Leadership, Management and Organizational Development
Panel
Rita Jimenez, M.L.S.
Neighborhood Libraries Director
Multnomah County Library
Johnette Easter
Human Resources Manager
Multnomah County Library
Toan Lam-Sullivan, MLIS
Bilingual Regional Librarian
Multnomah County Library
How do you advance meaningful change to transform your library into an inclusive institution that reflects your community? Is your library ready to serve a nation that, according to Census projections, will have a non-white majority population in 2043? Come engage with a panel of Multnomah County staff who will share their stories, best practices and mistakes in the ongoing transformation of their institution.
This panel discussion will share the breadth of experiences and lessons learned as Multnomah County Library expanded services to African-American, immigrant and refugee communities through the strategic expansion of hiring under-represented staff over more than a decade. MCL has used community assessments as a platform for learning, cultivating relationships and building the political will to make institutional changes. Multnomah County has used these platforms strategically to hire staff who reflect the community in one of the whitest cities in America. If numbers tell part of the story, here are some impressive statistics. MCL has gone from 44 bilingual staff to 84 in a decade, and from 7 staff who identify as African-American to 35 staff. Because of efforts to increase staff diversity MCL now offers a rich array of culturally specific programming, outreach and collections.
A senior manager who led this change will provide the overview and context for these changes. A human resources manager will share the tactics used to recruit these employees, as well as discuss hiring, training and retention. A front-line librarian who has promoted from the ranks will share his experiences.
There will be an opportunity for engaging with other participants. Participants will have time to reflect and formulate strategies for creating institutional change through a journal that captures both their learning and action steps for when they return home. Participants will have time to ask questions throughout the panel presentations.