Recognize the diversity (such as cultural and economic) in the clientele and employees of an information organization and be familiar with actions the organization should take to address this diversity.
“The library card is a passport to wonders and miracles, glimpses into other lives, religions, experiences, the hopes and dreams and strivings of ALL human beings, and it is this passport that opens our eyes and hearts to the world beyond our front doors, that is one of our best hopes against tyranny, xenophobia, hopelessness, despair, anarchy, and ignorance.”
–Libba Bray
EXPLICATION
Malcolm Forbes, entrepreneur and publisher of Forbes magazine, defined diversity as “the art of thinking independently together.” This perfectly describes library’s ideals. Libraries should be, and are, havens of diversity. Libraries are for the use and benefit of all people regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, religious, racial, age, or gender differences. A collection reflecting the community’s diversity will not only provide relevant materials for certain groups within the community but also provide new points of view that broaden the perspective of all patrons who open themselves up to new ideas. Understanding and embracing the diversity of the patron community means not only understanding and addressing their various information needs but also understanding the nuances required for interaction with people from different backgrounds and abilities. It means reaching out to members of the patron community who might not otherwise find their way to the library or who may not have a full understanding of the library’s services and programs. Libraries support independent thinking and celebrate diversity by providing access to a wide variety of ideas, information, and points of view through materials, services, and programs, thus ensuring the continued right of intellectual freedom for all people.
Because they serve a diverse population, libraries must provide access to information needed by, and relevant to, that diverse population. This requires consideration of the demographic makeup of the patron community and an understanding of their diverse information needs in order to design programs and services that best meet those needs and fulfill the American Library Association’s (ALA) (2016) commitment to “promot[ing] equal access to information for all persons.” The ALA provides guidelines for outreach and programming for such underserved populations as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people; the incarcerated and ex-offenders; older adults; people of color, people with disabilities; poor and homeless people; rural communities; and Native Americans.
Libraries may be the sole source of certain types of materials and services for some of its patrons. For example, providing access to career enhancement materials and job opportunity resources is particularly important to lower-income and minority patrons. The Pew Research Center reports that as of 2015, more than 53% of job seekers in households earning less than $50K are likely to use library resources to help find jobs. Furthermore, over 60% of black and Hispanic job seekers turn to the library for job opportunity resources and training. According to a study conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their sole access to computers and the Internet than any other income group.” In today’s world, even if a job does not require any technical skills or computer knowledge, just applying for the job may require those skills. Job seekers need computers to fill out and submit applications online, and to create resumes and cover letters which also must be submitted online. Just as important, they need regular e-mail access in order to communicate with potential employers. Economic status cuts across all cultural and racial lines. What unifies them is their need to utilize the library to fulfill their information needs.
In certain regions, a language other than English may be the primary language of many patrons. Libraries in these areas should reflect this by including materials in languages dominant to patrons. Furthermore, libraries in areas with larger concentrations of non-English speaking patrons should employ librarians who speak the language(s) of those patrons. The services provided should reflect those that will be important to those patrons. For example, in Corona, California, the public library not only offers literacy classes for ESL patrons but also has a volunteer who comes in several times a month to offer immigrant patrons help with attaining citizenship.
Age is another factor to consider when determining how to meet the diverse needs of the patron community. Most libraries have children’s sections with materials ranging from picture books to young adult series, along with periodicals and reference materials geared to that age group. Many libraries employ children’s librarians who have concentrated their studies on working with and meeting the information needs of younger patrons. Library collections should also reflect the needs of older patrons, who may have trouble seeing or hearing or be less technology savvy than younger patrons, by including such items as large-print materials and offering classes teaching the basics of using computers, tablets, and the Internet.
