Recruiting for Cultural Competency: A Content Analysis of Archives Job Postings

ABSTRACT Professional library and archives associations recognize the value of cultural competency skills in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). This study analyzes a sample of nearly 500 archival job postings to gauge the degree to which job postings demonstrate the employers’ awareness of and commitment to cultural competency in their recruiting practices. The central finding is that only 7 percent of job ads in the sample included knowledge, skills, or abilities relating to cultural competency among the requirements for working in an archives-related position. Thus, the study strongly suggests that the value the archives profession places on cultural competency is rarely reflected in the qualifications candidates who wish to work in archives are expected to have. This problem is most evident in job ads for technical services positions, in the South and Midwest sections of the country, and in nonacademic employment sectors. The authors provide recommendations for hiring practices that further a hiring institution's commitment to DEIA through the adoption of cultural competency as a framework for recruitment and interviewing.