Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Funds for space adjustments based on study results.

• Staff time.

Work

• The Library will engage in academic studies done on our own and other campuses to identify and remedy systemic racism within the Library, and contribute to efforts across campus and higher ed. The Library will investigate ways to study the library's physical and virtual spaces that engage the experience of people of color at Brandeis to address systemic racism in our own spaces and make changes necessary to work toward racial equity and inclusion. Results of any study completed will be reviewed by the library’s various advisory groups for feedback and recommendations and prioritization based on an identified budget.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Facilities Services.

• External space study facilitator.

Criteria

• The library is represented in academic studies at Brandeis and by other schools.

• Completed space study report delivered to advisory groups and campus administration.

• Adjustments and renovations made to physical and virtual spaces as a result of the study.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Funds to revise existing signage and media within the library.

Work

• The Library will use signage and media, representing the Library, which promotes racial equity and inclusion, including support for Black Lives Matter.

Partners

• Office of Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Facilities Services.

Criteria

• The Library Communications Group develops resources for creating content that prompts racial equity and inclusion.

• Highlight racially diverse Brandeis makers and their projects on social media and in the Research Technology and Innovation spaces.

• The library posts Black Lives Matter support statements in their physical and virtual spaces.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Participants.

• Staff time.

Work

• The Library will engage racially diverse participants from across campus whenever possible for library user experience studies and advisory groups to provide varying perspectives. The Library will be cognizant not to place a burden on BIPOC.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Student Senate.

• Faculty Senate.

• Brandeis University Staff Advisory Committee.

Criteria

• The membership of all Library advisory groups are reviewed annually for racial diversity. Opportunities to add BIPOC voices will be explored.

• A process is developed for recruiting racially diverse participants.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time.

• Guidance and support from campus partners.

Work

• The Library will engage in a critical review of our policies, practices and structures to identify and disrupt racism and white supremacy. Library staff members will agree to these revised policies and practices; if issues arise with a staff member's adherence to a policy or practice, we will work with ODEI on a path forward.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Public Safety.

• Student Affairs.

Criteria

• Policies and practices including but not limited to patron codes of conduct, fines and fee procedures, ASC Reading Room observation, Research Help services, and Public Safety's response to library calls are reviewed and revised.

Task

Resources to address needs

• Staff time.

Work

• The Library will evaluate its webpages to identify and change language which may be antithetical to our work towards anti-racism.

Partners

• Office of Communications, Marketing and External Relations.

Criteria

• Library website includes statements about our ongoing commitment that our collections, our services and our policies reflect the values of our community, including diversity, equity and inclusion.

Task I

Resources to address needs

• Funds to cover the cost of training and educational opportunities.

• Staff time.

Work

• Operationalize staff engagement with trainings and educational opportunities by being explicit that these are part of one's work and by managers helping staff members to carve out time to do this work. Example training topics include anti-bias training (including anti-racism and implicit bias training) and de-escalation training led by a BIPOC organization, not police.

• Offer a multi-pronged path for training, such as trainings led by ODEI and other campus partners, as well as relevant programming offered outside of Brandeis, internal opportunities for engaging in anti-racism discussions beyond the DEI group, recommended books/articles.

• Create space within the library's internal programming structures to engage with and/or develop anti-racism workshops and discussion groups with the wider Brandeis community.

Partners

• Human Resources.

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Organizations leading relevant training.

Criteria

• Participation in anti-racism trainings is added as a specific goal on employee performance reviews.

• All job descriptions include information about participation in anti-racism trainings and work.

• The Library reaches a measurable high compliance rate for staff attendance and participation in training programs, workshops or other educational resources or courses addressing anti-racism.

• A resource guide is created and maintained to aid staff in navigating this requirement and to provide guidance to managers on ensuring consistent enforcement.

• The Library becomes a model for other Brandeis departments for integrating anti-racism practices and training into their hiring and staff development processes.

Task II

Resources to address needs

• Funding for Library DEI Discussion Group.

• Staff time.

Work

• Engage in the Library's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Discussion Group, a staff-led group that engages in learning and critical conversation around the ways in which the social forces of privilege and oppression play out in ourselves, in our society and in our professional lives. All Brandeis Library staff are welcome to participate, and Library administration will continue to support staff participation by funding, collaboration and allowing staff to use work time to participate.

