Librarian by Day

I’m in the midst of editing book chapters and unable to finish any of the blog posts I have drafted, so this week, I’m sharing some articles I’ve read that are probably worthy of their own in-depth blog posts (and may eventually be). However, perfect is the enemy of the good, so I want to get them out there.

I came across this article on neurodiversity inclusion in the job interview. Since April is Autism Acceptance Month and autism is one type of neurodiversity, this is a good topic to explore in this week’s post. As someone diagnosed with their neurodiversity late in life, this is a topic I am also personally interested in. 

Neurodiversity inclusion starts with the job interviews.

“Neurodiversity encompasses an extremely diverse set of conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, and Tourette’s syndrome, among others. Despite representing between 15% and 20% of the global population, neurodiverse individuals are severely underrepresented in the workplace. The unemployment rates for neurodiverse individuals reach up to 40%, according to some estimates.

When employees commit to inclusive hiring practices, they’re less likely to miss out on talented candidates. The more hiring managers use interview questions to express a hidden agenda over a person’s suitability and skills, the less legitimacy their organization will have in calling itself “inclusive.”

This article is a good start, but getting neurodiverse people in the door is just one step. If you don’t work to change your culture, policies, and practices, you are setting them up for failure. Many of the changes you can make to support neurodiverse staff benefit everyone, like flexible work hours, quiet times, headphones, private workspaces, incorporation of nature, natural light and control of lighting, DEIA training, open and clear communication, psychological safety, more efficient meetings, etc. I have gathered some resources and readings; some are library-specific, and others are not. I pulled out a couple specifically, but I encourage you to explore them all. 

Designing for Neurodiversity in the Workplace – This article makes recommendations about the physical workspace and environment, and of course, those recommendations don’t just benefit neurodiverse people. 

In some ways, the discussion of neurodiversity and design is too limiting. In many ways, all the elements that support neurodiverse individuals also promote comfort and achievement in neurotypical individuals. As one size doesn’t fit all neural processes, the focus is on universal experiential design to ensure the space accommodates all individuals.

Why It’s Important To Embrace Neurodiversity In The Workplace (And How To Do It Effectively). Aside from the obvious—it’s the right thing to do—embracing neurodiverse staff can be a real benefit to libraries. This article then offers some suggestions on making the workplace friendly for neurodiverse employees. 

Neurodiverse employees often have great attention to detail and are able to stay focused on their tasks. JPMorgan Chase created an Autism at Work initiative and found that their neurodiverse hires were, on average, 90% to 140% more productive than employees who had been at the company for five or 10 years.

Neurodiverse employees tend to be loyal to a good company and have a high job retention rate.

7 ways to help your neurodiverse team deliver its best work – Great suggestions on improving the work environment, and again, they benefit everyone. 

 And it turns out that most of the adjustments neurodiverse people need are relatively simple and inexpensive to implement.

“And most of what we think of as accommodations make the environment better for everybody,” says Cara Pelletier, M.A., senior director of DEI at holistic performance management platform 15Five. “When you’re implementing something that makes life easier for somebody with a disability, you’re making life easier for everybody.”

Specialisterne  – Great resource on autism and neurodiversity in the workplace. 

An internationally recognized leader in harnessing the talents of people on the autism spectrum and other neurodivergent people by providing them with the opportunity to sustain meaningful employment.

Resources, Reading, and Videos

Alissa. (2021, February 20). Libraries are for everyone! Except if you’re autistic. Cataloguing the Universe.

Anderson, A. (2018). Employment and Neurodiverse Librarians. STEMPS Faculty Publications, 82.

Anderson, A. (2021). Job Seeking and Daily Workforce Experiences of Autistic Librarians. The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 5(3), 38–63.

Anderson, A. M. (2021). Exploring the workforce experiences of autistic librarians through accessible and participatory approaches. Library & Information Science Research, 43(2), 101088.

Autism Career Pathways (Director). (2020, February 10). Lauren the Autistic Librarian.

Autism Librarian. (2024, April 25). Autism Librarian. https://autismlibrarian.wordpress.com/

Bastian, R. (2023, October 23). Tips For Supporting Neurodiversity In The Workplace. Forbes.

Bristol, J. (n.d.). A Day in the Life of Adriana White—Librarian, Teacher, and Champion for the Neurodivergent. Spectrum Life Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from 4

Contributor, G. (2017, April 16). Perspectives of an Autistic Children’s Librarian. ALSC Blog.

Emily. (2012, June 29). Further Questions: Would You Hire a Person Who Has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder For a Reference Librarian Position? Hiring Librarians.

Eng, A. (2017, July 17). Neurodiversity in the Library: One Librarian’s Experience. In the Library with the Lead Pipe.

Finn, J. (2023, September 16). Two Librarians Fired Over Autism-Awareness Display, Because Rainbow. Prism & Pen.

Furr, P. (2023, March 7). Why It’s Important To Embrace Neurodiversity In The Workplace (And How To Do It Effectively). Forbes.

Is Your Workplace Neurodivergent Competent? (2022, September 20). Psych Central.

jrose. (2022, October 31). Neurodiversity and Libraries. Liblime.

Ludmila Praslova. (2022, February 1). Moral Injury at Work and Neurodiversity: Are there Additional Risk Factors? Specialisterne.

Ludmila Praslova. (2022, April 24). Workplace bullying of autistic people: A Vicious cycle. Specialisterne.

Maxwell, L. (2022, July 25). Being an Autistic School Librarian. BOOK RIOT.

McDaniel, K. (2022, December 15). We Need to Talk About How We Treat Library Workers Who Are Neurodivergent – Part One. Library Worklife: ALA Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA).

McDaniel, K. (2023, January 9). Library Workers Who Are Neurodivergent – Part Two. Library Worklife: ALA Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA).

Miranda-Wolff, A. (2023, August 7). 3 strategies for advocating for your neurodivergent employees. Chief Talent Officer.

Nasland, R., Dudheker, S., & Dudheker, R. N. and S. (2023, July 20). Designing for Neurodiversity in the Workplace. Work Design Magazine.

Neurodiversity in the Library: One Librarian’s Experience – In the Library with the Lead Pipe. (2017, July 17). https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2017/neurodiversity-in-the-library/

Redden, M. (2023, April 6). How to Be a Librarian (or succeed in self-directed work) When You Have ADHD: Part 1. Notes Between Us.

Specialisterne USA | Employ Different Thinking. (n.d.). https://us.specialisterne.com/

Swick-Jemison, J. (2023). ADHD and the Early Career Teaching Librarian: An Autoethnography. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship / Revue Canadienne de Bibliothéconomie Universitaire, 9, 1–16.

The Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) (Director). (2024, February 29). Library Accessibility Alliance (LAA) Webinar: Transforming Librarianship to Model Neuroinclusion in Libraries.

Towers, A. (2023, June 1). My Turn: Neurodivergence in Libraries. Illinois Library Association.

Wood, C. (2023, March 17). 7 ways to help your neurodiverse team deliver its best work. CIO.