Library leadership development for BIPOC populations in research intensive environments

Librarianship has been the chosen profession for many people from minoritized identities for generations, yet their low representation in library administrative positions is well-documented. Consequently, associations and communities of practitioners created leadership development programs to address this gap in representation of those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). However, there is scant literature documenting these efforts by the American Library Association, the Historically Black College and Universities Library Alliance, the Association of Research Libraries, and others who have created and administered BIPOC-focused library leadership development programs. Researchers reviewed scholarly resources, websites, and unpublished literature to understand these programs' histories, curricula, and methodological underpinnings. This grant-funded project investigates literature about the benefits and effectiveness of these programs. The four-stage research included a literature search, a series of focus groups with alumni of five core programs, interviews with academic library leaders with BIPOC identities, and a capstone retreat of representatives of those programs that discussed the future of those efforts. The article concludes with a synopsis of some commonalities between the leadership development programs studied in this first stage of the more comprehensive project: mentorship, evolving curricula, assessment tools, and community building and networking opportunities.