The Necessary Measure:
Exploring Opportunities
for Staff Diversity at
University of Wisconsin Libraries
Council of U. Wisconsin Libraries
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Tracie D. Hall
American Library Association
Office for Diversity
thall@ala.org
1-800-545-2433 x 5020
www.ala.org/diversity
Dimensions of Diversity
Accent
Language Background
Political Affiliation
Age
Learning Style
Race
Appearance
Lifestyle
Regional Background
Communication Style
Mannerisms
Religion
Economic Status
Marital Status
Religious
Denomination
Education
Mental Ability/
Mental Health
Sexual Orientation
Ethnicity
Nationality
Size
Family Size/Makeup
Occupation
Skin Color
Gender
Parental Status
Values System
Income Level
Personality Type
Work Experience
Job Classification
Physical Ability
Work Style
U. Wisconsin Colleges
Plan 2008:
Educational Quality Through Racial And Ethnic Diversity
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GOAL #1: Increase The Number Of Wisconsin High
School Graduates Of Color Who Apply, Are Accepted,
And Enroll At UW System Institutions.
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GOAL #2: Encourage Partnerships that Build the
Educational Pipeline by Reaching Children and Their
Parents of An Earlier Age.
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GOAL #3: Close the Gap in Educational Achievement by
Bringing Retention and Graduation Rates for Students of
Color In Line With Those of the Student Body As A
Whole.
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GOAL #4: Increase the Amount of Financial Aid
Available to Needy Students and Reduce Their Reliance
On Loans.
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GOAL #5: Increase the Number of Faculty, Academic
Staff, Classified Staff and Administrators of Color So
That They Are Presented in the UW System
Workforce in Proportion to Their Current Availability
in Relevant Job Pools. In Addition, Work to Increase
Their Future Availability As Potential Employees.
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GOAL #6: Foster Institutional Environments and Course
Development That Enhance Learning and A Respect for
Racial and Ethnic Diversity.
The Changing Demographics of College Enrollment
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According to Donna Roe and David Moody (2002), between 1990 and 1995, student
enrollment in higher education increased by 3. 21%. However in this same period,
enrollment by students from diverse groups rose 28% (at a rate of about 1% a year), while
white student enrollment decreased by 4%.
An AASCU/NASULGC co-sponsored study comparing four year public college or
university enrollment between 1990 and 2000 found that enrollment of racial/ethnic
minorities had increased by over 34% during the ten year period (from 1,102,486 to
1,481,633), similarly the number of non-resident foreign students had increased by slightly
more than 30% (from 197,063 to 256,663). During this same period white (non-Hispanic)
student enrollment decreased by almost 11% (from 4,607,396 to 4,117,145). Overall student
enrollment increased by 3.4% over the ten year period.
Between 2000 and 2010, the US Dept.. of Education expects public four-year institution
enrollment to increase 18%. The Census Bureau predicts that the number of “minorities”
ages 18 and older will grow almost 25% during this same decade.
What are the implications of these trends on academic libraries?
Increasing Diversity in the Ranks of the Profession is of Critical
Concern to Providing Equitable Service to Academic Library Users
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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).
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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).
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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.”
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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 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).
Recruitment Campaigns without Equally Potent Retention Efforts Have Little
Long-term Effectiveness
According to Census Bureau Reports the Number of Librarians Overall Decreased by
More than 5% Between 1990 and 2000 with Dramatic Decreases Among Most
Racial/Ethnic Groups.
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Total Librarians
White (not Hispanic)
Black (not Hispanic)
American Indian/
Alaska Native
• Asian/Pac. Isl.
• Hispanic
1990
200,881
171,470
15,500
904
6,787
6,164
2000
190,255
163,535
11,365
700
Difference
-10,656 or –5.3%
-7,935 or –4.6%
-4,135 or –26.6%
-204 or –22.5%
6,105
6,370
-682 or -10%
+206 or +3%
High Attrition Rates Among Librarians of Color
Speak to the Need for Retention and Succession Planning
in Diversity Recruitment Strategies.
