Where are all the Librarians of Color? The Experiences of People of Color in Academia

by Rebecca Hankins (Editor), Miguel Juarez (Editor)

This edited volume addresses the shared experiences of academic librarians of color, i.e. Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans. These experiences are very similar and offer a narrative that explains the lack of librarians of color in academia, especially those librarians that have experienced the daunting academic tenure process.

This monograph offers a comprehensive look at the experiences of people of color after the recruitment is over, the diversity box is checked, and the statistics are reported. What are the retention, job satisfaction, and tenure experiences of librarians of color? The authors look at the history of librarians of color in academia, review of the literature, obstacles, roles, leadership, and the tenure process for those that endure. What are the recruitment and retention methods employed to create a diverse workforce, successes and failures? Finally what are some mentoring strategies that work to make the library environment less exploitative and toxic for librarians of color?

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Race

341 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Samantha Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading, particularly for those in library administration on campuses.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably one of the most informative books I've ever read.  Certainly, I knew about Affirmative Action and implicit bias, but one of the most important chapters for me discussed mentorships and internships.  Librarians of color were constantly mislabeled as interns rather than paid, employed professionals.  And, also importantly, librarian of color's retention rates were higher when paired with a mentor of color.  And of course, this isn't even getting into the horrific discussion about tenure.  

This book is so important for librarians and library administration specifically to read.  Learn about the microaggressions as well as the flat-out macroaggressions.  Learn about how to make your policies and procedures more inclusive.  There's so much to learn about in this book, and there's so much more to discuss using this as a jumping point.  

Review cross-listed here!

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a new academic librarian of color, this book helped me through my Library and Information Science masters program portfolio review and in my personal journey navigating librarianship. Most of my research focused on information literacy and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). This book sheds light to the unresolved DEI issues in Academia and Librarianship and its a must read for those working in the academic setting.

[amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would happily never read another book about academic librarianship after this one. Especially appreciated the chapters by Shaundra Walker ("Critical Race Theory and Recruitment, Retention and Promotion of a Librarian of Color: A Counter-Story") and Akilah Shukura Nosakhere ("Serving with a Sense of Purpose: A Black Woman Librarian in Rural New Mexico").

[Beth Filar Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Librarians! You all should read this - great stories and insight

[Mills College Library]

027.7092 W5675 2015