1. 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

2. 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

3. US context
people of color
librarians of color

4. 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

5. interpretative
phenomenological analysis
phenomenological
hermeneutic
idiographic

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

7. 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

8. 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’.”

9. 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.”

10. 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…”

11. 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”

12. 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.”

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

14. impact
articulation of challenges
empathy and understanding
catalyst for conversation

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