Skip to Main Content

HU_clock

Leading the Charge: Advancing the Recruitment, Retention and Inclusion of People of Color within the Library and Information Science Field

Photo of Yang Wu

Dr. Yang Wu, Ph.D., MLIS

Yang Wu is the Open Resources Librarian at Clemson University Libraries in South Carolina. He is the co-Chair of the Clemson Libraries Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a member of the ACRL University Libraries Section's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Taskforce. Yang completed a Diversity Resident program at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana from 2016-2018 and has worked at Clemson Libraries since 2018. Originally from Canada, he has an MLIS degree from the University of Alberta and a Ph.D. in history from the University of British Columbia.  

 

Photo of Donna Baluchi

Donna Baluchi

Donna Baluchi (she/they) is the new Interim Associate Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL), University of Utah. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from San Jose State University (2019), and two bachelor's degrees from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. As EHSL Public Services Supervisor for five years, they endeavored to create an atmosphere that is accessible, welcoming, safe, and inclusive for all who seek EHSL library services.  She has been a devoted health and information literacy instructor since 2017. They have published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA and in Marketing Libraries Journal and have presented her work at Medical Library Association (MLA) and other conferences since 2018. Donna is passionate about DIY ethics, zines, and information liberation. In her spare time, she volunteers as a dinosaur librarian.

 

Phhoto of K.T.

Dr. K.T.L. Vaughan, EdD, MSLS

With her varied experiences in the science, health sciences, scholarly communication, teaching, and management, KT brings an optimistic and inclusive perspective to the leadership of the Washington & Lee University Library. Her interests focus on asking questions about – and driving change in – the future of libraries. She is currently focused on building inclusive and equitable library environments for marginalized people, scholarly and digital communication in resource-constrained contexts, and the career advancement and professionalism of library staff and faculty.

 

Photo of K. Bell

Kathleen Kim Bell

Kathleen “Kat” Kim Bell is currently Head, Assessment and Planning at George Mason University Libraries. She works collaboratively across Mason Libraries to support assessment, strategic planning, and DEI activities. She helped launch the Libraries’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and is chairing the Library's working group to develop an inclusive excellence plan, a university, and statewide initiativeShe is also involved in the university’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center as a Racial Healing Circle facilitator. She serves on several committees for the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC), the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM), and other Virginia and DC-area organizations. She is a 2018 graduate of the Minnesota Institute. Before joining Mason, she worked in a variety of archives, museums, and nonprofits. She has a BA and MA in dance, an MLS, and, most recently, an MS in organization development and knowledge management.

 

Photo of Linda Curvey-Brown

Linda Curvey-Brown

Linda Curvey-Brown attended Wayne State University, Detroit, MI where she received her MLIS and developed a keen interest in diversity and racial equity as a Spectrum Scholar. 

She has many years of experience in public library work at Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) and Detroit Public Libraries  

Currently, she is a Co-Lead for the Montgomery County Public Libraries Racial Equity and Social Justice initiative, and in that role, helps the organization examine the longstanding effects of racial inequity on all aspects of MCPL work. 

Linda is an avid reader and loves trying new recipes in her spare time.   

 

 

Photo of Heather James

Heather G. James

Heather James is Associate Dean for Scholarly Resources at Gonzaga University. Her professional work has focused in liaison librarianship, institutional repositories, and research data management prior to joining GU. Heather has been a participant in the ARL IRDW, the Minnesota Institute (MIECL), and ALA Emerging Leaders. Her professional service has largely centered around issues of equity for diverse identities including the ACRL Digital Scholarship Section’s EDI Committee and the former New Professionals section in LLAMA, where she contributed to producing a podcast series on experiences for new professionals in libraries and a special series on issues of diversity in libraries.

 

Photo of Peace

Peace Ossom Williamson

Peace Ossom-Williamson is the Associate Director of the National Center for Data Services of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). She is passionate about working toward empowering communities; therefore, she serves as a public health informatics analyst with COVID Black and teaches in the graduate LIS program at San Jose State University and the undergraduate public health program at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Peace is passionate about public health and data services, and she is an active researcher and educator, receiving the 2019 Medical Library Association (MLA) Presidential Award, the 2020 Texas Woman’s University Hallmark Alumni Award, and the 2020 Eliot Award by MLA for most impactful publication of the year.

 

William R. and Norma B. Harvey Library
757.727.5372

©2016 Hampton University
Hampton, VA 23668 : 757.727.5000