ACRL Diversity Alliance

The ACRL Diversity Alliance program unites academic libraries committed to increasing the hiring pipeline of qualified and talented individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. By working together and thinking more broadly, ACRL Diversity Alliance institutions will help diversify and thereby enrich the profession.

The commitment of each library leader to build an inclusive organizational culture supportive of Black, Indigenous and People of color (BIPOC) will expand opportunities available to individuals from professionally underrepresented groups to gain the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to thrive in an academic context. Library leaders participating in the ACRL Diversity Alliance are committed to opening doors, sharing their networks, and preparing residents and pre-career graduate students for success in scholarship, professional service, and leadership. Residents, pre-career graduate students, and library leaders will each have access to a network so that they can share ideas, resources, and best practices.

Join the Diversity Alliance today!

ACRL Diversity Alliance Program Goals

In order to unite academic libraries committed to racial equity in their hiring and retention practices of qualified and talented individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the ACRL Diversity Alliance fosters the:

Increased adoption of inclusive employment and onboarding practices.
Development of inclusive healthy workplace cultures that support BIPOC colleagues.
Creation of paid positions with no required years of experience through early career diversity residencies and graduate student practicums.
Advancement of career path development of BIPOC early professionals.
Building of professional network connections for BIPOC individuals.
Retention of BIPOC librarians and archivists in the profession.
Commitment of library leaders to the advancement of inclusive leadership and access to the profession.

Benefits to Institutions

Participation in an effort to improve the pipeline of diverse individuals who will compete for academic and research library jobs.
Access to other Alliance institution's and coordinator's insights, job postings, and residency rotation schedules.
Members-only online community to discuss best practices, ask questions, and share resources.
Receive annually a digital badge to be placed on the institution’s website, recognizing its commitment to the Alliance’s principles.
Attract a more diverse candidate pool, by including language in job postings that the institution is part of the Alliance. Complimentary upgrade on ALA JobLIST residency ads.
One complimentary ACRL professional development webinar for residents.

Levels of Commitment

Glossary of Terms

BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and people of color

Organizational Climate: Organizational climate is the perception of employees towards the formal policies of their employer and informal practices of their leadership; how employees within an organization experience the organization’s culture

Organizational Culture: The collection of values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the actions of all team members.

Inclusion: An environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully; are valued for their distinctive skills, experiences, and perspectives; have equal access to resources and opportunities; and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. (ALA ODLOS Glossary of Terms)

How Do I Join?

Joining the ACRL Diversity Alliance requires just two things:

An annual commitment to the principles of the program as noted above, signed by the library director/dean. Any institutions whose library dean/director signs a letter committing to these principles are eligible for participation/membership in the ACRL Diversity Alliance.
A fee to support the program.
1. $250 Foundational Level -or-
2. $500 Bridge Levels

Download the letter of commitment here.

Email signed letter of commitment to Megan Griffin at mgriffin@ala.org. Invoice will be sent upon receipt of the signed letter.

ACRL Diversity Alliance badges will be delivered to participating institutions upon receipt of the letter of commitment and payment of annual fees.

Program Fee
The fee is set by the ACRL Board of Directors as recommended by the Diversity Alliance Task Force. The fee is paid annually by calendar year, and partially offsets administrative costs for the program. The ACRL Diversity Alliance program requires annual commitments by individual institutions and consortial pricing is not available.t

Survey
We hope that your institution joins the ACRL Diversity Alliance! If your institution is unable to join, the ACRL Diversity Alliance Committee welcomes your feedback through a brief survey.

Diversity Alliance Member Institutions

Founding Members:
American University
University of Iowa
Virginia Tech
West Virginia University

Questions?

Check out our FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

Contacts:

Diversity Alliance resident coordinators are encouraged to communicate with each other through their listserv acrl-diversityalliance@lists.ala.org.

If you have questions or comments, please contact:

For programmatic questions: Allison Payne, ACRL Interim Executive Director, apayne@ala.org
For renewals: Megan Griffin, ACRL Professional Development Support, mgriffin@ala.org

More Information / Additional Resources

ACRL Diversity Alliance Committee: Oversees the Diversity Alliance, serves as a champion of the program, builds relationships and investigates partnerships with appropriate ACRL and ALA groups, and proposes future directions, including governance, to the ACRL Board of Directors.
ACRL Residency Interest Group: Supports resident librarians and former resident librarians.
ACRL Diversity Alliance LibGuide: Resources and event calendar for residency coordinators and residents.

Residency Postings