Discusses a research study of librarians serving diverse populations to determine challenges and issues they encounter, as well as their advice of how to be successful.

1. What About Mainstream
Librarians Serving
Diverse Populations?
Lori Mestre
lmestre@illinois.edu
Spectrum of the Future
National Diversity In Libraries Joint Conference
October, 3, 2008
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2. Preparation and Training
of Librarians to Serve
Diverse Populations
Getting Started
Isolation and Support Issues

3. Surveys
• Selected librarians serving diverse populations (45 questions
with open ended options)
Response rate: 44 out of 123 = 35.7 %
• All accredited U.S. Library Schools
Response rate: 25 out of 49= 51%
Interviews
• Interviewed 15 of the librarians from the survey = 27%
Web Page Evaluation of 123 ARL Libraries
• Reflection of Diversity in Library Mission and Strategic
Plans
• Time it took to locate diversity at the Library Web Page
• Evidence of Diversity Committees

4. Other = mostly
biracial
Citations from comments made for this slide:
American Library Association, "Credentialed Librarians by Type of Employment and Race/Ethnicity,
2001-2004 Average " http://[www.ala.org/ala/ors/diversitycounts/acs2005_aladiversity1.pdf.
Saye, Jerry D. and Katherine M. Wisser, Students. (Chicago: Association for Library and Information
Science Education, 2003).

5. Where
are
They?

6. Libraries with Diversity Libraries with a
in Mission Statement/ Diversity Committee
Strategic Plan
Librarian for Time it took to find
Multicultural/Diversity/ “diversity” on the library
Outreach website (5-15 minutes)
Library pages where
diversity was
not found

7. Suggestions
Make diversity/
Help make it clear who
multiculturalism visible
to contact regarding
from your web page.
diversity connections
• About Pages (diversity
mission statements,
committee reports)
• Directories (staff and
subject)
• Searches (include relevant
diversity metatags)
Toronto Public
Library

8. http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/multicultural/

9. http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/diversity/

11. http://internal.library.ucsc.edu/comm/lauc/diversity/

13. 14 of 107 78 of 107
New Term?
ARL ARL
Libraries Libraries
Diversity Subject
Outreach
Librarians Specialists

14. Barrie Public Library, Ontario

15. 36.2% of the 59% felt that the search
respondents were the ctte wasn’t necessarily
first ones in the looking for anyone with
position this type of experience.
39.1% felt they had to try
42.6% felt isolated to fit into the
environment.

16. In Percentages

18. In Percentages

19. “Not sure. The position is still being developed and
the expectations change with the goals of the
library and the university.”
“I really was not sure since it hadn’t
been done before.
“I have been able to make my strong attributes
work for this position, but I do wonder if the
position had been advertised originally if I
would have met all the qualifications.”

20. 87.2% entered library school
not thinking about a career in
multicultural librarianship

22. From the Librarian
Survey

23. In Percentages

24. 45 40.4
40
35
30 25.5
25
20
15 12.8 12.8
10 8.5
5
0
Required Elective Elements in Both required As elective and
every course and elements elements in
in every course every course

25. Residency Diversity
Programs Training
Diversity Diversity
Outreach Programming
Diversity
Committee

26. Initiate, coordinate, and
Work with diverse expand diversity-related
cultures? programs at my library
and institution?
Gain an entrée as Better prepare all
liaison to the various librarians to be
diverse populations? culturally competent?

27. Establishing
relationships 22%
Most Becoming a presence in
Other 30% Challenging the library/community
Aspect of 17.15%
Job
Developing an
environment that Developing a plan
embraces diversity of action 20%
10%

28. Gaining an
Entrée 20.5% Socially
Accepted
Approachability Greatest
Challenges Norms 2.3%
15.9%
Working with
Diverse
Cultures Other 18.1%
Communication
22.7%
Understanding
Cultural Nuances
20.5%

29. “It was my first
“I created the job and professional position.”
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.”

30. http://www.olc.org/diversity/best_prac.html

31. Was there a previous person in this position?
36.2 % NO Yes
58.6 % YES
No

32. Find the Stakeholders
Get an Introduction
Prepare Promotional Materials
Become an Ally

33. Did you find it difficult to find relevant examples
elsewhere of accomplishments, plans, programs
of multicultural/diversity librarians?

34. Relevant caucuses, listservs, committees
Conferences that focus on Diversity
Library and diversity websites
Literature
Libraries serving diverse populations
Further training and courses

35. Collection
Development

36. http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/diversity/Re
sources-Info.htm

37. http://html.ulib.csuohio.edu/bookreviews/

38. http://www.ifla.org/VII/s32/index.htm

39. Lincoln Trails Regional Library System
http://www.librarydiversity.info/

40. http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/diversityonline/diversityonline.htm

41. http://carl-acrl.org/ig/dials/

42. http://www.webjunction.org/spanish

43. Diversity Blogs
NLA Diversity Committee Blog http://nladiversity.blogspot.com/2005/12/nla-
diversity-committee-2006-07.html
Diversity@UCONN libraries blog http://ucldiversity.blogspot.com/
Spectrum: New Voices@your library http://blogs.ala.org/spectrum.php
Diversity Librarian’s Network http://diversitylibrariansnetwork.blogspot.com/
Illinois Cultural and Racial Diversity Blog
http://www.illinoislibrarydiversity.blogspot.com/

44. http://ucldiversity.blogspot.com/

46. http://www.nmrls.org/diversityblog/

47. Diversity Wikis
Diversity connects– Colorado Library Diversity Summit Wiki
http://diversityconnects.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

48. Diversity Wikis
Library Diversity Wiki -ALA
http://wikis.ala.org/diversit
y/index.php/Main_Page
•NMRLS Diversity Services
http://nmrls-diversity-services.pbwiki.com/FrontPage?lo=473b13ec

49. Culture Corner
The UT Libraries' Culture Corner is
sponsored by the Libraries' Diversity
Committee and showcases titles from the
Libraries' collection related to the many
dimensions of diversity.
http://www.lib.utk.edu/refs/lifeofthemind/

50. http://www.lib.utk.edu/diversity/activities/outreach/07-08outreach.html

51. Photo Exhibits
Competitions
Seminars

53. The Library Diversity Committee annually recognizes an
individual or group who has made a significant contribution to the
Library’s Diversity program with the Annual Diversity Award.

54. Design Programs
Obtain Library
(using a variety of Assess
Support methods)
Get Examples
(best practices, Develop
research, Objectives
colleagues)
Needs
Identify Assessment
partners (internal and
external)

55. Create a
Diversity
respectful work
awareness
environment
Cross cultural
Cultural
communication
competency
and nuances

56. Diversity Should be Reflected and Visible
“I was sitting in a meeting and we were
talking about putting some photographs up in
the room were all the computers are to put
some pictures on the wall and 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?” …
•Handouts
•Web Pages
•Images
•Resources

57. Lori Mestre
lmestre@illinois.edu
Support for the research funded by the Research and
Publication Committee of the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign Library.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign