This semester, the Rutgers University Libraries DEI Committee welcomed a new chair and vice chair/chair elect. The committee’s new chair, Phil Wilson, library specialist I at Robert Wood Johnson Library, will serve through June 30, 2026. The committee’s new vice chair/chair elect, John Powell, reference and instruction librarian at Robeson Library, will serve as vice chair through June 30, 2026, and chair through June 30, 2027. Members of the FY26 committee can be found on the Staff Resources site.
Thus far, the committee has reviewed the important work from previous years to determine ways to augment and continue the DEI efforts that align with internal education and enrichment (DEI Glossary, self-paced Canvas course, reading groups) and has brainstormed new ideas, themes, and topics to bring to the Libraries community. New ideas include bringing awareness of cultural and religious holidays and other important dates; deeper training on microaggressions and managing difficult conversations; and developing engagement and enrichment around the topic of accessibility, especially as it aligns with the ADA Title II work within the Libraries and across universities.
The committee will be operating as it typically would, even amidst changes within the university including the development of the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity and the closure of the Office of University Equity and Inclusion.
