There Are Way Too Many White Librarians These Days, New Report Finds
Ithaka S+R, an academic research firm, released the “Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity” report on Wednesday.
As a group, librarians “are over three quarters white and nearly 90 percent white in leadership roles,” the Ithaka S+R report reveals.
The lack of “library employees of color” is a “shortcoming” in the academic library industry, the report also says.
“The library community considers diversity to be a core value. But the academic library sector has struggled with addressing equity, diversity and inclusion.”
Academic libraries have struggled with an excess of white employees for decades, notes Inside Higher Ed.
A co-author of the library diversity report, Roger C. Schonfeld, noted that the small percentage of minority employees who work in academic libraries tend to work in secondary roles such as technical services and acquisitions. These jobs are disappearing at libraries as holdings become more and more digital.
Ithaka S+R, an academic research firm, released the “Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity” report on Wednesday.
As a group, librarians “are over three quarters white and nearly 90 percent white in leadership roles,” the Ithaka S+R report reveals.
The lack of “library employees of color” is a “shortcoming” in the academic library industry, the report also says.
“The library community considers diversity to be a core value. But the academic library sector has struggled with addressing equity, diversity and inclusion.”
Academic libraries have struggled with an excess of white employees for decades, notes Inside Higher Ed.
A co-author of the library diversity report, Roger C. Schonfeld, noted that the small percentage of minority employees who work in academic libraries tend to work in secondary roles such as technical services and acquisitions. These jobs are disappearing at libraries as holdings become more and more digital.
