Building Belonging: Fostering Community and Fairness in Action
We are highlighting the important community building actions that are underway thanks to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEI-A) efforts in health sciences libraries, particularly within the Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona. These libraries are making great strides in fostering inclusive, accessible spaces, and we hope this page sparks positive discussions that further advance initiatives that foster belonging in our field.
Today our first highlight is from our chapter president!
Andrea Harrow (she/her/hers), Clinical Librarian at Keck Medical Center & Norris Medical Library, University of Southern California
Please feel free to tell us a bit more about you. How are you involved in the MLGSCA? How long have you been working in medical libraries?
I am currently serving as President of MLGSCA, and have been working in medical libraries since 2004.
Tell us about your library. Tell us about the size of your institution. Who are your primary library users? What are their information needs?
I am a clinical librarian working in a medical center affiliated with an academic health sciences library. USC has 19 physical libraries with about 180 librarians and library staff assisting around 50,000 students (undergrad and graduate). We have about 15 librarians and staff working in the Norris Medical Library. My primary users are practicing clinicians who seek assistance with research, education, and scholarly communication.
Describe your DEI-A Efforts that you wish to highlight.
Yes, I thought it was important to share my project and address the current anti-DEI climate we are now facing as we ask ourselves whether we should remove all traces of DEIA terminology and adopt new language toward community building and belonging. Does adopting new terminology accurately describe movements and initiatives, or does it restrict our academic freedoms and freedom of speech? Our library has received instruction to ensure equal access opportunities to all events. Our collections represent diverse voices and world cultures, our students and faculty, and their research interests. I have an interest in health information literacy and understanding the causes of health disparities, including societal influences that create and widen these disparities. One of our librarians created a research guide for LGBTQIA+ health. Last year, I decided to create a new research guide for Health equity, diversity and inclusion. It is not fully completed, but I do not mind sharing.
Link to the research guide: https://libguides.usc.edu/health-edi
What were your goals for this project? How successful were you at achieving your goals?
The aim was to gather essential and useful resources for assessing social determinants of health, and actions taken to increase health equity and lessen disparities. PubMed search strategies and information are also provided.
What impact did you notice? Did you get any feedback from your community?
Over the past 6 months the research guide has 636 views, which averages between three to four views a day. Our family medicine department and clinical affairs requested searches relating to older adults, and I showed them that page on the guide. They really liked the Social Determinants of Health resources, and we are now working on an Elder Justice library reading list. Community building in action!
Do you have any plans for the future? Anything you would have done differently? Any advice for other librarians interested in a similar project?
I encourage our members, including library staff, to create and share a research guide for a health topic you feel passionately about. It's a great way to connect with your users, and each other. Thank you for this opportunity to share!
Do you have a project relating to DEI-A or fostering community and belonging that you would like to share? Please do so using this linked form.
A Chapter of the Medical Library Association