In 1970 Clara Stanton Jones became Director of the Detroit Public Library, making her the first African American and first woman to direct a major, urban library system. And while there is no question that Stanton Jones’ accomplishment made the possibility of library leadership a reality for black librarians, in 2021 there still remains a great deal of inequity at ‘the top.’ According to a 2019 study conducted by the Department of Professional Employees, African Americans comprised 5.3% of the library workforce, and the most recent demographic study to identify statistical data on African Americans in public library leadership roles was conducted in 1998. As we celebrate Black History Month we honor the contributions of pioneers like Edward C. Williams, Augusta Baker, Vivian G. Harsh, Eliza Atkins Gleason, EJ Josey, and yes, Clara Stanton Jones. But just as we honor these library legends, it is also important to acknowledge that public libraries still have ‘many rivers to cross’ when it comes to building in true diversity, equity, and inclusion at all staffing levels. I recently had an opportunity to have an authentic and insightful conversation with Joslyn Bowling Dixon, Jamar O. Rahming, Renita Barksdale, and Roosevelt Weeks, four black library directors who are using their power and privilege to inspire, advocate for , and direct change.
What is the greatest joy of being a director?
Joslyn Bowling Dixon: The opportunity to shape an organization based upon the knowledge of the good, the bad, and the ugly gleaned from years of public library experience at every level and at different types of public libraries-urban, suburban, large and small. I have the platform and authority to guide the work of others to turn my vision and ideas into action. I also find joy in promoting, encouraging and rewarding dedicated staff.
Jamar Rahming: My greatest joy of being a director is having a sphere of influence that improves the quality of life of those around me.
Renita Barksdale: One of the joys of being a director is creating lasting relationships with my community. Another joy is empowering staff. I always encourage the team to grow and learn new skills and to think outside the box. In fact, I tell them the box doesn’t even exist. I love that my staff is excited to come to work and help our local community because it shows altruism at its finest.
Roosevelt Weeks: Being able to inspire and lead a team that provides support and services to those in the community.
What is the greatest challenge of being a director?
JBD: As a black director, at times I find myself having to justify and explain myself, as well as insisting upon respect for my leadership position in ways that for my white director counterparts is assumed and accepted and not questioned or constantly second guessed with the same voracity. Another great challenge is that there is rarely a moment that a new challenge does not present itself: budget, staffing, buildings, patrons, the list is never ending and unrelenting. A stamina and love for addressing challenges effectively is crucial.
JR: My greatest challenge as a director is my work in creating a work culture that is driven by common sense, community engagement, and innovation instead of robotic, sterile bureaucracy, which is heavily cemented in the library world.
RB:The most significant challenge of being a library director is the recruitment process. My goal is to have a diverse staff. I believe in having a team that reflects the community. In most cases, I’m the only source of diversity in a library. This is one of the reasons why I foster relationships within the community. I try to encourage diverse applicants to apply for positions at the library. The more diverse the staff is, the more likely we are to encourage new patrons. Patrons will frequently visit a library when they see a staff person that looks like them. My mission will always be to promote diversity within the staff. The library is the centerpiece of the community, and I have to make sure I’m representing my community through the team.
RW: I would say my greatest challenge is having enough resources to support the needs of every community that we serve.
What must libraries do to not only hire, but retain and nurture the careers of librarians of color?
JBD: Own that once Librarians of Color (LOC's) are in the seat, especially if that LOC has any modicum of assumed or actual professional "power", the scrutiny for librarians of color can be tinged with implicit bias and prejudice, which can sabotage the best recruitment efforts. Consider the motivation of the source when an otherwise ideal candidate suddenly goes from "pet" to "threat". LOCs must also seek out and nurture networks of allies and other successful LOCs. When the going gets tough (and as a librarian of color in a largely white female dominated field, it will), having an "amen corner" is invaluable to professional survival and the mental fortitude to keep- keeping on and excelling in the profession in spite of obstacles. Hire with clear intention to promote diverse staff, if for no other reason than studies have shown that the most successful organizations are more often ones that embrace, support, and retain a diverse staff.
