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Topic: Talent development and management

Issue Brief
June 8, 2023

Living Wages

Art Museum Leaders Confront Persistent Staff Compensation Challenges

Movements for pay equity, including raising minimum wages and increasing pay transparency, have been building momentum in grassroots and policy arenas across the United States. As a result, museums, like many employers, face mounting pressure to better align their compensation practices with their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. Ithaka S+R’s research has found that the majority of art museum directors view pay equity as a high priority at their organization and are finding attracting and retaining diverse and talented staff…
Past Event
May 16, 2023

Careers for PhDs: Consulting

On May 16 at 4:15-5:30 pm ET, Dylan Ruediger will speak on a Syracuse University panel on the nature of consultant work, the kinds of jobs available in the sector, and how to mobilize your PhD skillset to join a consultancy or start your own. Dylan will share his experience as Ithaka S+R program manager in conversation with Laura Payne-Bourcy. The event is sponsored by the Central New York Humanities Corridor from an award by the Mellon Foundation.
Past Event
May 17, 2023

Navigating the Academic Career Ladder

Ensuring Credit and Recognition for your Contributions

On Wednesday, May 17 at 1 pm ET, Dylan Ruediger will join a panel of experts to provide practical guidance on navigating the complex world of academic credit. The webinar, hosted by Frontiers, will provide an engaging conversation on how to highlight your relevant experiences, track your achievements, and get the recognition you deserve in a research career. Steve Howell will share practical tips on how to get promoted in academia, Dylan Ruediger will provide context on the broader academic…
Blog Post
May 4, 2023

2022 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey Dashboard

Last year, Ithaka S+R, in partnership with the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and with funding from the Mellon Foundation, was able to launch the third cycle of the Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey. Filling out this survey can be time intensive, as rather than survey staff directly, we ask that museums submit data that has been recorded in their human resources system. This requires museum directors or their designee to fill…
Past Event
May 9, 2023

Stanford Humanists At Large Fellows Visit Ithaka S+R

On May 9 at 1:00 – 4:00 pm ET, fellows from Stanford University’s Humanists at Large (HAL) program will visit the ITHAKA office to learn more about Ithaka S+R’s work and meet staff. The visit will open with a panel discussion with PhD-holding S+R staff Dylan Ruediger, James Ward, and Colette Johnson, moderated by Daniel Braun to introduce audience members to the organization and the career paths of staff. In the afternoon, Daniel Braun will lead a workshop offering…
Blog Post
April 18, 2023

Assessing the Racial Diversity of Librarians

How racially diverse is the librarian profession, and how can we begin to assess that diversity? Those are the two key questions at the heart of two companion issue briefs we are publishing today.  The first issue brief, co-authored by both of us, focuses on the methodological implications of trying to measure the racial demographic trends of the profession in the absence of systematic benchmarking beyond US Census data reported through the Bureau of Labor…
Issue Brief
April 18, 2023

Changing the Racial Demographics of Librarians

Librarianship has a racial diversity representation problem. Black, Indigenous, and people of color have been underrepresented in the field for decades, and despite the momentum and initiatives in support of diversifying the profession, the numbers appear to not have changed meaningfully. The data tell a consistent and compelling story: the library profession remains overwhelmingly white. Part of the problem stems from the fact that demographic information about the profession is not measured and reported in a consistent manner.
Issue Brief
April 18, 2023

By Any Measure

The Racial Demographics of Librarians

The things that get measured by an organization are a tell for what matters to the organization. Librarianship has been grappling with an underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) librarians for decades, and while libraries have developed a plethora of recruitment initiatives, the numbers appear to have not changed meaningfully, remaining static over the decades. A contributing factor may be that demographic information about the profession is not routinely measured and reported.
Blog Post
April 11, 2023

US Faculty Survey Updates

2021 Data Now Available and Looking Ahead to 2024

For over 20 years Ithaka S+R has tracked teaching and research trends through a national survey of faculty. Today we are excited to share several updates about the program. Working with our data Last year we published the findings from the US Faculty Survey and in parallel we have been working with the incredible staff at ICPSR to ensure that the associated data is made openly available at the highest level of quality for current and future use. The…
Research Report
March 30, 2023

US Library Survey 2022

Navigating the New Normal

Since 2010, Ithaka S+R has conducted the Library Survey on a triennial basis with the overarching goal of tracking the perspectives, priorities, and leadership strategies of library deans and directors at four-year academic institutions. This study is designed to provide library and other higher education leadership with a high-level overview of the topics that are at the forefront of library leaders as they conceptualize the role, strategic alignment, and value proposition of academic libraries on campuses.
Past Event
March 21, 2023

