Goal

Recruit & Hire: DEI/Compliance Officer

• Contractor or Member of L-Team
• Reports directly to ED & provides monthly reports to KPL Board of Trustees in re: implementation of DEI Plan & Ombudsman duties
• Conducts Internal Investigations related to alleged discrimination; harassment; retaliation and any other DEI related concerns in collaboration with HR
• Serves as the Library’s Ombudsman

Implementation Steps

• Develop job description that includes preference for experience in DEI; HR; ethics; conducting internal investigations; development of and leading organization wide DEI initiatives; establishing metrics; building and maintaining strategic relationships; strong communication skills; cross cultural sensitivity; demonstrated leadership skills; demonstrated ability to build trust & integrity
• Post position – local & national job boards (e.g., Indeed; LinkedIn; DiversityFirst; Michigan Works; Kzoo County government website; KPL website)
• Establish process for reviewing resumes; letters of interest (Identify who will be charged with this task e.g., members of L-team; collaboration with KPL Board of Trustees)
• Establish Interview Process (identify interviewers; interview panels; questions that will be posed; evaluation tool that will be utilized)
• Conduct Interviews
• Hire most qualified candidate

Target Completion Date

• Within the first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Inclusion of DEI Plan implementation in Annual Evaluation of ED

Implementation Steps

• Establish metrics which include the goals and timeline outlined in the approved DEI strategic plan by KPL Board of Trustees in collaboration with ED

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Creation of Annual Leadership/Mentorship Program

• Cohort of 8 to 10 employees representing all levels at KPL
• Quarterly meetings/sessions with members of L-Team; IT; Senior Librarians; Security; KPL Board of Trustees
• Develop understanding of KPL org structure; funding; unionized environment; internal policies

Implementation Steps

• Develop program contents & identify requisite and/or corresponding materials for each program session (with the understanding that program contents/focus may be tweaked in accordance with yearly cohort evaluations & assessment of KPL leadership
• Identify members of LTeam; IT; Senior Librarians; Security; KPL Board of Trustees who will meet with cohort during a given year
• Identify dates of each program session
• Establish criteria for selecting cohort participants in a given year
• Allow cohort to evaluate the program each year

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Review & Update Internal Policies related to Discrimination; AntiHarassment; Retaliation; and Complaint Procedure

• Ensure legal compliance
• Align policies with DEI Plan

Implementation Steps

• Engage legal counsel to assist with review and updating of policies
• Provide organizationwide training on updated policies once approved
• Implement new policies

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Review & Revise Performance Evaluations for All KPL Staff

Implementation Steps

• Review all evaluation tools to ensure any bias is eliminated via the utilization of objective metrics that are commensurate with duties/responsibilities and expectations for each KPL position
• Revise evaluation tools as necessary
• Provide training to supervisors responsible for conducting annual performance evaluations
• Consistently conduct annual evaluations for all staff

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Continued consistent utilization of the Racial Equity Assessment Tool for Programming & Policy-related decisions

Implementation Steps

• Periodically review Racial Equity Assessment Tool to assess applicability and success of utilizing said tool

Target Completion Date

• Throughout 3-year Plan

Goal

Creation of Employee Resource Groups:

• Disability
• ARTT
• LGBTQ+
• Parental
• Generational

Implementation Steps

• DEI/Compliance Officer notifies/informs employees of the creation of these groups & encourages voluntary participation
• Inaugural meetings are convened via assistance from DEI/Compliance Officer
• ARTT will establish “Lunch & Learns” on the topic of race equity & will debrief with KPL staff upon completion of ERACCE training
• Groups meet monthlyprovide support to members & develop recommendations for initiatives & training that are provided to DEI/Compliance Officer

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Mandatory Race Equity Training for all KPL Staff

• Provide a foundation and common language for all staff in re: race equity with the goal of identifying race; ethnic; cultural annual training for employees beyond 2024

Implementation Steps

• Coordination & Collaboration with Eliminating Racism & Creating/Celebrating Equity (ERACCE) to establish a specific training schedule such that all KPL staff can be trained

Target Completion Date

• Within the first two years of Plan adoption

Goal

Mandatory Training for KPL Staff with Hiring & Recruiting Responsibilities

• Establishing Do’s & Don’ts related to hiring and recruiting (from legal and DEI best practices perspective, which includes but is not limited to compliance with MI’s AntiAffirmative Action Constitutional Amendment)
• Understanding and eliminating bias in all hiring and recruiting processes

Implementation Steps

• DEI/Compliance Officer will identify a trainer or trainers to provide this training for staff
• Training will be conducted either virtually or in-person
• DEI/Compliance Officer will establish a schedule to ensure training take place bi-annually for staff charged with these responsibilities beyond 2024

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Establish an Accessibility Plan

Implementation Steps

• Create gender neutral bathrooms in all KPL locations; Partner with State of Michigan and disability organizations to assist with the buildout in accordance with established protocols/best practices
• Ongoing focus on tech accessibility
• Continue to follow the Disability Networkprepared site accessibility audit and report out on updates and improvements.

Target Completion Date

• Within first two years of Plan adoption (creation of gender-neutral bathrooms)
• All other implementation steps & overarching goal will be completed throughout the 3-year Plan

Goal

Mandatory Disability & LGBTQ Training for all KPL Staff

Implementation Steps

• DEI/Compliance Officer will identify a trainer or trainers to conduct these trainings in collaboration with ERG groups
• DEI/Compliance Officer will establish a schedule for ongoing trainings on these topics

Target Completion Date

• Within the first two years of Plan adoption

Goal

Provide a Floating Religious Holiday for KPL Staff

Implementation Steps

• Include this benefit in KPL written policies & include that information as part of orientation/onboarding

Target Completion Date

• Within first year of Plan adoption

Goal

Continued Development of Programming that Engages & Incorporates Issues & Interests amongst all Generations

Implementation Steps

• DEI/Compliance Officer will work in collaboration with ERG groups; L-Team; and Library Staff’; and CAFÉ group to increase outreach & identify programming/outreach that is geared towards engaging patrons from all generations

Target Completion Date

• Throughout 3-year Plan

Goal

Quarterly Report out on KPL Website in re: Progress on DEI Plan

Implementation Steps

• Creation of public-facing dashboard which includes, but will not be limited to, a tracking component in re: the status and/or attainment of DEI goals

Target Completion Date

• Throughout 3-year Plan

Goal

Increase representation of POC; women; members of the LGBTQ+ and disability community across all levels of the organization such that it aligns with overall population of Kalamazoo County & or City

Implementation Steps

• Continue partnering with organizations such as: Michigan Diversity Council; Disability Network; and OutFront Kalamazoo to establish wider recruiting/networking platform
• Continue participating in or host job fairs in underrepresented areas of the City/County as well as local colleges and universities
• Continue partnering with local schools and higher education to expose students to Library Science and KPL (more specifically); continue scholarship programs can also be strongly considered
• Identify additional initiatives that will help to improve outreach to various diverse populations

Target Completion Date

• Throughout 3-year Plan