Charge and Membership
Mission
As a Hispanic-Serving Institution[1] located on the traditional lands of the indigenous Kumeyaay people,[2] San Diego State University Library is deeply committed to supporting our diverse population of students, faculty, and staff. We strive to honor the broadest range of intersectional identities and diverse social and historical experiences expressed across our campus, and pay particular attention to the myriad forms of structural, systemic, and historic oppression that impact our campus community.
The Library Diversity Council (LDC) is charged with coordinating the Library's overall progress toward meeting the goals of its 2021 diversity plan and coordinating with other college diversity councils. The council will be made up of faculty and staff and have broad representation across library units. Council members will seek regular input from those they represent. Membership on the council is determined through a consistent and equitable nomination and election process. The library's diversity liaison to the campus Inclusion Council should be closely consulted in this process.
Advancing the library's DEI goals and priorities is the responsibility of all library employees, including managers, faculty, staff, and student assistants. The LDC's role primarily is to coordinate that work, including making progress in meeting the library's strategic diversity goals. Library folks not on the LDC are invited to support DEI efforts in formal and informal ways.
Purpose
The Library Diversity Council will guide and hold the Library accountable in the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the work at the San Diego State University Library. This includes implementation and adherence to the Library Diversity Plan.
Guidelines for Interactions
The LDC agrees to adopt these guidelines for interactions, in both meetings and virtual communications. We encourage the Library to adopt these guidelines, which should be reviewed at the start of all meetings.
- Be present, respect the space, and respect each other
- Share your experiences, using "I" statements and avoiding "should" statements with each other
- Listen to hear, not to respond (listen for what's beneath the words). Acknowledge that not everyone feels safe speaking in every setting, and do not make assumptions about those remaining silent
- The stories of others are theirs to share; be mindful that your truth can be different for others
- Allow for modifications
- Maintain confidentiality and trust among the group
- Take responsibility for your own learning
- If you experience yourself making judgements, ask yourself where those feelings come from; be willing to explore unconscious beliefs that may surface
- Consider and address the impact of actions rather than focusing on your intentions
- Check your privilege and be aware of how it might shape your perspective and attitudes
- Acknowledge pain or offense in the moment using "ouch" and have the option to discuss it in the moment or at another time
- Confront, critique, and challenge your discomfort
- The facilitator's role is to promote time management through signaling & posing to group during transitional periods
*Several of these norms are borrowed from a SDSU California Faculty Association meeting on April 8, 2021
Meeting Schedule
The Council will meet every fourth Tuesday of the month from 2-3pm via Zoom. The Council acknowledges the need for flexibility in scheduling, and may adjust meetings as needed.
Scope
The Library Diversity Council will initially focus on implementation of the Library Diversity Plan (Feb 2021). Assessment of Diversity Goals (hiring, climate, retention) will persist well beyond the sunsetting of the Plan, and the Diversity Council will also support assessment of broader library diversity efforts, including efforts focused on collections, services, and spaces.
Implementation of Plan
The library diversity plan will be implemented within 3-5 years and will be in alignment with the campus DEI initiatives and the library strategic plan. Refer to the Library Diversity Plan for specific assessment approaches in regards to hiring, climate, retention and other DEI initiatives.
The council will ensure that resources and structure are available to support employees. The council will also provide resources and support efforts to create and grow diverse and inclusive collections, develop and improve equitable and inclusive services, and ensure that our library spaces-physical and virtual-are welcoming to all.
Providing input on institutional policies and procedures to address diversity, equity, and inclusion issues when deemed appropriate
Accountability
- While the ultimate responsibility for implementing this plan falls to the Dean of the Library, the standing library diversity council will provide general oversight for implementation, including:
- Ensuring that the Library makes progress toward its annual benchmarks, as articulated in the February 2021 plan, and adjusting those benchmarks over time.
- Assisting with implementation efforts - gathering/sharing resources, creating training opportunities, and engaging in/promoting campus SACD efforts
- Assessing annual progress in collaboration with the Dean, the Associate Dean, and the HR MPP/HR administrative staff, please refer to the Library Diversity Plan for specific assessment timelines and actions.
- Assisting the dean in all required campus-level reporting mechanisms with SACD, the Inclusion Council and the Senate DEI committee.
