After a tumultuous year for Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL), Keesha Hughes stepped into her first day as the diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) officer in November.
In May 2021, a virtual board of trustees meeting went off the rails after former employee Bree Flannelly was muted while trying to share her experiences of racism within the library system. In the months that followed, more employees spoke out, the Library Workers Union held rallies and filled the room at in-person board meetings, calling for the resignation of CEO Jackie Nytes. In August 2021, Central Indiana Community Foundation announced it would withhold funding from IndyPL, and Nytes resigned later that month.
Since Nytes’ resignation, the library board moved forward with an internal climate study in hopes of measuring how employees feel about the library’s workplace culture and dedication to diversity.
Even the climate study wasn’t free from controversy — board members Drs. Khaula Murtadha and Patricia Payne took issue with the law firm Ice Miller being paid $100,000 to conduct the survey despite Murtadha’s offer to do it for free. Hughes, however, looks forward to seeing the results to know what work needs to be done within IndyPL.
Regardless of the results — the analysis is expected to be ready sometime in March — one thing is clear: Employees and administration will have to collaborate to make improvements, Hughes said.
“It’s definitely going to take a team effort; one person can’t do it all,” Hughes said. “I envision my role to be that of a leader or coach. We have to figure out what our needs are … so once we get the survey results, that will give us more of a blueprint.”
Michael Torres, a Central Library branch employee and president of the Library Workers Union, said a lot of library workers are disillusioned by the process, largely due to the amount of time it’s taken for the climate study to be conducted (the process was announced in June). Further, Torres is concerned about accountability. If survey results show staff members believe the issues stem from administration, Torres said he isn’t sure what — if anything — would be done to make changes or progress. For now, the union is focused on the search for a permanent CEO, which is being conducted by Bradbury Miller Associates.
“We just want somebody to lead us and someone who can be held accountable, which Jackie never was,” Torres said.
Hughes’ goal in her first year is to get to know and build relationships with employees. She has a background in journalism and public relations and worked for five years as the anti-racism committee leader at Perry Township schools. Hughes hopes her presence and expertise can help rebuild trust among IndyPL employees, echoing the sentiment of interim CEO John Helling when he took over last year.
“We are very pleased to have Keesha on board,” Helling said in a statement. “Since joining our team, she has worked diligently to build relationships with staff and learn about our culture. Her experience and her expertise will be invaluable as we work to improve ourselves as an employer and as a library.”
Hughes knows there’s a lot of work to be done, and said she’ll measure her success by having discussions with IndyPL staff members and using data from the climate survey.
Released Dec. 9, IndyPL employees had two weeks to fill out the survey which was created through the website SurveyMonkey. The survey asked about employees’ experiences with discrimination and racism during their time at IndyPL, as well as questions pertaining to the employee’s faith in the board of trustees and library management. According to library administration, the survey had about an 80% response rate.
Hughes, who is an external hire, came to IndyPL after the organization announced its 2021-23 strategic plan. In May 2021 — just 11 days before the board of trustees meeting that sparked outrage — Nytes touted IndyPL’s dedication to diversity. The strategic plan includes the allocation of 50% of the annual recruitment budget toward diverse recruitment efforts and the goal of spending 30% of its annual collection budget on Black media.
Though she wasn’t on staff during the leadership change last year, Hughes said she’s encouraged by the work she sees being done to change the culture of the library. Among the efforts are town hall meetings hosted by Helling.
“It can’t all happen overnight,” Hughes said, “but I think he’s doing the right things to move the process along in a positive way.”
Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848 or email at BreannaC@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.
