Library Committee Handbook

Diversity Committee 

E-mail:
diversity@library.uiuc.edu

 

Library Diversity Committee Meeting Minutes

June 12, 2007
10-11 a.m.

413 Main Library

Present: Cindy Ingold, Lori Carroll, B.A. Davis-Howe, Emily Love, Mary Beth Allen

  1. Mary Beth Allen was the designated Minute Taker.

  2. Approval of May 8, 2007 Minutes was postponed.

  3. Continued Discussion of Diversity Strategic Plan
    Paula Kaufman's condensed version of the Library's Diversity Strategic Plan was sent Friday to the Provost. Several members of the group offered minor revisions.  Paula indicated that the document can continue to change as necessary in the future.

    The group discussed the desire to organically integrate diversity into any general Library strategic planning in the future.  We also discussed a question that Paula posed:  How to socialize the plan within the Library?  The group named several avenues for socialization:

    • post the plan on the Diversity Committee website and publicize it
    • possibly hold a forum in the fall to discuss the plan
    • use LIBNEWS to send the plan to all staff; email the text with a link to the Diversity Committee website; the message should come from Paula, as an administrative directive
    • present the plan to Library Administrative Council, our official channel for administrative directives; Cindy and possibly Emily could present it to AC and ask for distribution in the divisions and feedback
    • we could ask Scott Walter to send out the plan or a discussion of it in his services blog
    • the plan could be integrated into all training in the Library that is done for new students, GAs, staff; particular focus could be placed on high impact service points such as UGL, etc., or particular divisions such as CPS

    We discussed adding the Diversity Committee as a responsible party on point #2 of the plan, to ensure continuity in the future.

    We discussed revising the committee charge to emphasize diversity goals, and will revisit this at our next meeting.

  4. Update on Multicultural Web Site

    Emily Love will email the link to all committee members.  The website is still a work in progress, and is modeled after the UGL example.  We discussed where on the Library Gateway we can have a link to the Multicultural site, and how users will find it.  We also discussed how it will fit into the new Gateway/CMS design.

  5. Discussion of Staff Survey on Diversity Needs, Concerns

    B.A. brought forward the point that the Library should make diversity part of its other ongoing assessment activity.  For example, include questions about diversity in any staff surveys, patron surveys, new Gateway design, LibQual, etc.  We should encourage the Library to assess diversity as part of ongoing library-wide assessment by always including questions that help measure diversity.  The Committee might email Scott Walter with an invitation to include diversity goals in assessment activity, and invite him to a future meeting to discuss.

  6. Emily recently attended a Reforma conference in NYC. Reforma is affiliated with ALA and is the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.  There was also information at the meeting about Latino and Spanish speaking people with disabilities.  Emily learned of the Queens Library outreach efforts to migrant workers and women in correctional facilities.  Cindy mentioned the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (?) as a potential outreach opportunity locally.

  7. Next meeting: July 10, 2007, 10 a.m., tentatively scheduled for Room 413 Main Library, but location may be changed.

(Minute Taker, Lori Carroll)