Lori Mestrelmestre@illinois.edu

LIS Cultural Competency Training

Reforma National Conference IVDenver, COSeptember 17, 2011

Issues at Hand

Preparation at Library Schools of Librarians to Serve Diverse Populations

Impact Once on the Job

Training of Librarians to Serve Diverse Populations

Data Gathered

Surveys

• Selected librarians serving diverse populations

• Accredited U.S. Library Schools

Interviews

• 15 Librarians designated as “Diversity Librarian”

Web Page Scan

• Library Schools

• ARL Libraries

Ethnicity

Other = mostly biracial

Current Roles

Diversity Librarians

Subject Specialists Outreach

78 of 107 ARL Libraries

14 of 107 ARL Libraries

New Term?

A Need for All Librarians To Be Culturally Competent

Library School Preparation

87.2% entered library school not thinking about a career in

multicultural librarianship

In Percentages

Hiring Data

Did you intentionally seek a position dedicated to multicultural/diversity services?

Did your Library School program prepare you to work with multiple constituencies?

21.7

50

28.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Yes Somewhat NoLibrary School Data

Diversity Preparation

From the Librarian Survey

Library School Data

Did your library school offer a specific course in multicultural librarianship (or something similar)?

•Children’s and young adult literature courses (23)

•General courses with a focus on diverse populations (31)

•Courses that address multilingualism, the non-English speaking, the limited English speaking, or the Spanish speaking (5)

Courses with Multicultural Components

25.5

12.8

40.4

8.512.8

05

1015202530354045

Required Elective Elements in every course

Both required and elements

in every course

As elective and elements in every course

Library School Data

How Should Multicultural Librarianship be Part of the Curriculum?

Library Strategies

Diversity Training

Diversity Program-ming

Diversity Committee

Diversity Outreach

Residency Programs

Getting Started: How Do I Learn To:

Work with diverse cultures?

Initiate, coordinate, and expand diversity-related

programs at my library and institution?

Gain an entrée as liaison to the various diverse

populations?

Better prepare all librarians to be culturally

competent?

Establishing relationships

22%Becoming a presence in the library/community

17.15%

Developing a plan of action 20%

Developing an environment that

embraces diversity 10%

Other 30% Most Challenging

Aspect of Job

Gaining an Entrée 20.5%

Socially Accepted Norms 2.3%

Other 18.1%

Understanding Cultural Nuances

20.5%

Communication22.7%

Approachability 15.9%

GreatestChallenges

Working with Diverse Cultures

Interview Comments

“It was my first professional

position.”“I created the job and had to learn as I went.”

“ I have been given the opportunity to vision the future of immigrant services for my library system. I do that through a great staff, a working knowledge of the research and best practices nationwide and through knowing and connecting to the community.”

Diversity Training Programs

Obtain Library Support

Get Examples (best practices, research, colleagues)

Identify partners Needs Assessment (internal and external)

Develop Objectives

Design Programs (using a variety of

methods) Assess

Training

Develop Diversity Awareness

Create a Respectful

Work Environment

Learn Cross Cultural

Communication Nuances

Develop Cultural Competency

Know your community

Visibility

• Library patrons…need to see themselves when they walk into the library. They need to see themselves in the displays, collections, websites, and staff, because to see yourself is the first human connection, the first human invitation to become a lifelong user of libraries...*

*http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/diversityactionb/divrecruitment/recruitmentdiversity.cfm

“I was sitting in a meeting and we were talking about putting some photographs up in the room where all the computers are to break it up to beautify the wall. So the person who was doing it said “We’re going to put pictures from the 1920s”. So when they put pictures up there it was only white people and white men in the pictures and I’m like “okay ,am I the only one that sees this question?” …

Diversity Should be Reflected and Visible

• Handouts• Web Pages• Images• Resources

A Need for Us All to Be Culturally Competent

Lori Mestrelmestre@illinois.edu

Support for the research funded by the Research and Publication Committee of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.