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Action Plan for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice

Adopted, April 2023

To more fully live up to its mission, vision, and values, the MIT Libraries established a set of goals in September 2022 to focus on immediate and meaningful action on equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (EDISJ) in our work and within our organization. 

The actions below, while reflecting the Libraries’ specific needs and intentions, align with MIT’s Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition, providing an Institute-wide framework for advancing enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Both plans signal a commitment to fostering a healthy sense of belonging among all community members; work practices and policies that ensure equitable opportunities for all to thrive; and a workforce, including leadership, that reflects a commitment to diversity. 

We envision these as interim goals, as we continue to dedicate resources for this work and build a long-term strategy and roadmap for continued progress.

 

Belonging
MIT will cultivate a community in which people feel connected to each other, share a sense of purpose, and support each individual’s freedom to be themselves and respectfully express their views. 

The MIT Libraries will:

  • Build a practice and culture of regular EDISJ assessment and accountability, with clear metrics on the impact of our efforts.
  • Establish and maintain a sustained partnership with the MIT Institute Community and Equity Office, focused on vision and strategy alignment.
  • Hire a new associate director focused on advancing organizational effectiveness, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
  • Equip the new associate director with sufficient resources to advance EDISJ efforts and lead the implementation of recommended strategies and practices.
  • Charge and activate a Libraries-wide Accessibility Working Group to continuously identify and address systemic biases and inequities across the Libraries’ user-facing services.
  • Update staff EDISJ training materials to include a strong focus on ableism and ableist behaviors and practices.
  • Require that Libraries’ service design projects center the needs of underrepresented and marginalized communities.

 

Achievement
MIT will make equity central to how opportunities are presented and assessments are conducted for all members of the community while ensuring the highest standards of excellence.

The MIT Libraries will:

  • Redesign existing performance review and promotion processes and align them with the Libraries’ overall EDISJ values and strategy and with the professional development policy.
  • Plan a thorough evaluation of existing human resources processes through an EDISJ lens, and establish a roadmap for process redesign and updates.


Composition
MIT can only fulfill its mission by serving as a magnet for a wide range of talented people. The composition of our community, and of our leadership, should reflect a commitment to diversity. 

The MIT Libraries will:

  • Design and implement organization-wide practices for hiring, professional development, and retention which align the compositional diversity of Libraries’ staff with a global MIT community and increase staff retention.