Taking a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Accessibility Lens to Engineering Librarian Job Postings: Recommendations from an Analysis of Postings from 2018 and 2019

Joanna Thielen,Wanda Marsolek

doi:10.7191/jeslib.2022.1212

Abstract

Objective: While diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) principles and practices have been incorporated into much of academic librarianship, there has been less focus on the job postings. Methods: In order to quantify ways in which DEIA is being integrated into job postings, we analyzed 48 job positions for engineering librarians posted in 2018 and 2019 via deductive thematic analysis, looking for trends in salary and qualifications related to education and academic or professional experience. Results: Of postings that listed a quantitative salary value, salary ranged from $45,000 to $81,606; the median was $60,750. However, only 33% (n = 16) of positions listed a quantitative salary value. For educational qualifications, we found that 98% of job postings (n = 47) listed a Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) as a required qualification; however, 34% of these postings (n = 16) would accept an equivalent degree in lieu of the MLIS. Additionally, 73% (n = 35) of positions sought candidates with an MLIS and another degree; 91% of these positions (n = 32) wanted the additional degree to be in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics discipline. For academic or professional experience, 56% of positions (n = 27) sought candidates with previous academic library experience. Conclusions: Using this data, we provide actionable recommendations on how to incorporate DEIA principles into any academic librarian job posting. Our study provides quantitative data and evidence-based recommendations that can be used to make DEIA an integral part of the job postings in academic librarianship.

Highlights

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) principles and practices are increasingly being incorporated into higher education (Moody 2020; United States Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Department 2016) and academic libraries (Cruz 2019; Schonfeld and Sweeney 2017)
We found that 98% of job postings (n = 47) listed a Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) as a required qualification; 34% of these postings (n = 16) would accept an equivalent degree in lieu of the MLIS
Our study provides quantitative data and evidence-based recommendations that can be used to make DEIA an integral part of the job postings in academic librarianship

Summary

Introduction

This work has often focused on making our libraries welcoming and inclusive to our users (for example, see Smallwood and Becnel’s 2013 book Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to Encourage Library Use). In addition to this crucial work, we need to work on making our libraries welcoming and inclusive to our existing and prospective staff, including throughout the hiring process. Considering the dearth of librarians with STEM backgrounds (Clarke and Kim 2018) and the general lack of DEIA in the academic hiring process (Sensoy and DiAngelo 2017), we, as STEM librarians, need to change our recruiting and hiring practices otherwise our profession will not diversify. Our hiring practices will continue to be, as Brown et al (2018) say, another “astounding reminder of our field’s propensity for lip service over action” (168)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion