What is diversity? As Patricia Kreitz writes in her authoritative look at managing workplace diversity, “Diversity has been an evolving concept.”(Kreitz, 2008, p.101) The trend is to use an inclusive view that includes not only obvious factors such as age, race, disability, and gender, but ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, culture, marital status, position, abilities and more. (Kreitz, 2008) She argues this inclusive definition creates an environment where employees feel included without endangering the framework of the organization. She notes that every trait that makes an individual “diverse” may not necessarily apply, but only when that characteristic is identified as part of a group that experiences positive or negative consequences.(Kreitz, 2008)
Much to my surprise Kreitz takes a look at the underbelly of workplace diversity by examining the organization’s motive for addressing diversity. Is it legal, a ploy to reward homogeneity, a lip-service goal, an agent to make specific changes, or a systematic change to use diversity to a strategic advantage?(Kreitz, 2008) A profound examination of the fundamental question of why a library desires a diverse workforce is essential before deciding on the type and extent of the changes.
Implementation of workplace diversity has two inherent human pitfalls: people like people who are like themselves and people and their constructs resist change. Changing human thoughts and behaviors is not a simple, nor swiftly-achieved task, nor is institutional change.(Kreitz, 2008)
But even if those challenges can be overcome over time, an equally daunting problem may be filling positions and retaining them with diverse persons. As the President of the American College and Research Association said in 2007, “My primary presidential initiative is a commitment to identifying issues and answers to pressing questions about recruitment and retention.”(Todaro, 2007) In 2003, only 75 Hispanic or African-American MLS graduates were hired in the entire country among the thousands of libraries.(Stanley, 2007) What then are the chances that when a librarian position opens in predominately African-American Saginaw, that it can be filled with a minority applicant?
In “Case study: where is the diversity? Focus groups on how students view the face of librarianship”, the author advocates six ways to increase minority recruitment and retention.
1. Begin with personal commitments from staff for diversity
2. Start marketing librianship as early as junior high
3. Upgrade the profession’s image by stressing technology
4. Lobby for higher salaries
5. Encourage non-credentialed co-workers to return to school
6. Mentor graduate school students (Stanley, 2007)
That’s attacking the underrepresentation issue from the bottom of the employment pyramid, but what can be done from the top?
We are all familiar with vicious circles like bad economic news fueling a further economic downturn that becomes more bad economic news. Paul Jaeger and Renee Franklin have fashioned what they call “The Virtuous Circle”, an ingenious syllogism that should only have meritorious results even if it only partially succeeds.
With the U.S. population approaching 30% Hispanic and African-American, the percentage of both librarians and LIS faculty from these groups holding at historically steady 10%, the underrepresentation in student and faculty populations is apparent. (Jaeger, 2007) Their sources confirm that simply increasing the number of minority faculty members for recruitment and mentoring will increase the number of minority students and graduates. In addition, with more minority faculty a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives will permeate the content of the curriculum and the instruction. Inclusiveness will not be relegated to a course or two.(Jaeger, 2007)
They conclude that the virtuous circle begins with more diverse faculties which leads to enrolling more diverse students who become more culturally-aware graduates able to better implement more inclusive services and outreach programs that draw more diverse users to the library. (Jaeger, 2007) That’s not a circle unless those diverse users become faculty, but it is virtuous. So key to the whole algorithm would be mentoring the recent minority graduates to become doctoral students and teachers. The scheme may work, but it is, at best, a long-term solution. There is one other intriguing avenue to increasing the number of minorities in the diversity employment pool.
In a Library Journal article, the author proposes that the main obstacle to more minority representation as professional staff in libraries may not be the oft-cited cultural deterrents of a lack of role models and community outreach, but simply one of finance. Even though minority students receive more financial aid than do whites, it still may not be enough. (Greiner, 2008) He points out that the most frequently awarded masters degrees are in education, business, health, public administration, and engineering – fields open at the entry level with a bachelor’s degree. Doctors and lawyers are required to hold a masters, but they are well-compensated for it. He believes, as do I, that the elimination of the MLS for entry into the profession would quickly eliminate the accessibility problems of low-income and minority students. (Greiner, 2008) It would also put salaries more in line with education and training would be at a more appropriate level. (Greiner, 2008) The effects on graduate programs and the profession’s stature may have negative implications, but the impact on diverse representation would clearly be positive.
But diversity issues obviously are not limited to the workplace and the narrow staffing issue I’ve raised in this posting. With patron diversity questions as far-flung and intricate as “How do digital natives (the generation who have grown up with computers and the internet) interact with physical and virtual libraries (Biladeau, 2009)to collection diversity issues that impact the public’s right to access a diversity of ideas in diverse formats and languages, there is much diversity in the term “diversity”.
Sources:
Biladeau, S. (2009). Technology and Diversity: Perceptions of Idaho's "Digital Natives". Teacher Librarian, 36(3), 20-21.
Greiner, T. (2008). Diversity and the MLS. [feature]. Library Journal, 133(8), 36.
Jaeger, P. F., Renee (2007). The Virtuous Circle: Increasing diversity in LIS faculties to create more inclusive library services and outreach. [feature]. Education Libraries, 30(1), 20-26.
Kreitz, P. A. (2008). Best practices for managing organizational diversity. [feature]. Journal of Academic Librianship, 34(2), 101-120.
Stanley, M. J. (2007). Case study: where is the diversity? Focus groups on how students view the face of librarianship. [feature]. Library Administration & Management, 21(2), 83-89.
Todaro, J. (2007). Recruitment, retention, diversity -cornerstones of future success. [feature]. College and Research Libraries, 68(8), 504-506, 510.
10 comments:
I've often thought that a dual education-apprenticeship model would be ideal for librarians. I think a year of fairly intense theoretical instruction wouldn't leave anyone lacking, and another year or even two or three (depending on how much experience one already has) working under someone more experienced (for some pay, even if it's quite low) would be a better model for future librarians than the one we have now, and encourage those who have run the cost-benefit analysis of getting an MLS and decided against it to rethink.
Expanding graduate assistantships for MLS students would accomplish something similar -- it would at least mitigate the financial damage two+ years of school (possibly with an unpaid internship -- woo hoo! -- thrown in) can do -- without requiring a total overhaul of library schools. Future linguists and geologists and film theorists and engineers (I know non-white, non-native-English speaking, non-heterosexual people in all these fields) can get an education and experience without amassing piles of debt ranging from worrying to crippling -- why not librarians?
Among the recommendations listed to increase diversity, I liked # 5: Encourage non-credentialed co-workers to return to school. This seems like a natural starting point. These are the people that already have interest and experience in librarianship. In addition, this step appreciates the pool of ideas, values, traditions and cultures already present in a library.
Excellent post, I can't believe the statistic that only 75 Latino and African-American MLS graduates were hired as librarians in 2003. 75? That really hits home that there is a problem in the MLS program. Libraries serve the community and, ideally, should reflect the cultural make-up of that community. I appreciate that you gave solutions to the problem of lack of diversity. At first, I thought an entire overhaul of the MLS program seemed extreme but after reading Megan's post, I'm on board. An MLS degree doesn't necessarily make financial sense (we've probably all come to that realization at some point.)
Very eye-opening post. I think bringing financial considerations into why the library profession is, perhaps, not as diverse is it should be is valid. "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 72% of Americans over 25 are white and non-Hispanic. Yet in the library field, according to the American Library Association's (ALA) “Diversity Counts” report, 88% of “credentialed librarians” (those with a master's degree or higher) are white—a substantial imbalance, with whites overrepresented by 16%. ALA also reported the numbers for library assistants, technicians, and “noncredentialed” staff. Here, the numbers are not so imbalanced—78% of assistants and 76% of technicians are white—only a four percent to six percent overrepresentation, while noncredentialed staff are overrepresented by ten percent."
Apparently, there is interest in the library profession among non-whites, as they represent technicians and non-credentialed staff. The possibility that these library workers are unable to afford a graduate degree is a very real possibility.
Greiner,Tony(2008)BackTalk:Diversity and the MLS Retrieved April 15, 2009 from LibraryJournal.com Web site: http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=talkBackCommentsFull&articleid=CA6551177&talk_back_header_id=6523818
Creating a diverse workplace starts with individual libraries. I've worked for two organizations in the past that provide tuition assistance for employees seeking their master's degree. This may be a tough sell considering current library budget cuts, but if a portion of the budget was put towards staff development, perhaps this may be an incentive to start the MLS program for minorities or any employee who needed financial assistance.
Remember when California voted to approve Proposition 209, which basically would not let universities use race as a factor in admissions, and there was a panic that minority student admission would drop? Well they did initially at U of C Berkley, but the California university system saw more applications at their less well-known campuses, Irvine, Riverside, etc. And while admissions can't look at race, the state is passing Prop 3, which raises money to recruit minority students from middle schools and high schools, which has been somewhat effective. So why not look into something similar for LIS programs? How much active recruiting of minorities are being done in universities, let alone universities with a high rate of minority students? I don't remember any announcements about recruitment into LIS programs at Central when I was there, maybe Lorenzen could shed some light on that...
Does Wayne State recruit minority students from its own undergrad programs?
Traub, James (1999) The Class of Prop 209. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from NYTimes.com, http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/02/magazine/the-class-of-prop-209.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
I think Mike hit the nail on the head with this part,
"In a Library Journal article, the author proposes that the main obstacle to more minority representation as professional staff in libraries may not be the oft-cited cultural deterrents of a lack of role models and community outreach, but simply one of finance... He believes, as do I, that the elimination of the MLS for entry into the profession would quickly eliminate the accessibility problems of low-income and minority students. (Greiner, 2008) It would also put salaries more in line with education and training would be at a more appropriate level. (Greiner, 2008)"
It's not that I don't believe a master's degree is desired for our profession, but why is it necessary first thing when you are starting out?
That last point, about eliminating the MLS for entry, has just now been achieved, at least in Michigan... though it won't be implemented till early October. New state aid rules have removed the requirement for MLIS staff in order to be recognized by the state (and receive State Aid). This brought screams from librarians who believed that only with ALA accreditation could anyone achieve any kind of results. After spending three successful years as director without a MLIS degree, I think differently.
Libraries pride themselves on diversity in their collection, so it seems that the same thing ought to be true in the hiring process. In fact, the statistic of "only 75 latino and African American" hirees in 2003 hints at the difficulties here. This number is contextless... 75 of how many applicants? If 75 of 80 minority applicants were hired, then we know that the focus should be on making librarianship more attractive to minority students. If 75 of thousands of qualified applicants were hired, then we need to look at the institutionalized perceptions that prevent minorities from landing these jobs.
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