Recruiting to the Profession

Recruitment of the next generation of librarians is one of the most pressing issues facing the profession and the association today. Below are resources and programs to help you better understand this issue and support your recruitment efforts.

ACRL Diversity Alliance
The ACRL Diversity Alliance institutional membership program unites academic libraries committed to increasing the hiring pipeline of qualified and talented individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. By working together and thinking more broadly, ACRL Diversity Alliance institutions will help diversify and thereby enrich the profession.

Achieving Racial and Ethnic Diversity among Academic and Research Librarians: The Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement of Librarians of Color (October 2006)
A White Paper by the ACRL Board of Directors Diversity Task Force, produced by Teresa Y. Neely, Ph.D. and Lorna Peterson, Ph.D.

Culture Keepers VI
A companion piece to the ACRL Diversity White Paper by Julie Todaro.

You Might be an Academic or Research Librarian if . . .  (PDF)
A recruitment flyer to help prospective librarians understand the appeal of working in an academic or research library as well as the nature of the work. Suitable for use at outreach activities including student information fairs, library school presentations, career centers, etc.

Top Issues Facing Academic Libraries
This article from the June 2022 issue of C&RL News outlines the primary issues facing academic libraries today, including recruitment, education, and retention of librarians. The findings in the article are the results of research conducted by the ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee.