The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has a strong commitment to fostering diversity. ARL has several programs designed to recruit people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into careers at research library.
The Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce was established in 2000 in response to the low representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the library profession. The aim is to attract students from traditionally underrepresented groups to careers in academic and research libraries and archives.
The ARL/SAA Mosaic Program focuses on the need for a diversified archives and special collections workforce. The program provides financial support, practical work experience, mentoring, career placement assistance, and leadership to those from traditionally underrepresented racial and minority groups.
The Leadership & Career Development Program is a program for mid-career librarians from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. The program aims to have participants take on leadership roles in ARL libraries.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Alliance unites academic libraries who share a commitment to increase the hiring pipeline of qualified, talented individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
The ACRL Diversity Standards: Cultural Competency for Academic Libraries (2012) provide a framework to support libraries in engaging the complexities of providing services to diverse populations, and recruiting and maintaining a diverse library workforce.
The ALA has an Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services. The Office is responsible for activities surrounding those three professional issues and promoting equity and inclusion as fundamental values of the ALA.
The Spectrum Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups who are pursuing a graduate degree in library and information science. The program aims to increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse professionals working as leaders in the field,
The Discovering Librarianship project was started to recruit ethnically diverse high school and college students to careers in libraries. The project was started in 2011.
ALA offers a Diversity Research Grant for original research on any diversity topic that speaks to critical gaps in the knowledge of diversity issues within library and information science. The program was established in 2002.