Purpose

As part of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries’ mission, this committee is intended to promote and improve the organizational culture, collaboration with campus partners, and services to students. In this purpose, we are committed to:

  • Diversity: Advocating for the understanding and positive impact of diversity in the Libraries staff, collections, exhibits, services and spaces.
  • Equity: Meeting people where they are and working toward equitable policies and practices of fairness, justice, equal access and equal opportunity for all people.
  • Inclusion: Helping lead the University Libraries to a place where differences are welcomed, different perspectives are respectfully heard and where every individual is valued and feels a sense of belonging.

This committee will provide a forum for library employees to participate and collaborate in equity, diversity and inclusion efforts, including:

  • Cultivate inclusive learning environments that accelerate self-agency through outreach, programs, events and services responsive to patron needs.
  • Help build an atmosphere to attract and retain talent from diverse applicant pools.

Resources

Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Nevada, Reno Diversity & Inclusion Library Guide Gender, Race, and Identity Library Guide Latino Research Center Protocols Alignment Project University Community Expression Initiative World Languages Library Guide

Research and scholarship

Equity, diversity, and inclusion research and scholarship at the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries

Native American students and the academic library

Bucy, R. (2020, June 4-5). “It Feels Link You’re the Only One”: Native American Students and the Academic Library [Conference presentation]. California Academic & Research Libraries Conference, Costa Mesa, CA, United States.

Through in-depth interviews exploring issues related to library services, space, and culture, Native American students shared their perspectives on the academic library. Initial findings identify some issues facing Native American students in academic libraries as well as ways to improve libraries to better serve Native American students.

Gender stereotypes in job advertisements

Mesfin, T. & Tokarz, R. (2020, Sept 1-17). Men lead, women teach: Are we perpetuating our own gender stereotypes in job advertisements? [Lightning talk]. Critical Librarianship & Pedagogy Symposium, virtual.

This project explores gendered-language in LIS job advertisements for instruction and management positions. In this presentation, the authors shared preliminary findings on gendered-language in predominately masculine management positions versus the feminized profession of instruction and to find if it perpetuates gender stereotypes and reflects current sexist ideologies in academic libraries.

Library spaces and first-generation students

Members of the EDI Libraries Committee are exploring if first-generation University of Nevada, Reno students feel culturally welcomed and like they belong within the physical spaces of the University Libraries. The project will also seek to answer if first-generation students have experienced or witnessed uncomfortable or traumatic events within the Libraries.

Black Lives Matter Student Experiences

The Libraries will offer participants an opportunity to preserve their expressions in the University Archives and share them with future students and scholars. Expressions, for those who opt-in to preserving them, will become part of the Archives permanent collection. The Libraries will use these to build an online collection that will underscore how the Black Lives Matter movement has shaped the student experience. The Archives will safeguard these materials so that they stand the test of time and remain a tangible part of our community’s historical record.

Committee members

Kimberly Anderson, Co-Chair
Director, Special Collections

Iñaki Arrieta Baro
Basque Librarian

Deirdre Buckley
Coordinator of Course Reserves and Document Delivery Services

Rosalind Bucy
Humanities Librarian

Heather Damonte
Administrative Assistant IV

Linda Kopecky
Associate Dean, University Libraries

Mary Martini, Co-Chair
Human Resources Liaison

Tati Mesfin
Instruction Librarian

Tara Radniecki
Head of DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library

Luka Starmer
Interim Manager of Digital Media Technology