Challenges to Diversity and Inclusion for American Librarians of Color: Study of Lib in Experiencing Uniqueness and Difference Amy VanScoy Associate Professor, University at Buffalo Kawanna Bright Doctoral Candidate, University of Denver

including the voices of librarians of color uniqueness and difference broad range of professional skills messiness and beauty of the human interaction working in a web of outside forces learning growth and change - VanScoy & Bright, 2017

US context people of color librarians of color

US context “In [reference services], communication is always imbued with power dynamics, which are shaped by racialized identity and cultural practices.” - Brook, Ellenwood & Lazzaro, 2014

interpretative phenomenological analysis phenomenological hermeneutic idiographic

critical race theory race affects experience voices of marginalized groups provide a critical contribution intersectionality

IPA analysis master themes exploratory comments emergent themes super-ordinate themes exploratory comments emergent themes super-ordinate themes exploratory comments emergent themes super-ordinate themes master themes

reference interaction ethnicity affects the reference interaction “I think it may start with color, but I think it’s something deeper. So I think maybe the initial draw was ‘Oh, she sort of looks like me, let’s talk to her’.”

uniqueness: “only one” “So that was really jarring for me to consistently be the only [one] in the room… It was uncomfortable…. It was frightening. I could never do that again.”

being visible “I think there’s a level of work that brown and black librarians do inherently, just by being present, by showing up, being available…”

unique relationship with users of color “an immediate level of comfort” “feel some type of connection with me” “my skin color allows me to break barriers” “they feel like I understand them, so they are more willing to listen to me”

added burden of being a librarian of color “I did feel like if I mess up, I mess up for African-American librarians everywhere… You are the Black Librarian. And it’s not fair. It shouldn’t be that way, but you feel the pressure.”

“That happens very often.” microaggressions and discrimination “That happens very often.”

impact articulation of challenges empathy and understanding catalyst for conversation

contact us vanscoy@buffalo.edu www.amyvanscoy.net This research was supported in part by a Diversity Research Grant from the American Library Association.