Context

The 2024 Libraries Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan Blueprint aligns with CSU Libraries’ overall strategic plan, building on previous equity and inclusion efforts. The Libraries’ strategic plan was created with community-wide input from CSU Libraries employees, the Faculty Council Committee on Libraries, and donors. The Libraries’ strategic plan intentionally includes diversity, equity, and inclusion aspects in all the strategic goals.

Assessment and Audits

• The Libraries have participated in CSU Employee Climate Surveys and conducted DEI audits in between Climate Surveys to expand climate survey data.
  • A 2020 external DEI audit provided eight broad recommendations
  • A DEI Audit 2.0, conducted in Spring 2024, used structured qualitative interviews with employees
• Recommendations from the audit are tracked by ESJAG for implementation input and accountability.

2018-2023 Efforts

• Equity and inclusion efforts significantly increased with the formation of the Libraries’ Committee on Equity and Inclusion in 2018.
• In 2020, the Equity and Social Justice Advisory Group (ESJAG) was established to advise the Dean of Libraries, acknowledge leadership responsibility in the implementation of DEI strategies, and investigate systematic issues. This group replaced the Committee on Equity and Inclusion.
• Recent strategic initiatives include improving onboarding, adopting Principles of Community as Library Values by articulating what that means in practice for the Libraries, and developing a Culturally Relevant Academic Library.
• Selected other initiatives include assessing inclusive spaces, metadata remediation, and advocating for diverse collections.

2024-2026 Efforts

• Addressing the remaining recommendations from the 2020 DEI Audit.
• Addressing themes from the latest climate survey results.
• Future work will be informed from the analysis of the DEI Audit 2.0.

This context sets the foundation for the Inclusive Excellence Strategic Goals outlined in this blueprint, demonstrating CSU Libraries’ commitment to continuous improvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Inclusive Excellence Strategic Goals 2024-2026

GOAL 1: Improve support systems for the recruitment of marginalized and excluded faculty, staff, and student employees.

• Strategic Initiatives:
  • DEI Audit 2.0 – Qualitative Analysis
  • Equity and Social Justice Advisory Group (ESJAG) and Libraries HR collaboration on onboarding, recruitment, and retention
  • Libraries’ faculty mentorship initiative (IDEA Grant Awarded fall 2023)
• Assessment:
  • Annual review of employee retention, disaggregated by demographic groups
  • Annual review of exit interview trends by Libraries HR
  • Feedback and data from On-Boarding Checklist completion with new hires and supervisors
  • Bi-annual update of Diversity Audit Tracking Tool designed and monitored by ESJAG
• Deliverable:
  • Annual report on the efforts and activities towards recruitment of marginalized and excluded faculty, staff, and student employees and analysis of outcomes from interventions.

GOAL 2: CSU Libraries shared understanding of accountability addressing perceptions of favoritism and lack of accountability

• Strategic Initiatives:
  • Community guidelines/norms taskforce
  • DEI Audit 2.0 – Qualitative Analysis
  • Library Leadership Advisory Group (library unit heads, associate deans, faculty and staff representatives) will develop action plan to improve accountability and favoritism identified as area of improvement from 2021 Employee Climate Survey
• Assessment:
  • Comparison of results between 2021 and 2024 Libraries Employee Climate Surveys
  • Bi-annual update of Diversity Audit Tracking Tool
• Deliverable:
  • A shared definition and communication of what accountability means for accountability framework within the context of Libraries published on the CSU Libraries SharePoint intranet site
  • Report on community guidelines implementation; initial success measured by participation rates in feedback process (Target: 50% of employees, aligned with classification distributions)

This blueprint is also available as a downloadable PDF.