The library looks forward to ensuring our next searches utilize the best practices identified in Pres. Hinton’s report, including the inclusion of search advocates in the process. The library has taken previous steps toward broadening its candidate pools to be more inclusive (for example, by blinding applications through the removal of names, by reducing the number of required qualifications for positions, and by advertising open positions in more diverse locations) and will extend this work with the support of campus partners.

Library staff members, since 2018, have been required to have an equity and diversity goal for themselves each year, focused on their personal development. These goals have often included commitments to read books, watch films, and/or attend events that will broaden the staff member’s experiences and enable connections across skin colors and cultures. We continue to seek opportunities for personal, library, and community growth.

An inclusive curriculum needs an inclusive library collection, in which every student can see themselves. An inclusive curriculum needs librarians who are prepared to lead difficult conversations in the classroom. An inclusive academic experience needs to ensure that all students feel like they belong in every part of campus, including the library. The library initiated a series of conversations with students across campus about their library experiences in the spring of 2020, beginning with participants in ISOP and ETP, and expanding in 2020-21 to groups such as the Black Student Association, the Muslim Student Association, and the Union des Estudiantes Latinx. An inclusive academic experience also needs to recognize the historical barriers to such a sense of belonging, including the university’s ties to enslavement. The library’s archivist and outreach librarian have been a part of the campus Working Group on Slavery and its Contemporary Legacies since its inception.

2023-24 goals

• Meet with new DEI executive director, and new building partner, Dina Hackley-Hunt to learn about her priorities; talk about how our services and resources may align with those goals; identify opportunities for collaboration.
• Review and respond to DEI-related collection development suggestions in the 2022 library survey. Track purchases made based on these suggestions.
• Develop a plan for artwork in WRL that will help to create a welcoming physical space for Hollins students from historically marginalized populations, and more colorful and warm space for all.
• Dedicate collection development funds to the DEI offices moving into the library -- notably, the HU Connect and Executive Director offices. We will offer support and seek ideas for the purchase of new materials for the library collection in these areas, particularly by encouraging student involvement (student assistants in these offices; students who may participate in advisory boards or affinity groups under these umbrellas).