Mobility of patrons should also be considered. Often times the patron community includes people of all ages who have difficulty walking or who may use a wheelchair. For these patrons such details as ensuring that there are computer stations and tables that are the right height for a person in a wheelchair or perhaps making sure shelves are far enough apart to accommodate the passage of a wheelchair should be taken into account. Furthermore, reference and circulation desks should accommodate these patrons by having at least one section that is lower so that patrons in wheelchairs do not have to crane their necks to make eye contact with a librarian. Libraries should also have services that accommodate those patrons whose mobility issues do not allow them to visit the library such as on-site libraries in assisted living facilities and nursing homes that offer regularly-rotated materials as well as a robust offering of online books and resources. Attending to such details as these ensures that patrons with these special needs will feel welcome in the library, and that those who cannot physically come to the library will still have access to resources to fulfill their information needs.
In school and academic libraries, it is particularly important to consider the diversity that comes with different learning styles and abilities. In school libraries, it is important that the collection reflect not only a wide range of reading levels but also a wide range of maturity levels. In academic libraries, it is important to consider the range of learning styles of patrons, including those who learn differently. Chodock and Dolinger (2009) point out that The ALA’s Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy “stipulates that libraries should not merely accommodate the needs of people with disabilities, but instead should word toward ‘facilitating their full participation in society’ through applying UD [Universal Design] principles” (p.26).
Incorporating the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement—when designing learning tools and tutorials as well as services and programs helps ensure the right to access information for this underserved population.
In correctional libraries, addressing the diversity of the patron community means understanding the various issues (aberrant thinking and behaviors in particular) that have caused those patrons to become incarcerated and providing them with the information they need to correct the aberrant thinking and behavior in order to become rehabilitated and successfully reintegrate into society. A robust correctional library collection will not only contain a wide variety of materials to aid that rehabilitation but also reflect the diversity of reading levels, languages, and cultural backgrounds of the incarcerated.
Recognizing and accommodating the diversity of the patron community is not only achieved through the library’s collection, programs, and services but also by employing a staff that reflects that diversity. For example, in an area with a large Hispanic population, it would be beneficial for the library to employ one or more librarians who speak Spanish and who are familiar with the unique cultural experiences that shape the needs of that community. Such individuals could be seen as advocates for that particular segment of the patron community. They could also help fellow staff members to overcome or put aside any previously held biases about particular segments of the population. Furthermore, as stated in the ALA’s Article B.3 Diversity (Old Number 60) (2016), libraries should “seek to facilitate equitable participation of all people within decision-making processes … and strive to create an environment where all are welcome and where diversity is a collective goal.” A diverse staff brings diverse ideas to the table that help ensure the information needs, services, and programs of the diverse patron community are properly accommodated.
COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT
Living in southern California, I am, obviously, immersed in a diverse population. Having grown up in a homogenous small town, I was in culture shock when I first moved to California. However, in the thirty years I have lived here, I have come to revel in the diverseness. I have worked and gone to school with people from a wide variety of ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, when I was a tutor during my undergraduate education, I worked solely with students whose “diversity” was in how they learned, i.e., students with learning disabilities. I had to learn, often through trial and error, how to communicate with these students in a way that allowed them to understand the concepts I was teaching. I attended a number of training seminars in which I learned about the different types of disabilities or students had and how it affected their ability to take in and process information. Learning to work with these students required me to look at curriculum, lectures, homework assignments, and tests through their eyes in order to decide how best to present them with tutoring help. It was an invaluable experience.
During my time in the MLIS program, I have taken many classes that dealt with the topic of diversity as it pertained to different aspects of librarianship. In INFO-210, Reference and Information Services, I learned how people’s backgrounds–economic, culture, etc.–can affect not only how people seek information but also the types of information they seek and how they use information. In INFO-266, Collection Management, I learned about the importance of understanding the diversity of the service community in developing a collection relevant to that community. And in INFO-282, Correctional Library Management, I learned that in collection development and program development, it is important not only to consider such aspects of diversity as cultural, religious, and economic status but also the diversity in the types of crimes they have committed. This, too, is a library environment where my background in working with diversity in learning abilities would also be particularly handy, as many inmates have limited education and often have learning disabilities.
