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librarydiversity

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librarydiversity

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    1. INFORMATION 911! Library Service to Diverse Communities Saturday, April 1, 2006 Tracie D. Hall American Library Association Office for Diversity thall@ala.org 1-800-545-2433 x 5020 www.ala.org/diversity

    2. DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN DIVERSITY

    3. Ice Breakers and Exercises Introductions and Parking-Lot Issues Identifying the Five Types of Travelers: -The “Ambassador”, -The “Adventurer” -The “Local or Townie” -The “Bus Pass Holder” -The “Hostage” Shining Moment/Dimmest Hour Circles of Diversity Diverstories

    4. Immigration Patterns and Changing Demographics in the United States US Census 1990-2000 Population Increase by Racial/Ethnic Group in Descending Order Total Population 13.2% to 281,412,906 Hispanic 57.9% to 35,305,818 (Dominant Groups: Mexican 58.5%, Puerto Ricans 9.6%, Cubans, 3.5%) *Note: there are more than 700 Spanish language newspapers in the US.  Asian 52.4% 10,213,169 (Dominant Groups: Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian,Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese) *Note: there are more than 600 Asian language newspapers in the US. Arab Ancestry 38% to 1,200.000 (Dominant Groups: Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Jordan, Moroccan, Iraqi) *Although those of Arab ancestry live predominantly in the Northeast and Midwest. There are 22 Arab nations. Majority of Arabs are Christian.. Black 16.2% to 33,947,837 (Significant increase in Caribbean and continental African population. Reverse migration patterns to southern regions of US and away from the Northeast and West Coast.) *Note: This is the only group where household income went down after the 2000 Census. Native American or Alaska Native 15.3% to 2,068,883 (Dominant Groups: Cherokee, Navajo, Latin-Indian, Choctaw, Sioux) *Note: According to the 2000 Census, Native Americans and Alaska Natives have the highest poverty rates in the nation, more than two times the national average (11.7 percent). White 3.4% to 194,552,77 *Note: According to the 2000 Census, Whites have the oldest population (only 44% are younger than 35), the smallest families, and the largest number of households in the county. Gay/Lesbian couples households 314% to 601,209 (Highest Concentration in Western half of US) *Notes: 99.3 percent of all counties in the United States reported same-sex households, with only 22 counties in the entire country reporting no same-sex households. Population 5 and Older w/disability 49,746,248 or 19.1% or US population 5 and older

    5. Increased Migration is adding to the diversity and multiculturalism in the US Oxford’s Phillip Martin points out, the United States is a nation of immigrants with the motto “E Pluribus Unum," (from many one), a reminder that all but indigenous Americans have themselves or their forbearers left another country to begin anew in the US. Previous Waves of Immigration (Although various authorities will cite different timelines, give or take a decade) : 1600-1830: Great period of migration for migrants from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany and other European nations, as well as for enslaved Africans. 1820-1920: Era of “mass immigration” from all over Europe, many Chinese and Japanese migrated until limited. Period peaked in 1901-1910, when 8.8 million immigrants arrived in the United States (INS). And now, the Third Wave 1968-Present: Refugees and Asylees have contributed greatly to the nation’s diversity. Legal and undocumented immigration between 1990-2000 alone exceeds that of the first two great immigration period. 1970-1990 saw the increase of migrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Currently The US accepts four major types of immigrants ): The largest group is relatives of U.S. residents; 675,000 or 63% of the immigrants in 2001 had family members in the U.S. who petitioned the government to admit them. The second-largest category is employment-based. In 2001 179,000 immigrants and their families were admitted for economic or employment reasons The third group is refugees and asylees. In 2001, 108,000 foreigners who were granted safe haven in the US. The fourth group is diversity immigrants who apply for an immigrant visa in a lottery open to those from countries sending less than 50,000 people to the US in the last 5 yrs.

    7. A Greater Percentage of New Migrants Coming From Latin America and Asia Population Size and Composition In March 2003, the civilian noninstitutionalized population in the United States included 33.5 million foreign born, representing 11.7 percent of the U.S. population. Among the foreign born, 53.3 percent were born in Latin America, 25.0 percent in Asia, 13.7 percent in Europe, and the remaining 8.0 percent in other regions of the world.3 The foreign-born population from Central America (including Mexico) accounted for more than two-thirds of the foreign born from Latin America and more than one-third of the total foreign born. Family Household Size In 2003, 25% of family households with a foreign-born householder included five or more people. In contrast, only 12.5% of family households with a native householder were this large. In 1999, nearly 25% of all children of immigrants lived in families that were poor compared with 16% of children of natives. Children of immigrants were more likely to live in families experiencing food hardship; more than twice as likely to live in families that pay more than half of their income on housing; four times as likely to live in crowded housing; twice as likely to be uninsured. 78% of the children of immigrants are U.S. citizens

    8. Correlation Between Income and Education Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges. Only 51% of all black students and 52% of all Hispanic students graduate, and only 20% of all black students and 16% of all Hispanic students leave high school college-ready. The graduation rate for white students was 72%; for Asian students, 79%; and for American Indian students, 54%. The college readiness rate for white students was 37%; for Asian students, 38%; for American Indian students, 14%. Excerpted from Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States By Jay Greene and GregForster, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research US Census 2000 College Enrollment of Adults 18-24 by Racial/Ethnic Group Asian 56% or 613,036 White 38% or 6,323,871 Black 27% or 1,024,774 Native American 21% or 78,356 Hispanic 14% or 944,701 US Census 2001 Household Income by Racial/Ethnic Group Asian $53,635 White $44,517 ($44,226 in 2000) Hispanic $33,565 ($33,447 in 2000) Native American $32,083 Black $29,470 ($30,439 in 2000)

    9. The Library’s Role in the Building of Social Capital (or The Library is not a “Free Bookstore” Reese and Hawkins say the library is: An educational support center for students of all ages. A learning center for independent learners. A discovery center for early childhood learners. A Center for community information. Information center for community business. Center for reading, thinking, working. OCLC and others have has suggested that libraries are: Valued-added destinations Third Spaces Centers for access to consumer health information. Economic leveraging agents Centers for Adult Literacy, ESL Instruction, and Citizenship Information. People’s Universities and self-help centers.