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There is growing evidence of higher than
average attrition among ethnic minorities
in the profession due to limited
opportunities for professional mobility
and access to positions of leadership.
Rather than tangibly multiplying the
numbers of librarians of color, existing
minority recruitment programs have
simply provided for the replacement of
retirees and those leaving the profession
prematurely.
(Jones, 2003/Reese and Hawkins, 1999)
Student Perceptions of the University Experience Suggest
Opportunities for Intervention and Support by Academic Libraries
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According to the much cited and critiqued “Michigan Student Study” (MSS), two-thirds (or
66%) of racially/ethnically diverse students agreed with the statement “I have not done as well
academically at U. Michigan as I thought I would. Only two-fifths (or 40%) of white students
agreed.
The MSS also found that 46% of African American seniors, 30% of Asian American and Latino
seniors, and 21% of white seniors felt they had some difficulty in “being taken seriously
academically having professors think that I am capable of doing high quality work”.
Of the students surveyed by the MSS, students of color were likely to seek mentoring by
faculty/staff of color. 50% of African American, 28% of Latino, and 21% of Asian American,
and 10% of white students had a mentor of color.
In keeping with this finding the study reported that 94% of African American, 58% of Latinos,
51% of Asian Americans, and 29% of white students agreed that “the hiring of faculty of color
should be a top priority” for the university.
Indeed there is evidence imbedded in the MSS and in critiques of the study (Lerner and Nagai,
2003) that suggest it does not tell the whole story, that students’ perceptions of cultural
alienation and inequitable treatment based on race and ethnicity actually increase the longer
they are on a college campus.
To help explain this perception, Robert Blauner (1992)speaks to the concept of " Racism as
atmosphere”, that is "the idea that an organization or an environment might be racist because
its implicit, unconscious structures were devised for the use and comfort of white people, with
the result that people of other races will not feel at home in such settings".
The Desk that Divides Us:
Identifying the (Removable) Barriers to Providing Equitable Service to
Diverse Populations
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n 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.
A student in the 1986 study by Desmond B. Hatchard and Phyllis Toy explained that he/she
did not approach the librarian because, "I have a fear of appearing foolish or stupid in case I'm
asking an obvious question or a question the answer to which I have already been told but
have forgotten".
Claude Steele (1992) points out yet another barrier that could impact interactions between
diverse students and academic 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".
Ling hwey Jeng, one of less than five LIS deans of color provides salient testimony that this
feeling is not easily transcended. She says “like it or not , the success or failure that I have will
be seen as the success or failure of a minority group” (2005).
Beyond Window Dressing:
When Diversity and Cultural Competency Should and Must Become
Central to the Function of the Library
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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 socioeconomic background and/or learning style.
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In her 1997 study, Ethelene Whitmire found a correlation
between grade achieved and the total time spent in the
library during the semester. Importantly, she did not find
a similar correlation between GPA and number of books
borrowed. She goes on to assert that based on survey
African-American students [as a group example] who
perceived a welcoming college environment were also
more likely to use the academic library.
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Thus, we can see some overt connection between the
perceived environment of the academic library by
students and resulting academic performance.
Considerations for Future Service Planning
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Currently, academic librarians (of which 87% are majority)
serve a student population that is 32% minority (Roe and
Moody).
Many Researchers (Feuerstein, Gardner, Whitmire, etc.)
have found an association between cultural heritage and
learning styles. Gardner went on to describe eight different
learning modalities: verbal/linguistic,
logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, body/kinesthetic,
musical/rhythmical, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
At the peak of the information age or the
“paperless/papermore” society, there is mounting evidence
that the emphasis may be shifting from the information
itself to “the strategy of the search which may be different
for each person.” As trained search strategists, librarians are
called upon to become mediators of the search, indeed the
learning, experience.
On a recent panel NSLS administrator Anna Yackle, offered
that if the 20th century had been the “century of the
library”, the 21st century would prove itself the “century of
the librarian.” This comment obliges libraries, as business
writer Jim Collins might say, to get the right people on the
bus before determining the destination.
