Working Book Title: Toward Inclusive Academic Librarian Hiring Practices
Book Publisher: Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)
Proposal Submission Deadline: June 24, 2022
Book Website: https://towardinclusiveacademiclibrarianhiringpractices.wordpress.com/
Overview:
There is an urgent need to reimagine the
academic librarian hiring process in a way that prioritizes inclusion while
minimizing unrealistic burdens on candidates if the profession is to truly
become welcoming and diverse. Academic librarian hiring practices often go
unchanged or unexamined for several years at a time, leading to variations between
search committees and outdated practices that fail to reflect the current or
future culture of the library.
The continued use of hiring practices without
reflection inhibits academic libraries’ ability to foster inclusive interview
experiences and recruit a diverse pool of candidates. Research on academic
librarian hiring shows that candidates are often subjected to a process that is
more organization-centric and less candidate-centric. Increasingly, candidates
are being asked to submit more and more application materials (e.g.,
transcripts, cover letters, resumes, teaching statements, research statements,
etc.) and to perform other significant labor (e.g., job talks) during interview
processes just to be considered.
We are seeking chapters for an upcoming ACRL
publication that highlight efforts to transform recruitment processes in
academic libraries to be more inclusive. While the focus of this book will be
on practical strategies implemented by academic libraries, we also welcome
proposals that are theoretical in nature as long as they highlight the
practical implications for academic librarian recruitment. As editors of this
volume, we envision three broad sections that will have submissions that
discuss aspects of recruitment and hiring practices prior to, during, and after
the candidate search.
Potential
Topics:
●
Developing Job
Announcements/Position Descriptions
●
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
training for Search Committees
●
Proactive Recruitment
●
Evaluating Applicants’ Materials
●
Evaluating Candidates Throughout
the Interview (e.g., using rubrics)
●
Bias, “Fit”, and Unlawful
Questions
●
Transforming the On-Campus
Interview
●
Remote Interviewing
●
Reimbursement Culture
●
Communicating with Candidates
●
Accessibility in Hiring
●
Soliciting and Incorporating Stakeholder
Feedback
For a proposed book outline, please refer to
the following: https://towardinclusiveacademiclibrarianhiringpractices.wordpress.com/topics/
Submissions:
The deadline for proposals is June 24, 2022.
Proposals can be submitted here: https://forms.gle/zrAekKrPrAgCt9cp7
It is our goal to foster a community of
authors who support each other. As such, accepted authors will be invited to
participate in an online community and serve as peer reviewers. Please note
that participation in the community and as a peer reviewer are not required to
contribute a chapter to the book. In addition to having the option to
participate in the online community, each author will be partnered with a
member of the book’s Editorial Team who will provide support to authors as
needed throughout the process.
Timelines:
●
Proposals due: June 24, 2022
●
Author Notification: August 1,
2022
●
First Draft Due: Late October 2022
●
Chapter Drafts Submitted to Peer
Reviewers: November 2022
●
Peer Reviews Shared with Authors:
January 2023
●
Final Chapter Drafts Due: March
2023
About
the Editors:
Each member of the Editorial Team has worked
in academic libraries for several years and served on multiple hiring
committees for librarian, staff, and student positions. The Editorial Team has
also been involved in efforts at their institutions to reimagine academic
hiring processes to be more inclusive, and they have conducted research related
to academic librarian hiring practices.
Jenny Wong-Welch (she/her/hers) is the Head of
Research, Instruction, and Outreach at San Diego State University.
Katie Houk (she/her/hers) is the Undergraduate
Medical Education Librarian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Jordan Nielsen (they/them/theirs) is the
Librarian for Business at Vanderbilt University.
If you have questions or want to discuss a
chapter topic with the editors, please email us at inclusive.ac.lbr.hiring.practices@gmail.com.
