POC in LIS Cohorts

According to ALA Diversity Counts Survey (2012), librarians of color (African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American including Alaska Native, Two or more races, and Latino) made up only 12% of the profession. Building community in the form of cohorts is a vital opportunity that allows librarians of color to connect with one another and provide support while navigating a profession that is predominantly white. In this presentation, the panelists will discuss different types of cohorts that exist in POC in LIS circles. We conclude by presenting a call to action and ask participants how they might define a cohort, to identify cohorts they may be currently part of, and encourage those to consider creating cohorts of their own in and outside of their respective institutions. Our panel format will include a 45-minute informative discussion followed by a 15-minute Q&A

UNLV Libraries’ Peer Mentor Cohort: A Model for Successful Allyship and Support amongst Womxn Faculty

In 2020, 10 womxn from a variety of racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds formed an unique support network for faculty librarians hired between June 2019-July 2020 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Libraries (Fig 1 & 2 & Table 1). The group benefits from diverse voices and unique perspectives. We consist of early and mid-career academic librarian, newly relocated staff, womxn of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community (Fig 2 & Table 1). Our group holds expertise across health sciences, sciences, social sciences, acquisitions, cataloging, data services, special collections, and scholarly communications. We span 7 departments and 4 divisions, adding a holistic view of organizational culture and structure as well as the tenure process. Our aim is to support each other through the tenure-track process and promote retention among group members