Toward Inclusive Academic Librarian Hiring: A Four-Part Series

Wednesday, February 5 | Wednesday, February 12 | Wednesday February 19| Wednesday February 26, 2025

11:00 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern 

Create a more inclusive and equitable hiring process for academic librarians. The four-part “Toward Inclusive Academic Librarian Hiring” webcast series provides strategies for welcoming all job candidates, reducing barriers by centering invisible and visible identities, and transforming the hiring process at the organizational level with training for stakeholders, as well as a look at hiring under anti-DEI laws and policies.

Part One - Developing Inclusive Hiring and Onboarding Processes 
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central (60 minutes)
Learn how the presenters revamped their hiring and onboarding processes to be more people-centered, fostering a greater sense of connection and ownership for new hires. This webcast details the implementation and results of these multi-stage processes, including how stakeholder feedback was incorporated. Discover actionable steps to implement similar improvements at your own organization.

Presenters: Sara Lowe, Associate Dean for Educational Services, Indiana University Indianapolis; Gary Maixner, User Experience Librarian and Liaison to Communication Studies, Indiana University Indianapolis; Kindra Orr, Assistant Dean for Administration and Organizational Development, Indiana University Indianapolis; Moderator: Kathryn Houk, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Medical Education Librarian, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), School of Medicine Library. 

Part Two - Incorporating Universal Design into The Hiring Process 
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Central (60 minutes)
Make your library's hiring process more inclusive for librarians with disabilities. Explore how to incorporate Universal Design (UD) principles into academic librarian searches, offering flexibility in where, when, and how the process occurs. The presenter will share their experience chairing a search committee for a tenure-track role, including the barriers faced and practical tips for overcoming them.

Presenter: Katie Quirin Manwiller, Education Librarian and Assistant Professor, West Chester University; Moderator: Jordan Nielsen, Associate Professor and the Head of Access Services, Middle Tennessee State University

Part Three - Training for Search Committees and Stakeholders 
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Central (60 minutes)
Explore how to establish intentional search committees and launch inclusive search processes before recruitment begins. Presenters will share their experiences building inclusive search cultures across diverse institutions and offer strategies for embedding equity and inclusion not just in hiring, but throughout library operations, centering these values for candidates, current staff, and future colleagues.

Presenters: Tarida Anantachai, Director, Talent Management, NC State University Libraries; Nicole Westerdahl, Research, Instruction, and Outreach Librarian, State University of New York at Oswego; Moderator: Jenny Wong-Welch, San Diego State University 

Part Four - Hiring under Anti-DEI Policies 
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Central (60 minutes)
The presenters will discuss the use of rubrics for evaluating faculty applicants' diversity statements. While these rubrics were initially implemented to ensure consistent evaluation and communicate organizational values, subsequent administrative policies and laws impacted their use. Presenters will examine the impact of these changes and share strategies for navigating the current landscape.

Presenters: Kelly Rhodes, Professor and the Coordinator of Information Literacy and Instruction in the University Libraries, Appalachian State University; Breanne Crumpton, Information Literacy Librarian for the Humanities, Appalachian State University; Mollie Peuler, Elearning Librarian, Appalachian State University; Moderator: Jenny Wong-Welch, San Diego State University 

Learning Outcomes

Part One

• Evaluate current hiring and onboarding processes against best practices.
• Adapt provided examples to develop inclusive hiring and onboarding processes that fit your institution's specific context.

Part Two

• Learn the principles of Universal Design for creating accessible hiring processes.
• Explore a practical case study demonstrating the application of Universal Design principles in a recent search process.

Part Three

• Develop strategies for establishing a reflective and intentional search committee culture.
• Recognize the importance of sustained inclusive practices throughout hiring, onboarding, and retention.

Part Four

• Learn to implement a norming rubric for effective evaluation of candidate diversity statements.
• Consider the impact of administrative and legislative changes on inclusive hiring practices and discover ways to support inclusive hiring practices.

Registration

Pricing is listed to the right on this page. To register, use the register button to checkout. You can register a group by specifying the number of people who will be accessing the webcast during checkout. If you are an ACRL member, you can purchase seats for yourself and your colleagues at the ACRL discount rate.

Tech Requirements

ACRL Webinars are held in Zoom Meeting. Speakers or a headset for listening to the presentation are required. You may interact with the presenter and ask questions through text-based chat. Closed captioning is available.

Note that while the presentations will be recorded and the link to the recordings shared shortly after the live events, the Q+A sessions will not be recorded. 

Contact

If you have questions or need to make arrangements for additional assistance or accessibility, please contact Margot Conahan (mconahan@ala.org).