In 2000, 52 contributing ARL libraries established a fund to support the Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW); other libraries, as well, have contributed to the fund over the years. These signature institutions play a major role in attracting more librarians from underrepresented groups into careers in ARL member libraries through robust recruitment of staff and student workers.
Through the IRDW, these LIS graduate students are recruited and mentored by key ARL library leaders throughout their library and information science education and as they begin their careers. In addition, these recruits benefit from access to numerous professional development opportunities offered by the IRDW. The establishment of the fund and the continued support of and commitment to ARL diversity programs is the hallmark of these signature institutions and their directors.
In order to foster a relationship between signature institutions and Diversity Scholars, ARL maintains a database of job openings in member libraries as well as a database of recent LIS graduates and research library residency participants.
Signature Institutions
- University of Alabama
- University at Albany, SUNY
- University of Alberta
- Arizona State University
- University of Arizona
- Auburn University
- University of California, Irvine
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, San Diego
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Case Western Reserve University
- University of Colorado at Boulder
- Colorado State University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- University of Delaware
- Duke University
- George Washington University
- Harvard University
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Indiana University
- University of Iowa
- Iowa State University
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Kansas
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Michigan
- National Agricultural Library
- National Library of Medicine
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- New York Public Library
- New York University
- University of North Carolina
- North Carolina State University
- University of Notre Dame
- Ohio State University
- University of Oregon
- Pennsylvania State University
- University of Pittsburgh
- Princeton University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University
- University of Southern California
- Southern Illinois University
- Syracuse University
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Texas A & M University
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Utah
- Vanderbilt University
- University of Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- University of Washington
- Washington State University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Yale University
