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Moving Beyond the Acronym – American Libraries Magazine
Illustration: Antonio Rodriguez / Adobe StockMoving Beyond the Acronym
Academic librarians talk about doubling down on DEI efforts and core values in an uncertain climate
January 2, 2026, Facebook Twitter Email Print
Illustration: Antonio Rodriguez/Adobe StockThe world of college admissions drastically shifted in 2023, when the Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in two cases—Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina—rejected race-conscious affirmative action policies. Just two years later, as some schools report declining enrollment of students of color, a flurry of executive orders has threatened diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at colleges and universities.
Last April, Choice, the publishing unit of the American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries, convened the virtual panel “Affirmative Action and the Future of DEI.” Moderated by Fatima Mohie-Eldin, social sciences editor for Choice and editor of its Toward Inclusive Excellence blog, the panel explored how these coalescing issues are impacting academic librarians and information scholars.
The panelists were: Sean Burns, associate professor at University of Kentucky’s School of Information Science in Lexington; Renate Chancellor, associate professor and associate dean for access, ethics, and belonging at Syracuse (N.Y.) University’s School of Information Studies; and Jerome Offord Jr., associate university librarian for community development, belonging, and engagement at Harvard Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The following are edited excerpts of their discussion, which considered how institutions can pursue and reaffirm their commitments to DEI principles, the murky legal and political territory around education and information, and how collaboration can support access and inclusion. View the full program.
Higher education institutions are facing increasing pressure to restructure or even eliminate their DEI programs and offices. How can they continue to advance their commitments to DEI in this environment?
Jerome Offord Jr.Jerome Offord Jr.: One of our biggest challenges around diversity, equity, and inclusion is that, over the years, we’ve talked about DEI in terms of business cases, like diversifying staff and hitting metrics, but we’ve failed to recognize that this is human-behavior work. It’s change work, and change doesn’t happen in a day, a year, or even a few years. It’s about relearning how we live and interact as human beings.
Whatever the acronym, the work itself isn’t going away, whether in academic or public libraries or in LIS programs. We’re still asking: How do you serve the community you’re hired to serve? And if you look at that community, its users bring diverse perspectives and needs, right? So how do we educate ourselves, examine our biases, and ensure that we’re collecting, purchasing, and producing information that meets those needs?
From that foundation, diversity work must always continue. It’s hard, especially when the acronyms become political targets. This administration’s actions have simply revealed what many people already felt about this work, and that just means we have more to do.
Sean BurnsSean Burns: It’s important that any strategic response recognizes that these policies operate on two levels. First, there’s the attack on DEI programs under the claim that DEI itself is discriminatory. Then there’s the argument that people should be judged, hired, and promoted purely on “merit.” But decades of research show how systems of injustice and unequal distributions of capital and property have advantaged certain races and genders over others. This false, zero-sum narrative about merit ignores the reality that many have been rewarded because of their race, gender identity, or inherited wealth.
As for what libraries can do, we’re about access: access to knowledge, to multiple perspectives, to the understanding that no single knowledge domain is supreme. Whether we call it DEI or something else, that’s the core work libraries have always done.
Renate ChancellorRenate Chancellor: Until something is actually passed into law, we should continue the work we’ve been doing. We still need to foster inclusion and a sense of belonging for everyone—those who work in libraries as well as across the university. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are for everyone. Universities can’t look away.
As for academic libraries, I’ve always found librarians to be wonderfully opinionated. We’re not afraid to express how we feel, and we should continue doing that. If you have the opportunity to serve on a committee or in a leadership role, take it. Once you’re in the room with deans, provosts, and chancellors, you have their ear and can speak up.
A February 2025 article in Bloomberg Law examined the legal ambiguity of these executive orders, noting that the administration does not define DEI or list any specific activities it considers illegal. What effect does this ambiguity have? Does this uncertainty create an opportunity to rethink or strengthen our DEI frameworks?
Burns: The article was fascinating. The authors make an important distinction between what they call “lifting DEI” and “leveling DEI.” They argue that lifting DEI, or efforts that give preference to underrepresented groups, is what these anti-DEI measures most directly target. Leveling DEI, by contrast, seeks to remove bias from evaluation processes, aiming for so-called meritocracy.
