----- Original Message -----
From: Ray Anne Lockard
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] Ethnic Diversity in At Librarianship--My Take
Deborah and Miquel,
I think this is something really important for ARLIS/NA, as well as the rest of
the library profession, to work on. My own personal feeling about ARLIS/NA and
people of color has been this.... I think it is challenging to know who the
people of color are. I know Miguel and Miguel has been voal about this subject -
rightly so! I know of only one other person of color who has been a member of
ARLIS/NA and I no longer see that person at our annual conferences. I do not
know if that means the person is no longer a member or just can no longer attend
the conference. Perhaps it is a question of visibility. Do we always know who
people of color are? I don't think so. Do we always SEE people of color when
people are right in front of us? I don;t think so.
I think we all -- art librarians and librarians and people of the majority --
need to become much more informed about diversity. The subject of diversity is
also about IMAGERY and becoming VISIBLE and learning how to SEE each other.
Ray Anne Lockard
"Smedstad, Deborah Barlow" wrote:
> > My take on the travel awards is that few persons of color who live and
> > work
> > in the United States and work as art librarians or in art libraries in the
> > past have received those awards. I know of several persons of color
> > (including myself) who have applied twice and have been denied both times.
> > In a recent case, I heard a person applied three times before she was
> > given
> > the award! In addition, I know committee chairs appoint their committees
> > (usually persons they feel comfortable with, people who are like them and
> > look like them). My question, how much of the appointment process stifles
> > committee processes and produces biases? I guess there is no easy answer
> > to
> > this question.
> >
> Miguel,
>
> I am really sorry to hear that you feel this way. I would hope that this is
> not really true. As a former board member and chair and member of many
> committees over the years, it is true that we tend to appoint members we
> feel comfortable with - generally people we know or have worked with in
> ARLIS in the past but personally, I have always based these considerations
> on what the person's strengths are, their knowledge, their experiences and
> sometimes their type of personality (out-going or serious, inwardly focused)
> - it depends on the position. I consider if they will do a good job in that
> particular position. Taking race or ethnicty into consideration would not
> even enter my mind.
>
> I've always thought that the ARLIS membership was a particularly liberal,
> enlightened and progressive group of professionals.
>
> The problem with recruiting individuals from a more diverse background is a
> problem that is much wider than art librarianship or even librarianship in
> general. It's a problem throughout academia and has been for years.
>
> I do think that we should be marketing ARLIS and art librarianship as widely
> as we can not only to attract a more diverse membership but to recruit young
> people into the profession. As the administrator of an internship program
> associated with UCLA, I can tell you, this is not easy.
>
> I definitely don't want this to start a huge controversial thread on this
> topic but I felt I had to respond.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Debbie Smedstad
>
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--
Ray Anne Lockard, Head Librarian
Frick Fine Arts Library
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Voice: 412-648-2411
Fax: 412-648-7568
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
"A book should be a ball of light in one's hands."
Ezra Pound
__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc)
to [log in to unmask]
ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance:
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html
Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]
