DIVERSITY IN LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Belkis ReynosoMLIS Capstone, 2011

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Saturday, April 22, 2023

Diversity

This research topic explores the issue of diversity & why this topic is important to discuss within the library field.

Dr. E.J. Josey (1999), founder of the American Library Association (ALA) Black Caucus and noted administrator and librarian, narrowly defines diversity as the equal participation of men and women in organizations, regardless of their race, ethnicity and gender.

The increase of diversity in the LIS field will have the effect in bringing benefits of librarianship and information science to greater numbers.

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Saturday, April 22, 2023

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Background

The general consensus is that by the year 2050 half of the American population will be ethnic minorities.

Recent literature has indicated that there has been a significant discrepancy regarding the percentage of graduate degree holders & librarians by race and ethnicity.

Some scholars have concluded that the absence of diversity in detrimental to the achievement of equity in the library field.

Others contend that most libraries only pay lip service to the concept of valuing the broad diversity of opinions and experiences.

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Saturday, April 22, 2023 3

Background continued…

The diversity discussions in the past decade have revolved around several primary themes: The challenge of recruiting faculty and students of

diverse backgrounds. Supporting special needs of minority students prior to

matriculation, while in school, and during the exiting phase.

The development of multicultural, gender-specific, and social issue-aware curricula and

Facing the issues of recruitment and advancement of minority librarians

Developing leadership skills in minority librarians as a way to achieve and maintain diversity.

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Saturday, April 22, 20234

Significance of this topic

Percentage of minorities have greatly increased in the population

A great need to recruit and retain diverse work force

Failure of higher education to graduate a sufficient pool of minorities

Declining numbers of minorities entering the field of librarianship is a result of diversity initiatives being deferred

Recent study suggests the integration of veteran LIS leaders with new hires may prevent high job turnover

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Saturday, April 22, 20235

Research Questions

Why is there a decline in numbers of minorities entering the library science field (workforce, education, etc.)?

Why are more minorities entering the public sector and not the private sector?

What are the major barriers to minorities entering the LIS?

Why aren’t there more courses in academia addressing LIS diversity issues?

What is the current state of minority advancement in the LIS workforce?

Is there a difference between diversity and multiculturalism?

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Saturday, April 22, 20236

Method used for Research paper

Consult the following sources: Studies that have been conducted in the areas

of (1) the efforts made by LIS schools and association in recruiting and retaining students of color and (2) identify effective recruitment/retention strategies to help develop recruitment/retention programs.

Professional library organizations ALA Spectrum program ARL Initiative Research grant programs, etc.

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Saturday, April 22, 20237

Method used for the research cont.

Cornell University Library Junior Fellowship Program and other similar programs (perhaps telephone calls to appropriate librarians for more information)

Library research, internet research, etc. Extract and process the statistical information

gathered from sources in a table format to learn the scale on how the numbers of minorities entering librarianship has changed in the last 10 years.

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Saturday, April 22, 2023 8

Possible challenges to my research

Current text on this issue may not be available May have to travel to other libraries or the use of

interlibrary-loan People that I hope to interview may be

unavailable or unwilling to talk to me Internet sites may be down or no longer available

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Saturday, April 22, 20239

Literature Review

Alire, C. A. (2001). Diversity and Leadership: The Color of Leadership. Leadership in the Library and Information Science Profession, 32 (3/4), 95-109.

American Library Association. (2006). Diversity Counts Report. (updated on January 2007). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/diversity/diversitycounts/divcounts.cfm.

Bonnette, A. (2004). Mentoring Minority Librarians up the Career Ladder. Library Administration & Management, 18(3), 134-139. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

Darby, L. (2005). Abolishing Stereotypes: Recruitment and Retention of Minorities in the Library Profession. Rural Libraries, 25(1), 7-17. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

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Saturday, April 22, 202310

Literature Review continued

Gabriel, R. (2010). Diversity in the Profession. Law Library Journal, 102(1), 147-153. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

Gollop, C. (1999). Library and information science education: preparing librarians for a multicultural society. College & Research Libraries, 60(4), Retrieved from Library Literature & Information Science (H.W. Wilson) database.

Howland, J.S. (2001). Challenges of Working in a Multicultural Environment. Journal of Library Administration, 33 (1/2), 105-123. . Retrieved from EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution.

Josey, E. J. (1999). ‘Diversity’. Journal of Library Administration, 27(1), 191-202. Retrieved from EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution.

Kim, K., & Sin, S. (2008). Increasing Ethnic Diversity in LIS: Strategies Suggested by Librarians of Color . Library Quarterly, 78(2), 153-177. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

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Saturday, April 22, 202311

Literature Review continued

Lance, K. (2005). Racial and Ethnic Diversity of U.S. Library Workers. American Libraries, 36(5), Retrieved from Library Literature & Information Science (H.W. Wilson) database.

McCook, K. (2000). Kathleen de la Pena Mccook . Library Trends, 49(1), 1. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

McCook, K., & Geist, P. (1993). Diversity deferred: Where are the minority librarians? (Cover story). Library Journal, 118(18), 35. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Pawley, C. (2006). Unequal Legacies: Race and Multiculturalism in the LIS Curriculum . Library Quarterly, 76(2), 149-168. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Peterson, L. (1999). The Definition of Diversity. Journal of Library Administration, 27(1), 17-26. Retrieved from EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution.

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Saturday, April 22, 202312

Literature Review continued

Revels, I., LaFleur, L., & Martinez, I. (2003). Taking Library Recruitment a Step Closer: Recruiting the Next Generation of Librarians. Reference Librarian, 39(82), 157-169. doi:10.1300/J120v39n82_10.

Stanley, M. (2007). Case Study: Where Is the Diversity? Focus Groups on How Students View the Face of Librarianship. Library Administration & Management, 21(2), 83-89. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.

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Saturday, April 22, 202313

Conclusion

Diversity must remain an active topic by members of the library and information science field interested in understanding the statistical data on diversity, in finding key initiatives that will assist in the recruitment of greater number of minorities to the field, and in implementing strategies that will produce greater retention and mentoring of diverse librarians.

Saturday, April 22, 2023

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