Diversity Residency Programs: Strategies for a Collaborative Approach to Development

Organizations across the United States are investing in diversity and inclusion programs with the goal of increasing the representation of underrepresented individuals (including gender, racial, and ethnic diversity) within the workforce. Libraries are not exempt from this pursuit. For years, diversity residency programs have been introduced at a number of institutions as a way to recruit a more diverse workforce. These programs are specifically designed to introduce early career librarians from underrepresented groups to academic librarianship. A residency program will most obviously prove transformative for the participating resident, however, a well-designed program will benefit all members of the host library as well. To varying degrees, each member of the library staff will have interactions with the residents and directly influence their experiences. In 2015 West Virginia University welcomed resident librarians through the newly formed Diversity Alliance residency program. Since then, the residents have had the opportunity to work in each of the library’s main units, form partnerships with key campus stakeholders, identify long-term professional goals, and contribute to the profession both locally and nationally. Based on experiences and lessons learned, this article serves as a road map for academic libraries interested in beginning an inclusive, transformative, and collaborative residency program

Jazzing Up Next-Gen Librarians for Freshman Engineering Instruction Delivery

Because of the need for science and engineering librarians, both nationwide and at West Virginia University (WVU), a model of Introduction to STEM Disciplines’ Information Use and Mentoring occurred at WVU. The engineering librarians introduced new resident librarians and a graduate research assistant to the Freshman Engineering program and involved them in teaching several engineering information literacy sessions. The goal of engaging the new librarians into the educational activities was to motivate their learning, gain feedback on current teaching strategies and fresh ideas for possible future implementation, and facilitate buy-in of the need for and role of STEM-specific librarians. The new team members learned the specific information literacy resources for the engineering field, provided feedback on the teaching methods, offered new ideas for implementation, and engaged with the engineering faculty and current STEM librarians about possible modifications to the types of information offered and the timing of its delivery

Considerations on Building a Unique Diversity Residency Program and Professional Partnership

As Chair of the WVU Libraries Residency Planning and Implementation Committees, I led the research and planning efforts to develop a unique program for librarians from underrepresented groups. My presentation will review the landscape of library diversity residencies, discuss the factors that were determined to be essential to have a successful residency, and provide an overview of the design of the WVU program. It will examine efforts to promote and assess the work so far, offering practical advice for implementing diversity initiatives. It will also discuss the creation of the new Diversity Alliance and how this partnership with American University, the University of Iowa, and Virginia Tech is critical to the success of our resident librarians. Although the residency program is library specific, the information shared in the session should be applicable to any discipline that is interested in creating opportunities for new voices