Now available in paperback In Our Own Voices is a timely and intellectually stimulating collection of essays by twenty-five culturally diverse librarians who share their experiences in the transition from library school to library work. These librarians detail their introduction to librarianship, their encounters with racism in its many forms, and their desire to succeed in a profession that has not always lived up to its pledge of fairness and equal opportunity. They write about their experiences without rancor, and, in this way, provide new librarians with practical information and advice not always available to the contributors as they were choosing their career. Includes an appendix of ethnic and professional associations and library school programs for use in professional development and financial aid. Cloth edition published in 1996.

This book offers counternarratives from People of Color (POC) engaged in varied departments, faculties, and institutions in higher education to interrogate and challenge the construct of whiteness as an ideological form reproduced across campuses throughout the United States. Documenting individuals' lived experiences, the text uses narratives, personal stories, and autoethnographic approaches to explore how social and racial injustices manifest themselves at both a macro- and micro-level through structures and ideologies of whiteness, as well as personal and group interactions. This book, divided into four valuable parts, offers reconceptualizations of racial diversity in higher education, and further explores identity politics within the academy to ultimately posit that a varied approach is necessary to combat the equally varied ideological forms of whiteness. This text will benefit scholars, academics, and students in the fields of higher education, race and ethnicity studies, and academic librarianship more broadly. Those involved with the multicultural education, education policy and politics, and equality and human rights in general will also benefit from this volume.

In the 20-year reboot of Neely and Abif's 1996 In Our Own Voices, fifteen of the original contributors revisit their stories alongside the fifteen new voices that have been added. This Collective represents a wide range of life and library experiences, gender fluidities, sexualities, races, and other visible, and invisible identities. In addition to reflections on lives and experiences since the 1996 volume, chapters cover the representation of librarians of color in the profession at large, and more specifically, those among them who are still the "only one"; the specter of "us serving them-still;" and migrations from libraries to other information providing professions. These authors reflect on their careers and lives in libraries and other school and workplace settings, as activists, administrators, archivists, library students and information professionals. They share stories of personal and professional abuse, attempts to find and secure gainful employment, navigating the profession, and how they overcame decades of normalized discrimination to complete their educational and career pursuits. They write about the need for support systems, work-life balance, self-care, communities of support, and the importance of mentoring and being mentored. And above all, they persist, and continue to disrupt systems. These essays are from contributors from a variety of libraries and library related environments, and provide answers to questions professionals new to LIS haven't even asked yet. The inclusion of a new group of librarian his-, her-, and their-stories provides a voice for those currently finding their way through this profession. These essays bring honesty, vulnerability, authenticity, and impactfulness to the "diversity" conversation in libraries and beyond. And more importantly, these voices, from a variety of races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities, matter.

In the 20-year reboot of Neely and Abif's 1996 In Our Own Voices, fifteen of the original contributors revisit their stories alongside the fifteen new voices that have been added. This Collective represents a wide range of life and library experiences, gender fluidities, sexualities, races, and other visible, and invisible identities. In addition to reflections on lives and experiences since the 1996 volume, chapters cover the representation of librarians of color in the profession at large, and more specifically, those among them who are still the "only one"; the specter of "us serving them-still;" and migrations from libraries to other information providing professions. These authors reflect on their careers and lives in libraries and other school and workplace settings, as activists, administrators, archivists, library students and information professionals. They share stories of personal and professional abuse, attempts to find and secure gainful employment, navigating the profession, and how they overcame decades of normalized discrimination to complete their educational and career pursuits. They write about the need for support systems, work-life balance, self-care, communities of support, and the importance of mentoring and being mentored. And above all, they persist, and continue to disrupt systems. These essays are from contributors from a variety of libraries and library related environments, and provide answers to questions professionals new to LIS haven't even asked yet. The inclusion of a new group of librarian his-, her-, and their-stories provides a voice for those currently finding their way through this profession. These essays bring honesty, vulnerability, authenticity, and impactfulness to the "diversity" conversation in libraries and beyond. And more importantly, these voices, from a variety of races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities, matter.

There's never been a more challenging time to find a position as an academic librarian, especially for those who have recently completed their library education. But whether job-hunters are jumping into the job pool for the very first time, or back in the water after a dry spell, Neely and her crack team of expert contributors have the information needed to stay afloat. Their collective wisdom will act as a lifesaver, providing - Practical and specific advice on how the job-search process works, including the how-tos of reading between the lines of a job listing and assembling a compelling application packet - Keys to understanding the mysterious ways of search committees, and what criteria may be used to determine successful candidates - The nuts and bolts of undergoing a successful job interview, plus tips for negotiating when an offer is made Job-hunters at every level of experience will find this volume the definitive resource for moving successfully into an academic career.