EVIDENCE
1. Advocacy Assignment: Celebrating Our Diverse Community
Advocacy is important to ensuring that the needs of a diverse patron community are met. The Public Library Association (PLA) defines advocacy as “the process of acting on behalf of the public library to increase public funds and ensure that it has the resources need to be up to date.” As anyone associated with library service knows, funding for libraries is as likely to be decreased as increased, necessitating innovative ways to provide information and services for patrons. The first piece of evidence is an advocacy letter for an assignment in LIBR-204, Information Professions. The assignment addressed one strategic initiative goal developed for a previous group assignment. The letter utilizes theories of Library 2.0 put forth by Casey and Savastinuk (2010), specifically in regards to exploiting user knowledge and participation. It is a letter to members of the community, enlisting their support for and participation in a program that would bring together and celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the community.
2. Community Walkabout
In order to meet the diverse needs of its patron community, it is important for librarians to understand the demographics of that community. In the case of public libraries, an excellent way to get to “know” the community is to conduct a walkabout. The next piece of evidence is an assignment from INFO-266—Collection Development. The purpose of the assignment was to conduct a walkabout—a walking (and/or driving) tour—of the community served by a specific public library. Visual observation of the area and its inhabitants yields important demographic information that can be further corroborated (or not) by follow-up online research at a later date. The resulting information is compiled in a summary report culminating in projected assumptions about what kinds of materials should be included in the library’s collection. The walkabout provides an excellent way to begin gaining an understanding of the diversity of the patron community.
3. Collection Evaluation
The next piece of evidence offered, also from INFO-266, builds on the information gathered in the community walkabout. For this assignment, visual observations made during the walkabout are compared to online research into the demographics of the area. Anecdotal and statistical information from such sources as the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nielsen: My Best Segments website, which specializes in geodemography, are compiled in an effort to determine if the area library’s collection (in this case, the Wildomar Public Library) meets the diverse needs of the patron community, to determine holes in the collection, and to provide recommendations for future acquisitions to fill those holes.
4. Understanding the Diversity of Correctional Library Patrons
The final piece of evidence offered is a discussion post for LIBR-282—Correctional Library Management. One of the 14 Principles of Correctional Library Management—set forth by William Mongelli, course instructor and long-time correctional librarian for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections—addresses the role of correctional librarians as authoritarian, disciplinarian, humanitarian, and librarian (termed by Mongelli to be the ARIAN roles of the librarian). This discussion post addresses the roles, specifically noting how understanding the patron population affects the interaction between the librarian and the patron inmates. Furthermore, it also addresses how knowing the patron community and understanding its unique needs in terms of information and services is particularly important in a correctional library where patron-driven interests may not reflect the real needs of those patrons.
CONCLUSION
In order to meet the various needs of its community, librarians must understand the diverse elements making up its patron community. Information resources, services, and programs should reflect the diverse needs of the patron community. Additionally, library staff should include those who are best suited to understand the unique and diverse elements of specific groups within the patron community and, thus, advocate for that segment of the patron community. In this way, the library fosters a sense of inclusivity where all patrons feel welcome.
The discussion and evidence provided for this competency demonstrates my understanding of the diversity inherent in any library’s patron community and how that diversity should inform the collection, programs, and services provided by the library, as well as interaction with the patron community in order to ensure equitable access to information for all people.
References
Advocacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Public Library Association website: http://www.ala.org/ pla/advocacy
B.3 Diversity (old number 60). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aboutala/ governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/section2/diversity
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2010). Library 2.0. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2010/05/technology/library-2-0/#_
Chodock, T., & Dolinger, E. (2009). Applying universal design to information literacy: Teaching students who learn differently at Landmark College. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(1), 24-32.
Horrigan, J. B. (2015, September 15). Who uses libraries and what they do at their libraries. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/who-uses-libraries-and-what-they-do-at-their-libraries/
Shepard, D., & Bittner, M. (2010, March 25). First-ever national study: Millions of people rely on library computers for employment, health, and education. Retrieved from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2010/03/Millions-of-People-Rely-on-Library-Computers-for-Employment-Health-and-Education
Kristin Lehigh 