Katharine Farley LIS 580 Diversity Statement As I move forward in my career as a library professional and take on more managerial

responsibilities, it is important that I consider many aspects of diversity. As my career will be working for and with the public, it is important that as a manager I work to recruit a staff that reflects that of the diverse make up of the population served by the library. To the extent that it is in my power, I will also work towards encouraging library advisory board membership that reflects the population served. As Evans & Alire state in their chapter on diversity, It is often easy to identify regular users or those known to be supporters of the service, but it is essential also to have representatives from groups who make little use of the services or who do not use them at all (2013, p 375). Aware that these are a difficult goal to achieve, I will keep in mind that casting a wide recruitment net will result in a more diverse and qualified pool of interested parties. Furthermore, it is important to work well with the library staff and governing board, whether they fully represent the community or not, to ensure that they are cognizant of all the groups that make up the community. As Howell states, The trustee represents the library to the community and the community to the library (2004). Should a board not reflect the diversity of a community, it is important for the board to be aware of all of the groups in their community they are representing as the voice of the community. Over the past decade, I have worked in a wide variety of environments and with a diverse group of individuals. In my experiences I have learned that

everyones individual work ethic and personality traits are unique. Working with so many different people of so many different walks of life destroyed the stereotypes formed in my youth growing up in a very homogenous small town. A particularly formative experience came from working on a large team made up of colleagues with diverse backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Despite all of the differences in the group, strong team bonds formed. This teamwork produced powerful work results. Having experienced this type of working environment as an employee will inform my practice as a manager. As I have had very successful working relationships on a very diverse team, this is something that I will look to cultivate in my future as a professional.

Works Cited Evans, G. E. & Alire, C. A. (2013). Addressing Diversity. Management Basics for Information Professionals. (365- 387) Chicago : Neal-Schuman. Howell, D. W. (2004) The Politics of Public Library Boards. Rural Libraries. 24 (1), 15- 24.