The following best practices provide a framework for Adelphi Libraries to engage in the complexities of providing services to diverse populations, and recruiting and maintaining a diverse library workforce at Adelphi University:
Librarians and library staff shall develop an understanding of their own personal and cultural values and beliefs as a first step in achieving cultural competence by appreciating the importance of multicultural identities in the lives of the people they work with and serve.
Librarians and library staff shall have and continue to develop specialized knowledge and understanding about the history, traditions, values, and artistic expressions of colleagues, co-workers, students, and major constituencies served.
Librarians and library staff shall develop and support organizational and professional values dedicated to culturally competent service. Because cultural competence is a critical component of user-focused service in particular, it is essential that its importance within the profession is evident across all organizational levels of a library.
Librarians and library staff shall develop collections and provide programs and services that are inclusive of the needs of all persons in the community the library serves. Upholding a commitment to cultural competence requires ensuring equitable access to collections and library services that is mindful of these changes.
Librarians and library staff shall be knowledgeable about and skillful in the use and provision of information services available in the community and broader society, and shall be able to make appropriate referrals for their diverse constituencies. This includes monitoring cultural competence among library employees through such means as supervision, in-service training, performance evaluations, and feedback from constituents.
Librarians and library staff shall support the preservation and promotion of linguistic diversity, and work to foster a climate of inclusion aimed at eliminating discrimination and oppression based on linguistic or other diversities. Language as a means of communication encompasses all languages spoken by librarians, library staff and constituents.
Librarians and library staff shall support and advocate for recruitment, admissions, hiring, and retention efforts in libraries, and library associations to increase diversity and ensure continued diversity in the profession.
Librarians and library staff shall participate in and facilitate the development of organizational dynamics that enable individuals, groups, and organizations to continually develop and exercise cultural competence.
Library leaders shall influence, support, and encourage the creation of proactive processes that increase diversity skills; empower colleagues, co-workers, and constituents from diverse backgrounds; share information about diverse populations; and advocate for their concerns.
Librarians and library staff shall advocate for and participate in educational and training programs that help advance cultural competence within the profession. Research shall be inclusive and respectful of nonâWestern thought and traditional knowledge reflecting the value of cultural ways of knowing. Cultural competence requires acknowledgment of Western cultural bias, and respectful inquiry of other systems of thought, including sources of traditional knowledge.
Adapted from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL's) Diversity Standards Toolkit, July 3, 2019.