“Alt-Ac” Careers for Humanities PhDs

On Tuesday, March 21 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET, Steve Pokornowski and Kurtis Tanaka will participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by the University of Michigan Library on “alt-ac” careers for humanities PhDs. The panel will discuss the opportunities and challenges of pursuing careers off of the tenure track and the changing professional landscape of academia, reflecting on their own experiences. Speakers include Hannah Alpert-Abrams, Sara Cohen, Patricia Hswe, Stephanie Rosen, Katina Rogers, and Jim McGrath. Learn more about…
Past Event
May 21, 2023

Highlights from the 2022 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey

Session at the 2023 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting

Ithaka S+R’s Liam Sweeney, Deirdre Harkins, and Joanna Dressel will present a session at the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting on highlights from the Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey, published in November 2022. Learn about results from the survey and the latest data and findings on demographics of art museum staff across the US. The session is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 21 at  9:10 – 9:35 am MDT.
Past Event
May 21, 2023

Living Wages in the Museum Field: Signs of a Crisis on the Horizon

Session at the 2023 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting

On Sunday, May 21 at 8:40 – 9:05 am MDT at the 2023 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Ithaka S+R’s Liam Sweeney, Deirdre Harkins, and Joanna Dressel will present a session on signs of a crisis on the horizon for the museum field, drawing insights from the Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey, published in November 2022.
Past Event
March 29, 2023

Navigating Non-Linear Career Paths

On March 29 at 12 pm PT, Ithaka S+R Director of Strategy and Operations Colette Johnson will speak on an installment of the Versatile PhD’s Career Pathways series, on “Navigating Non-Linear Career Paths.” The virtual event will feature discussion on how professionals outside of the academy create and maintain networks, move between roles and industries, and tolerate the uncertainty that accompanies all of the above, offering advice for PhDs interested in alternative career paths. Learn more and register for…
Blog Post
February 9, 2023

Is a Fellowship Right for You?

Since launching in 2018, ITHAKA has served over 30 fellows from across the nation and with a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. Fellows at ITHAKA have the opportunity to work with one of ITHAKA’s services: Ithaka S+R, Reveal Digital, JSTOR Daily, or JSTOR Labs. Designed with the needs of early career researchers in mind, ITHAKA’s fellowship program offers an opportunity to focus on professional development through an immersive experience working with ITHAKA mentors and staff. In…
Blog Post
February 7, 2023

The Great Resignation and Higher Education Employees

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US labor market has undergone dramatic ups and downs, with employment numbers dropping off a cliff in Spring 2020 and climbing back towards pre-pandemic levels in fits and starts since the vaccines became widely available. Over the past several months employers and employees have been navigating the complex repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic: return-to-office vs. work-from-home debates, continuing social reckonings following the murder of George Floyd, rising inflation, and the looming possibility…
Blog Post
January 31, 2023

Insights from the A*CENSUS II Archives Administrators Report

On Tuesday, January 31, we published the A*CENSUS II Archives Administrators Survey findings. The Archives Administrator Survey Report is the second report in the A*CENSUS II series, the first being the All Archivists Survey Report published in August 2022. The Archives Administrators Survey gathered data from the most senior archives leaders and decision makers regardless of the size of the archives, including administrators who oversee large archives organizations, archives units within broader institutions, and small community archives collections.
Past Event
February 17, 2023

Insights from the A*CENSUS II Archives Administrators Report

On February 17, from 2:00-3:30 pm (ET), Makala Skinner and Beth Myers will present findings from the A*CENSUS II Archives Administrators Survey during a webinar hosted by Ithaka S+R. The Archives Administrators Survey is the second survey of A*CENSUS II, the first being the All Archivists Survey, initially published in August, 2022. The Archives Administrators Survey report, published on January 31, includes data on budgets, collection sizes, staff recruitment and retention, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,…
Research Report
January 31, 2023

A*CENSUS II: Archives Administrators Survey

Seven hundred and forty-six archives administrators representing academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and community archives across the United States shared information about their organizations and their perspectives on key issues in the field by completing the A*CENSUS II Archives Administrators Survey. This report shares findings on archives’ budget and collection sizes, staff recruitment and retention, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices.
Past Event
January 24, 2023

2022 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey

Association of Art Museum Directors Webinar

On January 24th, at 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST, Liam Sweeney, Deirdre Harkins, Joanna Dressel, and Mellon Foundation program officer Deborah Cullen-Morales will present findings from the third cycle of the Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey at a webinar hosted by the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD). The report, published in November 2022, covers information on the demographics of art museum staff since the first cycle in 2014, including a closer analysis of all art museum positions, as…