Whose Job Is It Anyway? Calling on Different Others to Join in Our Work

By Connie Clem

“The founding of Dialog by Roger Summit ushered in an era of innovation and hope for information professionals. In every information era, we wish for the cutting-edge technologies that will propel us forward. However, what we need now are not new technical variations, but the development of an expanded community. To do that, we need to move beyond hope into action.”

AIIP22 participants heard thoughtful perspectives on diversity and inclusion from 2022 Roger Summit Lecture Award winner Jill Hurst-Wahl. Jill, a person of color, is Professor Emerita in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and was formerly Director of the iSchool’s Library and Information Science program.

Upon retiring, Jill reviewed her work journals with their to-do lists and notes from meetings and conversations. One thing stood out:  every year, faculty sought ways to bring a more diverse group of students into the program. Scholarships and fellowships brought international students, but the number of students of color from within the United States remained low.

How can schools and our profession boost their appeal to a more diverse spectrum of students and make them aware of information work as a career option? The need for information skills seems self-evident to many of us in today’s information society, and we think our work should be widely attractive. But many who could bring diversity to the profession aren’t aware of information work or may face an array of barriers.

Research shows that organizations become more effective when all types of people contribute their abilities, knowledge, networks, and viewpoints. Diversity needs to encompass all human dimensions and complexity. It’s seen in representation, access, just and equal treatment, acceptance, visibility, and attention.

But Jill believes the true need is not for diversity per se—often defined narrowly, such as by race or gender—but for people to belong. Belonging happens when everyone is treated like a member of the larger group. When people belong, they stay. Where we belong, we can thrive. Information professions will benefit when we bring everyone into the community.

To foster the conditions for everyone to belong, Jill suggested these actions:

• Expand your own knowledge on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, acceptance, and attention. Assume there is always more to learn. Seek out knowledge from people who are not like you.
• Reflect on your own experience of being the person YOU are: a <fill in the blank> person. How have you been socialized? What does this teach you? How can you grow? By working on ourselves first, we’ll be prepared to help others.
• Become “anti-“ all of the “-isms.”
• Look behind words and actions to shine a light on systemic problems—and work to eliminate them.
• Journey WITH those who join our professions. Find them and make them welcome. Help them connect with coaches, mentors, and collaborators. Provide advice, support, and encouragement, even when they want to go in a direction you don’t understand. Let them lead.

Holding on to our ideals, Jill said, is hope.

Jill’s blog posts on the work to diversify library staff, plus other recommended readings, are available at https://tinyurl.com/aiipjhw.

Connie Clem has brought an information perspective to corrections leadership and innovation for 35 years. She recently prepared a white paper addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in local jail staffing. Connect with Connie on LinkedIn or at http://cleminformationstrategies.com.