This year’s program will be focused on incorporating cultural humility into equity, diversity, and inclusion professional development in academic libraries.

Sara Ahmed (2012) describes diversity initiatives as frequently being “happy talk” that institutions write into their strategic plans and mission statements to manage their image but then do not integrate into everyday practice. While some libraries make a concerted effort to provide diversity or cultural competency training opportunities, often the attention is superficial and/or uninformed. Nicole Cooke (2016) stresses the importance of cultural humility in serving diverse populations.

Cultural humility is a cousin to cultural competency, but while cultural competency means learning about other cultures, cultural humility means continuously working to uncover how we and the institutions in which we engage are complicit in underserving some and overserving others and making ourselves accountable for rectifying the disparity. To do this, librarians and libraries need tools to help them reflect on themselves and their institutions, facilitate difficult discussions, and imagine new possibilities.

Lorin Jackson, the Research and Instruction Resident Librarian from Swarthmore College and co-founder of WOC+Lib, an online community dedicated to amplifying the voices of librarians of color, will run an interactive workshop in the afternoon on cultural humility that promises to be fun, enlightening, and practical.

9:00am Coffee and Snacks

9:30am Programming Begins

10:00-11:30am Presenters

11:30am-12:30pm Lunch

12:30-12:45pm Business Meeting

12:45-2:45pm Cultural Humility Workshop

2:45-3:15pm Roundtable Discussions/Next Actions

3:15-3:30pm Closing Remarks

 In correlation with this event, the organization is seeking to support the library studies of an individual that is focused on helping to create a more equitable society. A $1000 scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in an ALA-accredited program to help offset the cost of educational expenses.  To apply, please submit your resume and a 250-500 word essay describing your interest in cultural humility in librarianship. Eligible applicants must reside in, work, or attend school in the chapter’s service area.

Deadline: Monday, October 14, 2019.
Please send submission to dvcmentoring@gmail.com.