    10. From “411” to “911”: Libraries in Today’s Information Environment America’s 3rd Great Wave of Immigration. Linguistic and ethnic diversity more visible. Shifting demographics has prompted schisms between communities that require education Cost of living outpacing average income. Housing costs are rapidly becoming inaccessible Higher education becoming more costly, competitive, and drawn out. High School Drop Out rates are high/higher for certain ethnic groups. Growing gaps between “haves” and “have nots”. Large cities are no longer the most feasible ports of entry or home for economically dependent Regentrification excludes vulnerable populations. Aging of the general population is teamed with rising healthcare costs Many low income households do not have access to work or home based information technology and may not even have home access to telephones Ladders to social mobility have become even more vague and intangible Access to “networks and gatekeepers” can increase opportunities for mobility

    11.   Issues of Access and Inequity that Impede Diversity in Libraries: Monolingual nature of library communication and native language insularity of immigrant communities. Kalyani Rai (2002) notes that 56% of Asians do not speak fluent English and 35% live in linguistically isolated households Unfamiliarity with and Misperceptions of Library Services (include fear of costs and fees) Feelings of Inadequacy (language, cultural, class or income level) Past Experience of Exclusion or Poor Treatment (new migrants may fear ill-treatment, miscommunication, judgment) Social, and Cultural Barriers {one accepted mode of being} Physical Barriers {signage, ADA, etc} Linguistic Barriers {signage, absence of multilingual staff, computer technology, collections, programs, answering machine systems} Cognitive or Communication Preferences {Visual/Auditory/Kinesthetic} Library funding and staffing mirrors socio-economic or political inequities Feelings of Inadequacy Sanctioning “identified patient’ treatment

    12. Responsive services to Diverse Communities Requires All of US (Or Moving Pass the “Hector Isn’t Here Today” Scenario) Data collected over the last decade indicates that nearly 9 of 10 public, academic, and school librarians are White. (ALA Office for Research and Statistics, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 1993-94) In 1991, racial and ethnic minorities comprised only 9% or 344 of the 4,032 graduates receiving accredited MLIS degrees. In 2001, they accounted for less than 13% or 504 of the 4,109 MLIS degrees awarded, an increase that fails woefully to reflect the combined 152% growth increase experienced by these populations between 1990 and 2000. (ALISE Library and Information Science Education Statistical Report/U.S. Bureau of the Census). Isabel Espinal (Library Journal, 2004) gives a potent example of the potential inequity in service such underrepresentation can cause., “For every Latino public, academic, and school librarian, there are about 9,177 Latinos in the population. For every white, non-Latino librarian, there are only 1,830 white non-Latinos in the population. This disparity means that whites have five times more opportunity to find a librarian with roots in their culture than Latinos.” To meet the complex information needs of minority communities, it is imperative that we move to educate and develop a large, dynamic corps of racial, ethnic and ethno-linguistic minority AND culturally competent librarians. As library director, Camila Alire, writes, “what the minority [librarian] brings to the position is knowledge of minority history and culture; evidence of supporting services to minorities; and possible linguistic abilities”. Perhaps most importantly minority librarians “can advocate for organizational change”, “serve as role models” and “provide the necessary linkages to minority communities…” (Alire, 2001).

    13. Today’s Library Workers Have to be Mediators and Barrier-Busters Despite real and perceived barriers to service, researchers and practitioners have shown evidence that racial and ethnic minorities tend to rely more heavily on libraries critical information needs. (Reese and Hawkins, 1999; Whitmire, 2002) In her compelling 1994 study, Rebecca Martin declared that library services created for the general student population often failed to address important differences in minority students' needs due to differences in socio-economic background and/or learning style. In a 1982 study by Geza Kosa, the third most common reason for students’ hesitation to ask the reference librarian for help was a fear of appearing ignorant. Claude Steele (1992) points out yet another barrier that could impact interactions between diverse groups and librarians, "the specter of stigma and racial vulnerability." Steele portends that for some students of color asking for help implies "being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one's group".

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    15. Ideas for Improving Public Library Services to Diverse Populations Read at least one popular periodical focusing on a different cultural or age demographic with an eye out for trends and service opportunities. Continue to participate in diversity and leadership training regardless of what you think you already know. Reach out to community stakeholders working with populations underserved by the library and look for ways to establish partnerships. Go out of the library. We can’t build bridges long distance. Join one of ALA’s affiliate Ethnic Caucuses. Look outside of libraries and at other businesses for customer-service and best practice ideas. Champion diversity as central (not tangential) to customer service. Remember the much quoted mantra: “If you don’t like change, you’ll hate irrelevancy.”

    18. Office for Diversity Contact Information Tracie D. Hall Director, Office for Diversity American Library Association 50 East Huron Street Chicago, IL 60611 Telephone 800-545-2433 ext. 5020 email thall@ala.org Website: www.ala.org/diversity

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