ALA Releases Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations

July 7, 2021

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Committee on Diversity today released its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations.

The DEI Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations, developed by the ALA Committee on Diversity, is an evaluative tool that centers accountability and transparency in determining organizational effectiveness in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of people of color. Additionally, the Scorecard includes areas that impact these factors such as training, budgeting, and data practices.

The Scorecard is designed to help administrators of information organizations assess their current practices in five core areas to produce actionable data for decision making and enacting a robust and sustainable commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice.

The Scorecard measures:

• Embeddedness of DEI into the Culture and Climate of the Organization: Integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the organization which ensures that DEI is a priority.
• Training and Education: The organization provides training that keeps staff current on topics related to racism and on ways to assess the organization’s current racial climate to create a more equitable workplace.
• Recruitment, Hiring, Retention, and Promotion: Effectiveness in reaching out to candidates of color for recruitment and in hiring them. Examining the consistency of retention and promotion of persons of color.
• Budget Priorities for DEI: Funding that demonstrates investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization and community, including staff, collections, programs, and services.
• Data Practices: Plans and procedures for acquiring or collecting, analyzing, disseminating, and applying data to monitor and achieve organizational DEI goals and objectives.

Drafted in 2021 by Natisha Harper, Kimberly Franklin, and Jamia Williams, the DEI Scorecard is available for download and sharing.

The ALA Committee on Diversity encourages users to provide feedback on how the template has had an impact at their library or information organization. All comments can be sent to diversity@ala.org.

(Via American Library Association)