The JAMA Network Library Advisory Board (JNLAB) launched in 2017 as a way for the JAMA Network to engage more meaningfully and formalize feedback from site license customers. The board includes representatives from academic, hospital, government, and health system libraries, and provides a forum for librarians and JAMA Network staff to discuss important issues and developments with the goal of ensuring that the librarian’s perspective is fully integrated into new products and initiatives. In 2021, the JNLAB formed a DEI committee within the Library Advisory Board to better align the practices of the board with the health equity goals of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the JAMA Network.
As with many advisory boards, members were recruited to join the JNLAB exclusively by peer recommendation. The JNLAB DEI committee, which includes librarians and JAMA Network staff, recognized that this method, based solely on recommendations, limits the candidate pool to those who already have strong professional networks and prevents new voices from joining the conversation. The DEI committee recommended the creation of an open call as a more inclusive and equitable way to recruit new board members.
In this session we will share our experiences—from creating the application to reviewing, selecting, and onboarding—and the decisions we made throughout, including creating seats for early career members and determining term limits. While there were bumps along the way, we believe the process was successful and are grateful to everyone who participated. We look forward to sharing our experience with the conference attendees and hearing from them about their experiences as we all work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at our organizations.