- At the beginning of each academic year, the library diversity council will meet with the Library Management Team, Library Academic Planning Committee, and other relevant committees to review last year's progress and goals for the coming year. This will help ensure that our broader DEI goals are incorporated into the ongoing work and operations of the library.
For a more expansive view on the accountability of the Diversity Council please see the Appendix of the current plan.
Council Creation
The ad hoc Library Diversity Task Force evolved into the Library Diversity Planning Committee in 2019-2020, and was further formalized into the Library Diversity Council in accordance with the University Policy File, Section 8.2 The Diversity Councils, which are charged with: "a) shall review, advise, and provide feedback to the unit's leadership regarding matters related to students, staff and faculty diversity, equity, and inclusion; b) shall provide guidance and support for the development, implementation and on-going assessment of unit diversity plans; c) may be involved in coordinating DEI initiatives within and across units and contributing to campus DEI initiatives."
8.3: "Each unit shall establish a process for ensuring that the composition of the Diversity Council includes broad representation of the unit's employees and, as appropriate, students."
Subcommittees
Subcommittees are aligned with priorities and goals identified by the current committee and created as deemed appropriate.
Possible subcommittees might include:
- DEI Best Practices
- DEI Advocacy
- Communications
- DEI Libraries and Library Staff Support (DEI Library Organization/Personnel Support)
- Mentorship for Library Employees (Personnel) of Color
Relationship to other Committees/Administration
The Library Diversity Council will maintain a regular communication channel with Library Management Team. Management Team shall allocate no less than 15-30 minutes on a monthly basis for two council members to share updates and engage in open dialogue. This shall be a standing agenda item and Council members will share responsibility for attending meetings.
Membership
Representation will consist of 2 members from each manager's units in order to ensure broad representation across functional areas. Terms shall be staggered to ensure continuity across Councils. Membership should also be balanced between faculty and staff. The Library will utilize a process of nomination, including self-nomination, for seating the Council; all individuals must agree to be nominated and self-identify as a diversity, equity and inclusion champion. Decisions about the Council's composition will be made at leadership level to achieve unit representation, and the strongest commitment to advancing library DEI goals among Council members.
AY 22/23 Roster
- Greta Heng
- Dania Mukahhal
- Gloria Rhodes
- Tyler Rogers (Staff Co-Chair)
- Ashley Wilson (Faculty Co-Chair)
Council Member Roles
- Faculty Co-Chair: calls/runs meetings, communicates with Library Administration, communicates with faculty as a whole
- Staff Co-Chair: calls/runs meetings, communicates with Library Administration, communicates with staff as a whole
- Secretary: takes and distributes minutes
- Treasurer: work with Admin budget analyst to track spending and allocation of LDC budget
- Data Champion: assists with data collection and analysis for reporting and other purposes
- Assessment Lead: oversees annual reporting in coordination with Library Administration
- Inclusion Representative Liaison: liaises with Library Representative on the Campus Inclusion Council
- Resource Curator: maintains DEI resources for all library members (updated monthly)
- Campus Opportunities Curator: shares opportunities for campus trainings and DEI events (real-time sharing)
- Contributing member(s): participate in events/projects as agenda is set
Council Membership Expectations/Commitment
The Council will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from 9-10am. The Council acknowledges the need for flexibility in scheduling and may adjust meetings as needed.
Membership terms are limited with the option for renewal. The Diversity Council year coincides with the SDSU fiscal year (July - June).
All Library employees committed to advancing DEI are welcome to serve.
The DEI committee values diversity and strives in the representation of its members to reflect the diversity of the libraries' workforce. For our current recruitment, we will be especially delighted to welcome members from all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, identity, cultural and educational backgrounds.
Council membership provides opportunities to engage in trainings, readings, and other DEI-related events. Members are strongly encouraged to engage in these extramural activities to strengthen their contributions to the council and the library. As a baseline, members should complete SDSU's implicit bias and microaggression training (online or in-person).
[1] "Hispanic-Serving Institution" is a federal designation based on a 25% threshold population of Hispanic students: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/hsidivision.html. SDSU received HSI designation in 2012: http://universe.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=73530.
[2] SDSU Land Acknowledgement: https://sacd.sdsu.edu/diversity-resources/land-acknowledgment.