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hi not sure if has been circulated - if you wd like more details of the NE Diversity work please let me know ian 16 April 2002 The Diversity Council Marks its First Birthday The Diversity Council celebrated its first birthday with a "Change the World" seminar, held at Hounslow Library on the 15th March. The Diversity Council is an organisation set up to address the issues of library and information services to diversity communities - defined as those communities which suffer discrimination and exclusion on the basis of gender, race, class, disability, sexuality and a range of other factors - as well as the issues of under-recruitment of members of such communities into the profession, their career progression, training, etc. within the public library services, the educational, and other sectors. The keynote speaker at the seminar was Professor Ismail Abdullahi of Clark Atlanta University, a regular visitor to the UK who has been instrumental in setting up the Diversity Council, Professor Abdullahi congratulated the DC on its first anniversary before saying that there had been 3 black presidents of the American Library Association. Only when the UK had similar role models would real change come about. We had, therefore, as an organisation, to confer status on those who were bringing about progress in this area, he said. Bob McKee (Chief Executive, CILIP) re-emphasised his personal commitment to diversity and promised that the new CILIP would carry on the work of the LA in this area. Speakers from the Government's Department for Culture Media and Sport, Resource and the Commission for Racial Equality all stressed the importance of encouraging diversity within the library profession and each expressed a wish to work closely with the new organisation. A number of initiatives to promote diversity within the library and information profession were highlighted, including the Quality Leaders project at Merton and Birmingham, and the Desired Staffing Profile project based at the University of Wolverhampton. Mary Heaney from Wolverhampton, spoke about the latter initiative and stressed the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration needed if academic library staffing profiles were to reflect the gender and ethnic profiles of an academic institution's user groups. As Hendie McNellie from the CRE said, such initiatives as this were justified not only by law and ethics, but by business practice too. While initiatives were taking place at a local level, too often they were taking place in isolation. The Diversity Council offered the chance, Mary Heaney said, of initiatives and individuals learning from each other and pooling their experiences and their growing expertise. Discussion during the day covered a number of themes: the importance of collaboration in this area between sectors which had a great deal to learn from each other, and the importance of building on the optimism and cohesion gained by the formation of the Diversity Council. At a meeting the previous day officers were elected to the new organisation and a constitution agreed. Application for the formation of a Diversity Group within CILIP will be put forward in the coming weeks. It is envisaged that this group will be a broad membership organisation within CILIP which will promote a wide range of issues of diversity within the library and information profession covering issues of race and religion, of culture and ethnicity, of social class gender, sexuality, age, disability and a range of other factors. In other words, it may evolve as an umbrella organisation to address this range of issues affecting CILIP members as well the user communities of library and information services. It is envisaged that the Diversity Council, as a federation of organisations dedicated to addressing issues of racial discrimination and under-representation of black and ethnic minority staff within the profession, will continue to operate as a body independent of CILIP, or as an Organisation in Liaison (OiL). This will give it the independence and flexibility to monitor progress in this field, and to work with other organisations in this area, such as the Commission for Racial Equality, Resource and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. ******************* An email message from: Lorna Hibbert Information Development Officer North East Museums Libraries & Archives Council House of Recovery, Bath Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5SQ Telephone: 0191 222 1661 Fax: 0191 261 4725 Email: [log in to unmask] ******************** NEMLAC http://www.nemlac.co.uk Ian Blackwell Access & Lifelong Learning Policy Officer North East Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (NEMLAC) House of Recovery Bath Lane Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5SQ tel: 0191 222 1661 fax: 0191 261 4725 www.nemlac.co.uk