The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has named Gabriela Redwine as a visiting program officer for diversity and inclusion from January 2017 through June 2019. Redwine is a digital archivist at the Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
In her role as visiting program officer, Redwine’s primary responsibilities will be to assess, enhance, and manage the mentorship component of ARL’s diversity and leadership programs. Redwine will explore best practices for mentoring individuals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and evaluate protocols for selection and assignment of mentors for ARL program participants. Additionally, Redwine will help create training tools and other resources to bolster the mentorship element of ARL’s diversity and leadership development strategies.
These efforts will have long-term and far-reaching effects. Redwine’s work will cultivate a broader and more informed community of support for library, information, and archival science students and professionals from diverse backgrounds. Also, she will share information about best practices that can serve as a model for ensuring the success of these programs throughout the profession, and in other professional sectors.
Chris Bourg, director of libraries at MIT and chair of the ARL Diversity and Inclusion Committee said, “As someone who continues to benefit from great mentors, I am thrilled that Gabriela Redwine’s appointment as an ARL visiting program officer will give us the opportunity to expand and strengthen the mentorship component of our diversity, inclusion, and leadership development programs.”
Redwine’s engagement as ARL visiting program officer is supported, in part, by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). A component of her responsibilities will be to liaise with advisory groups for the ARL/Society of American Archivists Mosaic Program (also funded by IMLS) and the ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce.
At Yale, Redwine serves on the University Library’s Advisory Committee on Library Staff Diversity and Inclusion. Prior to joining the Beinecke Library as a digital archivist, she was an archivist and metadata/electronic records specialist at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. She has written and presented extensively on different aspects of born-digital materials. Redwine serves on the National Digital Stewardship Alliance Coordinating Committee, the Society of American Archivists Mentoring Program Subcommittee, and the teaching faculty at the University of Virginia Rare Book School. She holds a master of arts in women’s and gender studies and a master of science in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor of arts in English from Yale.
The ARL Visiting Program Officer program provides opportunities for outstanding staff members at ARL member libraries to contribute to special projects and programs, either in whole or in part, in order to advance the agenda of the Association. Visit the ARL website for more information about the Visiting Program Officer program.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in the US and Canada. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is celebrating its 20th anniversary. IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission has been to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. For the past 20 years, our grant making, policy development, and research has helped libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
