Breaking Down Barriers: Making it Easier for Academic Librarians of Color to Stay

The strength of every nation lies in its people. In America, that strength can be found in the rich cultural heritage of a diverse nation. Unfortunately, diversity does not permeate all facets of life–specifically in academia and its libraries. The question continues to be asked: where are all of the academic librarians of color? For the ones who are tenured or who are seeking tenure, how can they be retained within the ranks of academia? The focus of this study is to explore and define some of the explicit and implicit barriers faced by academic librarians of color through a review of the literature. Many of the explicit barriers stem directly from racism and from being perceived as the “other” while implicit barriers are more subtle and stem from the covert damage that toxic environmental forces have on shaping the career and work experiences of librarians of color. This analysis also offers methods for breaking down these barriers (through ways such as mentoring) for institutions to consider—along with some strategies to empower librarians of color themselves.