NEWS | Mesa College Library Receives Insight Into Diversity’s 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award
The San Diego Mesa College Library and Learning Resource Center (LRC) received the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The LEAD Award honors academic libraries’ programs and initiatives that encourage and support DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) across their campus. These include, but are not limited to research, technology, accessibility, exhibitions, and community outreach. San Diego Mesa College will be featured in the March 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.
"I am so proud that the Mesa College Library has earned this Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award,” stated Dr. Ashanti T. Hands, President of Mesa College. “In 2019, we were intentional when we hired an Equity and Engagement Librarian – the first and only one in the region - who would promote access, outreach, and literacy services to minoritized groups. This recognition honors the power, impact, and possibilities of institutionalizing equity-minded, innovative practices that disrupt the status quo and create conditions that matter for our students to be seen and to succeed.”
Insight Into Diversity Magazine selected the San Diego Mesa College Library and Learning Resource Center (LRC) because San Diego Mesa College and the library are committed to promoting access, outreach, and literacy services to underserved groups, including ethnic and racial minorities, gender differences, and people with disabilities.
The Mesa College library has multiple Equity and Excellence Initiatives. One of these initiatives included hiring the first and only Equity and Engagement Librarians in the San Diego region, Dr. Edeama Onwuchekwa Jonah. As the leading college of equity and excellence, efforts related to recruiting, retaining, and advancing a diverse library staff are crucial at for fostering an inclusive and representative work environment. These efforts typically align with broader diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of San Diego Mesa College.
"We know that many academic libraries are not always recognized for their dedication to diversity, inclusion, and access," says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. "We are proud to honor these college and university libraries as role models for other institutions of higher education."
The Equity and Engagement librarian works with library staff and other librarians to assess the DEI progress of the library and ensure that the library supports students with equity and inclusion at the center of the services provided. True engagement positions the library as a catalyst in the communities it serves. Mesa College Library has provided increased engagement with students and initiated models to lower barriers and increase access for students, especially marginalized student populations
Additionally, the Mesa College library also created a 5-year DEIAA plan that is designed to help break down barriers and expand access to library resources for our underrepresented students. This is a unique plan, separate from but joined with the Mesa2030 Master Plan, and serves as a guide to develop activities, spaces, and programs that support a sense of belonging with a focus on antiracism, historically minoritized groups, and inclusion.
Another unique Mesa College program is the embedded Librarian initiative focused on underserved and disproportionately impacted student groups, which began as an initial request for class visits for our students in Black Studies Classes. The Equity Librarian has worked with faculty to expand the program, which now serves over 350 black students in their research sessions and embedded library class visits.
"Preparing for the 2023 LEAD application was very reflective and was extremely helpful in providing us with a framework to analyze our Equity-minded practices," stated Dr. Edeama Onwuchekwa Jonah. "We applied for the LEAD Award because the San Diego Mesa College Library Team would like to shine the light on our Equity and Excellence Initiatives, especially removing barriers and providing access to our underserved student populations."