  • DEI Group Mission Statement: We engage in this discussion group as a way to explore our work, our policies, our collections and ourselves, and to reflect on the impact of privilege and oppression on our goals of equitable service to all our patrons. The goal of coming together in this particular way is to support and maintain an inclusive community where individuals with a variety of identities are able to flourish. Recognizing that this work is ongoing, we will attempt to make real and lasting change at Brandeis Library, starting with ourselves.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Criteria

• Staff participation: attendance, engagement and people taking on leadership roles as facilitators.

Task III

Resources to address needs

• Time of staff (to coordinate the training) and of students (to complete the training).

• Funds to cover the cost of developing training or hiring a trainer.

• Funds to compensate student workers.

Work

• Implement opportunities for training and supporting student staff through offering anti-racism training and learning opportunities as part of their professional development.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Outside facilitator.

Criteria

• Percentage of student workers complete the training (specific number) over the next (insert time period).

Task IV

Resources to address needs

• Staff time.

• Funds for programming.

Work

• Establish a DEI Working Group (distinct from the DEI Discussion Group) as a dedicated committee working with the Library's anti-racism goals and moving it forward (and helping others move it forward), monitoring progress toward Library goals.

Partners

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Criteria

• Library DEI Working Group is established with a team charter. Members are named, the group meets regularly and is supported in fulfilling its charge.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Consistently updated list of diversity-focused hiring boards and organizations.

• Funds for memberships and postings for each job position.

Work

• The Library will build a more diverse cohort in our candidate searches through recruitment and job postings that encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. We will work with Human Resources to reach out directly to groups that support the hiring of a more diverse group of candidates.

• The Library will continue to include specific language in all job postings to encourage diverse candidates to apply, and will signal in job descriptions that we recognize the way in which our field/s are not neutral or apolitical; that we recognize overrepresentation of dominant groups; and are working to correct the imbalance. To the degree that it is an honest reflection of our library's and each department's orientation in this moment, we will signal in the job description itself that our library incorporates critical perspectives on pedagogy, cataloging, archival practice, etc.

Partners

• Human Resources.

• Brandeis Office for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.

• Job postings organizations, networks and lists.

Criteria

• Record kept of diversity-focused hiring boards to which each Library job posting is made.

• Language included in each job posting around diversity and inclusion priorities.

The purpose of this course is to engage in deep reflection and practical thinking on how to integrate racial equity into your life and career.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• The library will create a statement of language in collection descriptions to provide context around collections and their descriptive metadata in recognition of the fact that both materials and descriptions may contain historical language and images that people find harmful

Partners

• ODEI

Criteria

• Statement is developed and made available on the library website and discovery portal.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Additional collection funds

• Staff time

Work

• The Library will do a thorough and thoughtful review of collections to evaluate materials we are currently acquiring, what we are missing, and work to fill in gaps as it relates to BIPOC voices as well as anti-racist topics more generally.
• Additionally, the library will continue to evaluate the allocation of funds and work to increase spending on collections that elevate the voices of BIPOC communities.

Partners

• Faculty, students and vendors

Criteria

• The Library will improve the promotion of and visibility for purchase requests and actively encourage all members of the community to make recommendations. While we cannot fulfill all purchase requests, the Library will give highest priority to acquiring materials that amplify BIPOC voices and topics that advance anti-racism.

• The Library will seek out small presses owned by BIPOC and/or publishing work by BIPOC, including alternative publications, such as zines.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• The Library will engage with the community on effective ways to highlight library materials on the themes of diversity, racism, BIPOC history, and other current topics.

Partners

• Faculty, students and staff

Criteria

• Invite guest curators or guest curator space

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Conduct a critical review of teaching materials, handouts and lesson plans to identify and disrupt white dominant cultural beliefs, and work to include representative examples and representation across diverse American and international scholars, as well as discussing gaps in the scholarly literature when teaching to include marginalized perspectives.

Partners

• CTL

• Faculty

Criteria

• A shared collection of teaching materials is available for library staff members and reviewed regularly, with changes/updates made based on reflections on what has worked well and could be improved.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Use the Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT) framework in teaching and learning interventions (workshops, training, PD, design work with faculty) help to address systemic inequities in education.

Partners

• CTL

• Faculty

Criteria

• A shared collection of examples of how the TILT framework has been used among library staff members. Feedback is gathered for evaluation and improvement of teaching.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

• Funds for working with facilitator to address anti-racist teaching

Work

• Engage in trainings related to anti-racist teaching practices.