On the surface, that seems rational. The authors give the example of symphony orchestras. In 1970, women held less than 5% of symphony orchestra positions. Lifting DEI would mean giving women a hiring preference; leveling DEI meant holding blind auditions behind a screen.
While the distinction between lifting and leveling is interesting, it can also be a distraction. Real progress requires both. Sometimes we must lift, as in the example of ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accommodations for ergonomic chairs. Those don’t remove bias; they raise people up—sometimes literally!
Chancellor: The library profession has spent years trying to define diversity. There have been countless articles debating “What is diversity?” That fixation, I think, hurt us. We spent too much time defining it instead of simply recognizing that it exists.
Likewise, the people attacking DEI now don’t truly understand it. They don’t like the acronym or what they think it represents. Much of the backlash is really aimed at Black and Brown people, because that’s who they believe DEI is for, but diversity is far broader. It includes people with disabilities, those who are neurodivergent, and others whose experiences and trauma led to the very policies we now call DEI.
Even before the recent wave of executive orders targeting DEI, the 2023 Supreme Court decision upended affirmative action in admissions. How can the library profession strategize around these compounding challenges for diversity on campus?
Offord: I think these executive orders will give cover to those who were never truly committed to recruiting or supporting diverse populations. They’ll say, “See? We don’t have to do this anymore.” Unfortunately, that’s going to be the outcome in some places.
One of the hardest things I read after the ruling was an article where someone wrote, “See? I told you, these people only got in because they were Black or Brown.” But what those critics missed was that some students may have chosen not to apply to or attend these institutions because of what’s happening with DEI. Many are returning to minority-serving institutions, where they feel safer and more supported.
We have to recognize that this new generation of students grew up with DEI as part of their worldview. They’ve experienced it firsthand. Older generations—boomers, Gen X, even some millennials—see it differently. There’s a huge generational gap in understanding. But I think we’ll see younger people fighting for this work, as we’ve already seen on campuses. Students want this. As institutions and as a nation, we need to embrace a diversity of students to prepare for the future.
Chancellor: There’s overwhelming data showing that when classrooms are diverse, all students benefit. Each institution will now have to confront an uncomfortable question: Do we truly believe in diversity and inclusion or are we just going to go along with the current political tide?
I remember when college websites would show one Black student, one Asian student, one Latinx student, just enough to check a box. That always bothered me, because it wasn’t real representation. I worry we’ll move even further backward now to a point where we don’t even pretend to include everyone.
Do we truly believe in diversity and inclusion or are we just going to go along with the current political tide?—Renate Chancellor, associate professor and associate dean for access, ethics, and belonging at Syracuse (N.Y.) University’s School of Information Studies
There are still legal ways to recruit equitably. For instance, instead of targeting specific demographic groups, institutions can target certain ZIP codes, particularly those with more diverse populations. For graduate programs, they can establish a presence at historically Black colleges and universities.
There’s room for strategy and creativity here. The same applies to hiring faculty and staff. We can still pursue diversity within the bounds of the 2023 affirmative action ruling, but it requires intention and persistence.
Editor’s Note: The featured image at the top is from WP AI.
Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: Moving Beyond the Acronym | American Libraries Magazine
Tags: ALA, American Libraries, American Libraries Magazine, American Library Association, Collaboration, Commitments to DEI, DEI, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Institutions, Pursue, Reaffirm
#ALA #AmericanLibraries #AmericanLibrariesMagazine #AmericanLibraryAssociation #Collaboration #CommitmentsToDEI #DEI #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #Institutions #Pursue #Reaffirm -
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Librarians and Book Lovers – American Libraries Magazine
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Librarians and Book Lovers
By Alison Marcotte | November 16, 2025
Looking for clever and thoughtful gift ideas for the book lover in your life? Bookmark this article: American Libraries has gathered an eclectic list of literary-themed gifts—covering all price points and ranging from apparel to tech to kitchen accessories.
$10 or less
Book Club Cocktail Napkins ($9)
Make your book club laugh with these “Welcome to ‘Book Club’” foil-stamped cocktail napkins from Pretty Alright Goods. These three-ply napkins will be a fun conversation starter at your next literary meetup, whether you’re reading or just “reading” (aka eating snacks and catching up on each other’s lives).
