An Open Letter from Dean Rebecca Bichel on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UTA Libraries

Colleagues and community members,

Recent events have underscored systemic failures in our country that have gone unaddressed for too long. Systemic racism is not unique to libraries or archives, but as members and leaders in an academic community, we need to act – to work immediately and consistently to build a better, more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, campus, and nation.

As the Libraries for the sixth most diverse campus in the United States, we take great responsibility for the role we play in not only disavowing racism, specifically racism against Black Americans, but actively championing and practicing anti-racism within our organization, across campus, and in our library communities.

We have the privilege to help educate and develop tomorrow’s leaders. What can we do in the time our students are with us to instill anti-racist principles that will enable them to be ethical leaders? How do we model that behavior through our own actions, programs, collections, and organizational practices?

"A Library Plan of Action for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is a pledge from UTA Libraries, as a community of colleagues committed to positive change.

We are also committed to ensuring that these conversations and actions do not end this month, this summer, or this year, that the changes we promise will not get lost in the momentum of a new semester. We believe that these changes—both inside UTA Libraries and across academic libraries and archives—will take time and work. We are determined to devote both to ensure these changes become reality.

So, we’re listening. What should we prioritize? What’s missing? And for our community within UT System and beyond, how can you contribute? Which of these pledges are you able to engage with and assist in making reality at our institution or yours?

Email us at LibAdminCares@uta.edu with your thoughts and suggestions for how you can help us make UTA Libraries and academic libraries and archives across our country anti-racist.

In the meantime, please consider checking out some of the online resources our colleagues have developed regarding anti-racism in the United States in our virtual catalog.

Respectfully,

Rebecca Bichel, Dean of UTA Libraries, on behalf of the UTA Libraries Team