Partners

• CTL

• ODEI

Criteria

• Participation in trainings related to anti-racist teaching practices is added as a specific goal on employee performance reviews of staff members who are involved in teaching.
• Job descriptions of staff members involved in teaching include information about participation in training related anti-racist teaching.
• A resource guide is created and maintained to aid staff in navigating this requirement and to provide guidance to managers on ensuring consistent enforcement.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Each staff member involved in teaching will evaluate the technology supported by Brandeis Library to identify how these tools have perpetuated racism, supported white dominant cultural beliefs, and contributed to the oppression of BIPOC communities. Library staff will integrate anti-racist frameworks into technology-focused instruction sessions.

Partners

• Faculty

Criteria

• A shared library of sample lesson plans addressing how technologies have perpetuated racism is available for library staff members. These lesson plans will integrate anti-racist frameworks.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Develop a set of recommendations for instructional design, instructional technology, and teaching approaches that encourage anti-racist and inclusive environments

Partners

• CTL

• Faculty

Criteria

• A set of recommendations is shared and available.
• Staff involved in reflect on these recommendations and meet twice a year to discuss their experiences and possible updates to the recommendations.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Offer instructional design support for training in anti-racism trainings on campus.

Partners

• ODEI

Criteria

• A summary of the type of instructional design support that can be provided for anti-racism trainings is developed and shared, along with examples of instructional design support in this area.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Commit resources and support to special programs with a DEI mission, including meeting others in their spaces outside of the library.

Partners

• Campus partners supporting programs with a DEI mission

Criteria

• The Library partners with at least four programs a year. For example, a Black Makers Impact series highlighting local and global makers of color or programming about innovation and maker culture.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Continue active outreach to support cultural courses (including African and African American Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Language studies) and develop new partnerships in support of these courses. (inspired by Black Action Plan)

Partners

• Faculty, department administrators, and students in these departments and programs

Criteria

• Regular communications between the Library and departments and programs, including meetings with faculty and staff members in departments and programs and library staff members working directly with classes.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Partner with sciences and math departments to design summer workshops (or curate online content and resources like LinkedIn Learning) to help bridge the educational gap that students have as they come from diverse high schools (inspired by the BAP)

Partners

• Faculty and administrators in science and math departments

Criteria

• Establish a collaborative relationship with instructors of three introductory level courses in sciences and math departments.
• Communicate with instructors to understand the learning gaps observed in past semesters.
• Build and share a Course Guide to provide quality differentiated resources for students to review, identify, and/or bridge knowledge gaps prior to the start of the semester.
• Aid instructors in linking to Course Guide from the Latte course page, and other proactive advertisement of available
• Collect usage statistics on accessing the Course Guide
• Provide an optional feedback mechanism for students to evaluate the resources.
• Where possible, design and promote summer workshops to meet educational gaps, specifically if those gaps relate to software and technical skills. (There is not an expectation that the library will teach subject-specific course content in workshops.). Request department and introductory course instructors to promote workshops to cohorts.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

Work

• Promote materials/workshop to professors of introductory courses that enables them to understand differentiation appropriate for the variation in educational background of their students (BAP)

Partners

• Professors of introductory courses, CTL

Criteria

• Present the Why?: Promote materials making the case for differentiation as essential (and successful) to serving the academic needs of a diverse student body.
• Seek out and promote the stories of Brandeis instructors who have seen learning gains through differentiated instruction.
• Establish buy-in: Request input from professors of introductory courses about current approaches to differentiation, and gauge interest in various formats of information sharing (e.g., synchronous or asynchronous workshops/materials) Ask instructors for ideas about what would be helpful.
• Respond to feedback with tailored PD-style workshop or materials for professors of introductory level courses. Workshop should address different scales of differentiated instruction, from restructuring a course, to expanding the format of an individual assignment/assessment. There will be an expectation that instructors apply techniques to an individual assignment, share, and get feedback on changes.
• Follow up to assess what tools and techniques have been applied, and what has been effective for student learning.

Tasks

Resources to address needs

• Staff time

• Collections funds

Work

• Take on a proactive role in suggesting resources that reflect a diversity of thought and experience for courses (inspired by the Black Action Plan)

Partners

• Faculty

Criteria

• Regular communications between the Library and faculty about resources that reflect a diversity of thought and experience