JR: For hiring, institutions need to exclusively rely on successful people of color in the industry to recruit other people of color. Retention and nurturing those new hires requires organizations to transition from a culture of "conformity" to "transformation." People of color are angular. Cornel West renders us "blues people." We approach life and our work with substance, rhythm, and creativity. Conversely, most library institutions are "linear" and imperiled by bureaucracy and white female dominance. Therefore, people of color are suffocated in environments where they cannot be rhythmic, creative, or see people like them. Moreover, library institutions can transform their work cultures to retain people of color by creating opportunities for people of color to be creative and rhythmic rather than require them to conform to a white female created work culture. RB: There are three things we must do: 1) Outreach: We need to venture outside library doors to promote librarianship. 2)Retention: When you hire a person of color, how will we retain them? We have to make our locations welcoming. It starts with leadership, and should trickle down. Administration has to beware of cultural differences. There should be training throughout the library so that staff can learn about the different cultures. I can remember working in situations where I didn't feel welcomed because I was different. I didn't stay long because I was stressed at work every day. As a leader, I do not want my staff to feel and encounter these types of unwelcoming environments. Staff should be willing to learn about different cultures, and it should be a safe place. The more we know about other cultures, the more welcoming the library will be. 3)Mentorship: Once we get people of color on staff, we need to work hard at nurturing them. When I first started working at the library, I only saw African-Americans as pages, clerks, and security. At my first library system, there was only one African American as a branch manager. I worked in a system that had over 250 employees. I was confused at the time because I knew there should have been more diverse leadership. I felt leery about making this a career path because of the lack of diversity. Fortunately, I had a great Branch Manager and an Access Manager who talked to me about the different leadership roles I could pursue with a Master's Degree. I'm thankful for those mentors because I wouldn't be where I am today without that talk. We need to have more discussions and mentorship with people of color. This is how we nurture our staff. This is how we encourage our team to grow in this profession. If I didn't have a mentor, I would not have become a librarian. If we nurture people of color, the library will grow, and we will potentially see a more diverse group of leaders.
RW: We must be intentional about helping librarians of color by giving them a voice, providing them mentorship, providing them with leadership opportunities when available, and creating a space in the library system where they feel supported and nurtured.
COVID-19 has highlighted the tremendous challenges and disparities that exist in BIPOC communities. In what ways have you addressed these disparities in your library system? In what ways do you plan on further addressing this in 2021?
JBD: In Newark, this has been especially challenging, because not only do we serve a black and brown community, but our staff is largely also black and brown, and as we know, the pandemic has hit our communities in an especially bleak and deadly way. The pandemic has also highlighted the information and digital inequities which exist in the communities of color, which is why we do not have the privilege that more affluent areas have of shutting down indefinitely or only offering virtual or curbside service when members of our community rely on us as a lifeline in the physical space. At the same time, it is paramount to me to keep staff safe, so I have worked with union leadership and the library leadership team to develop and tweak reopening plans as needed (including some temporary closing to the public as needed, limiting hours open to the public and providing PPE for patrons and staff, and more ), to establish mask and COVID testing policies, and to provide flexible hybrid telework/onsite work options. In a tight City budget situation, out of sight (closed to public) can be potentially out of mind, so as we move into 2021, I continue to be mindful of always working to tell the Library's story and to demonstrate to the City and stakeholders the ways we are an active community anchor in the City. I serve on the City's weekly COVID debriefing meeting for department directors so that the Library is aligned with the direction of the City and state's COVID response and actions. Our staff continues to create engaging virtual programs, and I look forward to creating a new strategic plan and encouraging staff to look at ways we can create outdoor programming, rethink indoor spaces, and provide additional innovative ways to connect with the community. We will also begin checking out hotspots in 2021.
JR: Amid quarantine and a state shutdown, we did not waver in our communication between staff and our responsibility to provide information, resources and inspiration to our patrons. We met virtually multiple times per week to explore initiatives to assist our community during this challenging period. Because academic institutions were operating mostly virtual, we acquired and began circulating computer tablets equipped with wi-fi "hot spots." This allowed low-income BIPOC students to have access to technological resources necessary to remain engaged in school and learning activities. Also, we increased our inventory of online resources to provide our communities with access to ebooks, audiobooks, databases and streaming videos.
RB: I’m relatively new to the Laurens County Public Library System, so I am still developing my understanding of the specific socioeconomic and other disparities that lie in this particular community. In my past experiences, I have noticed that most of our patron population that attends our library programs are upper-middle-class with resources to attend the programs. However, Covid-19 and this experience has led me to understand that everyone doesn’t have access to the library system. My goal is to provide access to those that don’t have the resources to get to the library. That is why outreach is so important. Outreach will help the library reach the communities that truly need our help. As librarians, we all know that knowledge is a powerful asset that helps create and give better opportunities for underrepresented communities. I want our bookmobile to go into the communities that will struggle to make it to the library. We will have those resources in their communities. My goal is to have laptops on the bookmobile to give these communities an opportunity to have computer access. I also am looking to provide pop-up computer classes. These classes will consist of resume building, applying for jobs, and interviewing skills.
RW: We have created a team to look at and provide solutions in the areas of programming, services, collection development, policies, and staff hiring to better address the needs of BIPOC communities. Also, we hope to hire an Equity Officer (report to the director and part of the executive team) by the end of the first quarter to make sure that we are addressing the needs of the staff and the community.