Ideas for Improving Academic Library Services to Divers Populations
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Commit to monthly review of the growing body of
library and education related diversity scholarship.
Participate in diversity or anti-bias training regardless of
what you think you already know.
Reach out to college faculty and staff working in ethnic
studies departments or multicultural students centers or
programs and look for ways to establish partnerships.
Join one of ALA’s affiliate Ethnic Caucuses.
Become aware of any discriminatory practice that you
observe in your library.
Recruit for diversity at every level of the library and
create opportunities and expectations for existing staff
to increase cultural competency.
Champion diversity as central (not tangential) to
customer service.
Remember the much quoted mantra: “If you don’t like
change, you’ll hate irrelevancy.”
Useful University Library
Diversity Sites
University of Tennessee
Libraries Diversity
Committee
http://www.lib.utk.edu/
diversity/
University of Maryland
Libraries Diversity
Committee
http://www.lib.umd.edu/STA
FF/ALLSTAFF/DIVERSITY/
University of Maryland
Libraries Diversity
Assessment
http://www.lib.umd.edu/PU
B/Diversity20032004.pdf#sea
rch='diversity%20committee%
20university%20libraries‘
University of Oregon
Libraries Diversity
Committee
http://libweb.uoregon.ed
u/diversity/
Duke University
Perkins Library Diversity
Working Group
http://staff.lib.duke.edu/
diversity/diverse.htm
Penn State University
Libraries Diversity
Committee
http://www.libraries.psu
.edu/admin/diversity/
Climate Survey
http://www.libraries.psu
.edu/divers/conf/climate.
htm
The Ohio State University
Libraries Diversity
Committee
http://library.osu.edu/sit
es/staff/diversity/
Relevant Articles
Diversity Initiatives vs. Residency Programs: Agents of
Change? by Rebecca Hankins, Michele Saunders, and Ping
Situ
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2003/m
ay3/diversityinitiatives.htm
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Demographic Shifts Call for Cross-Cultural Competence in
Library Professionals by DeEtta Jones
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2003/m
ay3/diversityinitiatives.htm
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Unequal Opportunities: Race Does Matter Library Journal
(November 1, 1997): 42. By Evan St. Lifer and Corinne Nelson.
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The Assessment of Diversity Initiatives in Academic Libraries,
Journal of Library Administration 34(1/2) (2001): 73-104. By
Johnnie Love
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Libraries and the Changing Face of Academia: Responses to
Growing Multicultural Populations. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow
Press, 1994 By Rebecca Martin,
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The Librarian as Mediator: A Significant Change in the
Educational Role of Librarians by Donna Roe and David Moody
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/roe99.pdf#search='roe%2
0donna%20david%20moody‘
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The Campus Environment for African-American and White
Students: Impact on Academic Library Experiences by
Ethelene Whitmire
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/nashville1997pap/whitmir
e.htm
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Other Relevant Resources
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The Diversity Librarians' Network (DLN) is being developed by the University
of Tennessee Libraries' Minority Resident Librarians
http://www.lib.utk.edu/residents/dln/
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Diversity Climate Surveys: Worth the Effort By Pat Disterhoft, associate
professor of education; Debbie Giunta, director, Center for Cultural Fluency;
and Arianne Walker, director, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment,
all of Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, California.
http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/vol7no4/disterhoft.cfm
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Rating Library & Institutional Priorities in Managing Diversity: Results of
a Preliminary Study by Janice Simmons-Welburn, Director, Human
Resources and Processing Services, University of Iowa Libraries
http://www.arl.org/diversity/leading/issue13/simwel.html
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ProMosaic™ II - The Diversity/Inclusion Assessment Tool
http://www.promosaic.org/howitworks.html
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Professional Publication: Stop Talking and Start Doing: Attracting People
of Color to the Library Profession Gregory L. Reese and Ernestine L.
Hawkins, (Chicago: American Library Association, 1999)
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