Progressing from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Dialogs to Inclusive Actions: Preliminary Assessment of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Reads Book Club

Objectives: Librarians have been interested in ways to increase actions that would make librarians and librarianship more inclusive and diverse. The Medical Library Association’s (MLA) Reads Virtual Book Club is a book discussion group that explores topics pertaining to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The 2022 club was framed around Isabel Wilkerson's Caste: The Origins of our Discontents. Participants completed an optional survey at the conclusion of the program. The survey answered the research question “Will participating in a DEI book discussion group for six months translate into more willingness to adopt inclusive behaviors in the workplace within the next year?”

Methods: The electronic survey used Likert Scales to measure the impact of (and satisfaction with) the Medical Library Association (MLA) Reads Book Club. The electronic survey was created in Microsoft Forms. The survey received a “Not Human Subjects” determination from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The survey was deployed to 200 book club participants consisting of librarians, medical professionals, and diversity enthusiasts. These participants are based around the United States. Participants’ names and other identifiers were not collected. The survey was voluntary. Participation in the survey had no effect on participants’ ability to earn Continuing Education (CE) Credit or on their career trajectories. The survey started with a set of behavioral questions that asked participants to anticipate how the book club might affect their actions. The second section focused on attitudes toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Respondents were presented with several DEI prompts/scenarios, and they rated their level of comfort with the scenario. Next, there were several free response reflection questions. These questions allowed participants to share lessons learned, comments, and suggestions. The survey concluded with a set of demographic questions. Survey responses were collected during a three-week window at the conclusion of the current cycle of MLA Reads.

Results: In total, 70 participants completed the mixed methods survey. Respondents were given 10 behavior prompts and 10 attitude prompts measured with quantitative Likert scales. The survey also asked qualitative open response questions. Responses to questions were overwhelmingly positive, with respondents eager to engage in 7 of the 10 inclusive behaviors. However, 3 out of the 10 behaviors had more neutral responses. This trend continued with 10 attitude questions, which measured comfort level in various DEI scenarios. Respondents were comfortable in 7 of the 10 scenarios, and neutral or uncomfortable in 3 of the scenarios. Open response questions provided candid testimonials.

Conclusions: Respondents' eagerness to engage in 70% of the inclusive behaviors and their comfort level in 70% of the DEI scenarios, is a noticeable trend. We conclude that participation in a DEI book discussion group had a positive impact on MLA Read participants. The 3 behaviors that respondents gave the most neutral ratings include joining a committee that advocates for DEI causes, seeking volunteer opportunities on campus to further DEI causes, and starting a DEI book discussion group at their workplace. Coincidentally, these are also the 3 most time-consuming behaviors. Further study is needed to identify the reason behind the responses. In the future, a pretest and posttest model should be used to track behavior and attitude change during MLA Reads.