In 2020 we experienced widespread engagement in the areas of social justice and systemic inequity. In what ways can libraries be a catalyst for non-partisan community conversations around equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
JBD: Library systems (can) make the time and effort to take advantage of the new training opportunities that ALA, PLA and state library organizations are offering to address social justice and racial disparities within the profession. I remember a time when discussing race and acknowledging racial issues both within the profession and in the world at large was taboo, so to now be in an era where we have begun to have candid discourse and to address racial challenges actively and openly is so promising and exciting. One thing I have found valuable is being a part of a committee of cultural stakeholders, local representatives from corporate America, and area colleges and universities focused on discussing and sharing DEI best practices, training and engagement opportunities.
JR: Modern libraries have consistently served as meeting spaces to find common ground and engage in solutions-based conversation among diverse communities. While we will continue to provide patrons with the latest titles in race relations and social justice activism, we will also conduct interactive programming to foster communication and collaboration between various community groups. We are also fortunate to have funding to give away free books on these topics to our patrons with some accompanied by a virtual book talk and discussion by the author. Libraries can work with local business and community leaders to create safe spaces for discussion on policy change and explore the creation of needed resources to promote equity and inclusion. Furthermore, library specialists can conduct individual meetings with local officials and policy makers to gain insight on the direction of legislation and public policy to relay to patrons. Library social media pages can announce upcoming community and civic meetings to raise awareness on opportunities to be involved in the process. Lastly, libraries can host events to champion diversity and the advancements made in the area of social justice and equity.
RB: The library has always been a great place for community conversations. After community members expressed that they felt targeted by police, I invited the police to come to the library for a community conversation. The neighborhood felt the library was a safe space for them to hold this meeting. To create this safe space, you need to have diverse staff, and add books to the collection that promote social justice. When we promote social justice, the community notices that we stand with them. The library can also encourage conversations by creating a human library. These groups meet and talk about what is happening within the community. This allows open dialog in a diverse setting. The more we have these conversations, the greater the opportunity to break down the barriers of injustice and systemic inequity.
RW: Before we reach out to the community, we must come to the realization that we have issues in our libraries around EDISJ. We must acknowledge our shortcomings and come up with a realistic plan to address them in meaningful ways. After we have done that, we must be that third space that allows for community conversations. We must show that we understand and acknowledge the struggles around EDISJ in the community. We must make community members feel safe in our spaces, provide resources, and let them know that we are a partner in finding solutions.
What do you envision for the future of public libraries?
JBD: Public libraries that pay attention to new service options and trends as well as anticipating community expectations and needs for now and beyond while balancing and updating safety protocols as needed will survive and even may flourish. Those public libraries that continue to or have the desire to operate as if we are still in the early days of uncertainty (around COVID-19) rather than learning to live and adapt in the second year of this challenging time will have a harder time returning to a new normal and may struggle with the justification of their existence in an already perennially challenging funding environment. As we always manage to do, I believe public libraries can and will rise to the occasion when the naysayers count us out.
JR: Covid-19 has permanently transformed our culture. Consequently, our future viability rests upon serving our constituents in a manner that empowers them to successfully function in a post Covid-19 world. The past paradigm shift required libraries to make the transition from repositories to community centers. The post Covid-19 paradigm shift forces libraries to build upon the community center model by serving as a conflation of non-profit social organizations. Covid-19 decimated millions of non-profit organizations that provided critical services to our communities. Therefore, our future impact rests upon restoring those services to citizens. We are going to have to be investors and what has been lost and stand in the gap for the non-profit agencies that were casualties of the pandemic.
RB: I’m so excited to see what the future holds for libraries. Libraries will continue to introduce and offer innovative technology. We will once again be a collaborative and active space. Libraries will be and are places of discovery. From STEM-based programming, to career exploration, to test prep opportunities, I want to create opportunities for Laurens County Public Library that ensure our students are prepared. I also want to provide more spaces for creatives. Whatever the community wants to learn, the library will be the forerunners in providing the service. I want my library to be a leader in advocacy. We will encourage more conversations in our building. We will see our library grow with our community. I always say, “It takes a library to raise a community.” I believe the stronger our libraries become. The stronger our communities will be.
RW:The U.S. will be a majority minority country by the year 2040. Libraries will thrive if we become a catalyst in helping to find ways to address structural racism in our industry and in this country. The future is truly bright for libraries when our libraries reflect the communities we serve and when we carry out our mission to be Libraries for All.
Original article written by Christina Fuller-Gregory and featured in Public Libraries Magazine.

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