAS Program Records and research on the Queer Omaha Archives. By using two specific examples of connections made within the collections, I will show why diverse representation within collections is important. These two collections center groups that have been historically under and misrepresented. In essence the collections are first hand accounts of these two minority groups, and detail their experiences from around the 1970’s to now, through their accomplishments and struggles. 

In the NAS records I came across a poster created to combat racial profiling through the use of indigenous mascots. I was able to connect this poster to an event flyer and a news article in the school newspaper that gives context to events and discussions happening during this time. This was a significant issue for the NAS department and Intertribal Student Council as the school’s mascot for a few decades was Ouampi, a racist stereotype of a Native American. By connecting these sources through the collection metadata future researchers will be able to better understand the context of the poster, see that the issue was significant enough to warrant a campus event and an article in the newspaper.

In the research done for the Omaha Queer Archives, I read about and recorded important individuals, events, organization, and places mentioned in The New Voices first 8 issues, a queer newsletter that circulated in Omaha and Lincoln starting in the early 70’s. This list is useful for researchers as the current digitized versions of this newsletter are a bit blurry and difficult to read; in addition the font wasn’t able to be used for OCR. This information may be added into the items metadata via Archives Space and used to create a zine for traveling displays that highlight the history of this minority group. Featuring these materials during outreach will not only bring in researchers interested in Nebraskan queer history but will provide representation for this minority community. 

While having these documents secured in the archive is important, ensuring they are thoroughly documented promotes scholarship and makes them accessible. Preserving the history of underrepresented groups is only the first step, providing access through proper metadata and outreach can help create an inclusive environment that will connect these parts of the community with their history.

Info 281: Fostering Accessibility in the Library – Final Presentation

The next piece of evidence that shows my understanding of competency C is my final project for INFO 281, a slide presentation that examines how Frontline Paper and Combat Paper-style workshops and exhibitions can be adapted as DEI programming for LIS spaces (compC_canvaPresentation).  This project focuses on adapting a workshop model to offer inclusive, community-oriented programming geared toward inclusion of U.S. military veterans, a group with a significant percentage of individuals living with disabilities. Additionally the events utilize a people first design where differently abled individuals are able to participate without being called out for their unique circumstances. While not strictly limited to library programming, for the right location these events target a demographic that might not typically be considered. The event is adaptable for various LIS spaces including special collections, art libraries, or academic libraries especially those with book art or military collections.

During the research stage, I encountered a lack of examples of accessible programming and services specific to archives and academic libraries. The literature focuses on making collections accessible for those with physical disabilities or referring patrons to campus disability services. While it’s vital to ensure individuals with physical disabilities can access your building and collections, including this demographic in your events planning is equally important. 

This presentation demonstrates my ability to create inclusive programming for an often undeserved population and consider the complex needs of a diverse group while highlighting the importance of LIS spaces as accessible, community-focused environments.

Info 210: Reference and Information Services – Book Review

This last item of evidence is a book review of Daniel Greenes 2021 book, The Promise of Access: Technology, Inequality, and the Political Economy of Hope (compC_bookReview.pdf). The review is formatted following Student Research Journal (SRJ) requirements. This project required me to read the material multiple times and engage with the subject matter on a much deeper level than I would have otherwise. The book discusses the inherent issues with prescribing technology as the key to solving poverty highlighting the negative consequences of applying a one-size-fits-all approach to complex issues that directly affect people. 

This review was a turning point in my understanding of equity and the push to learn new technology. Prior to this exercise I saw equity as an extension of equality, where people deserve to be treated the same no matter their circumstances. Equality however does not take into account individuals background nor their current circumstances. In deconstructing instances of technological determinism present in libraries and schools these detrimental ramifications become clear. 

Conclusion

While the U.S. federal government is currently pushing public institutions away from DEI initiatives via threats to funding and in some cases even their existence, that only bolsters the need to keep DEI’s core objectives alive. It’s imperative now more than ever for librarians, archivists, and other information professionals to look closely at their own biases and actively work to dismantle them. Additionally, we need to keep supporting and uplifting diverse voices in leadership and research positions.

In order to keep current with the work happening in this space I plan to continue reading work made by minority authors that focus on social justice and engage with professional organizations that focus on diverse communities such as REFORMA, APALA, BCALA and SAAs Accessibility and Disability Section.

References

American Library Association. (2019). Library bill of rights. (1939, amended October 14, 1944, June 18, 1948, February 2, 1961, June 27, 1967, January 23, 1980, and January 29, 2019). https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

Winston R. E. (2021). Praxis for the people: Critical race theory and archival pracitice. In Leung, S. Y., & Lopez-McKnight, J. R. (Eds).  Knowledge justice: Disrupting library and information studies through critical race theory. (pp. 283-298) MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/11969.001.0001

Wong, P., Figueroa, M., & Cardenas-Dow, M. (2018). Diversity, equity of access, and social justice. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today (2nd ed., pp. 52-69). Rowman & Littlefield.