“From the Library of” Bookplates ($9.95)
Your friends’ books will never go missing with these cute bookplates from Ban.dō. These labels, which come in a set of 14, help book owners personalize and take pride in their extensive collections.
$20 or less
Tiny Bookshop Game ($19.99)
Tiny Bookshop is a perfect match for anyone who’s dreamed of running a bookshop. In Skystone Games’ cozy narrative simulation, you sell books by authors such as John Green, Toni Morrison, and Oscar Wilde out of a mobile bookstore in a fictional seaside town. This relaxing game is available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.
Book Club Bookmark Set ($20)
These Kate Spade bookmarks double as awards for your reading pals. They include humorous superlatives like “Most Likely to Listen to the Audio Version,” “Most Likely to Guess the Ending,” and “Most Likely to Fall Asleep Reading.”
$30 or less
“Censorship Is So 1984” T-Shirt (Men’s / Women’s) ($21.99)
ALA’s “Censorship Is So 1984” shirt references George Orwell’s cautionary tale 1984, about the dangers of totalitarianism and the restriction of free expression. Anyone passionate about the freedom to read will appreciate this shirt, available in a wide selection of colors.
Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Librarians and Book Lovers | American Libraries Magazine
Tags: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide, American Libraries, American Libraries Magazine, Book Lovers, Christmas, Gifts, Holidays, Librarians, Libraries, Library-Themed Gifts#2025HolidayGiftGuide #americanLibraries #americanLibrariesMagazine #bookLovers #christmas #gifts #holidays #librarians #libraries #libraryThemedGifts
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How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries | American Libraries Magazine
How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries
What the standoff means for agencies, funding, and staff
By Lisa Varga | October 1, 2025
The federal government shutdown, which begins today, will have cascading effects across the nation and our economy. For one, it will pause federal programs and slow support for services that many Americans rely on every day. This morning, ALA members and other library workers at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library of Congress, Government Publishing Office and other federal agencies have been pulled away from their work. Their income and employment have been put at risk, and the libraries and users who use their services are missing access to them. But in a larger sense, the inability of our nation’s leaders to agree on priorities demonstrates that our government has failed.
While compromise appears elusive, Capitol Hill insiders of every persuasion expect the Trump administration to take unprecedented actions during the shutdown. These may include mass reductions in force, shuttering federal offices, and ending disfavored programs. Last week, the administration directed agencies to prepare lists of employees to fire. We have already seen repeated efforts by the administration to close the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Department of Education (ED), both of which may face new attacks in the coming weeks.
How did we get here?
The federal fiscal year (FY) begins today, October 1. Congress failed to pass—and the president did not sign—the 12 appropriations bills required to keep the federal government open. If any or all bills have not passed, Congress must pass a continuing resolution (CR) to provide temporary funding that enables the affected federal agencies to continue their work. If a CR is not enacted, these agencies must cut back or cease operations.
As none of the 12 bills have passed, a shutdown has begun. While the US Constitution explicitly grants appropriations powers to Congress, the White House is choosing to spend taxpayer dollars as it sees fit. The Republican majority in Congress has not opposed this approach and has uniformly rejected compromises offered by Democrats, who are unwilling to provide the needed votes in the Senate.
Does everything stop?
Not everything in the federal government suddenly comes to a stop on October 1. Functions funded through mandatory spending—for example, Social Security checks and Pell Grants—will continue, as will activities that, if suspended, would immediately threaten the safety of human life, the protection of property, or would infringe upon the constitutional responsibilities of the president.
It is incumbent upon each federal agency to provide guidance on its operations during a shutdown, with direction from the Office of Management and Budget and the White House. The Library of Congress, for example, posted an advisory on its website about how the shutdown affects its staff and activities, and we expect IMLS, ED, and other agencies to do the same.
What does this mean for libraries?
One possible scenario is that the Trump administration renews its efforts to shutter IMLS and ED, even though federal courts have blocked such attempts earlier this year. A government shutdown increases the vulnerability of federal programs, as executive actions may seek to reduce or even eliminate them—especially under a president eager to assert his power.
Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries | American Libraries Magazine
#2025 #America #AmericanLibrariesMagazine #DonaldTrump #Education #Health #History #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Politics #Resistance #Science #Technology #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates