Leadership, Management and Organizational Development

Individual Paper/Presentation

Using Intergroup Dialogue Principles for Library Professional Development at an Academic Library

Primary Author(s)

• 

  Ione Damasco, MLIS

  Coordinator of Cataloging
  University of Dayton

This session will introduce principles of intergroup dialogue (IGD), a social justice education framework that focuses on facilitated dialogue and understanding of social identity to advance equity, justice and peace. After the fundamentals of IGD are explored, this session will then look at a case study of how IGD can be incorporated into library professional development. In June of 2017, the University of Dayton Libraries partnered with staff from the Center for International Programs, Housing and Residence Life, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs to develop a workshop for library faculty and staff to increase their skills and understanding around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The University Libraries at the University of Dayton hosted a half-day professional development workshop for library faculty and staff entitled, “Finding Common Ground for the Common Good.” The workshop was designed specifically to help library faculty and staff develop a better understanding of each individual’s social identities, including their own, as well as the complex identities, backgrounds and experiences that library users contribute to the community. Participants were introduced to Intergroup Dialogue (IGD), a social justice education framework adapted at the University of Dayton that encourages people to engage in dialogue across their differences, and hopefully gain a better understanding of diverse life experiences. Through personal reflection and small group activities, library employees explored the ways in which their identities intersect and interact with one another. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants were encouraged and challenged to incorporate IGD principles into their daily work, and to contribute to the recently appointed university president’s vision of a “University for the Common Good” which highlights diversity, equity, and inclusion as priorities for the university. The workshop was facilitated by four individuals from across campus who had received previous training in IGD at the University of Michigan National Intergroup Dialogue Institute.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate a foundational understanding of different social identities and how those identities intersect with power and privilege.
• Describe the four phases of intergroup dialogue and how each phase connects to experiential learning around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrate how principles of intergroup dialogue can be incorporated into library work in order to create more equitable library environments, both for library employees and for library users.