ALA Diversity Town Hall Meeting

Diversity Town Hall Meeting at ALA.
Friday, 10 June 2009

All attendees were asked to introduce themselves and say a bit about why they are here at the meeting. Some of the reasons include:

• wanting information about recruitment, leadership, staffing both to the profession and to library schools
• serve as a voice for the silent and traditionally underrepresented groups
• promote diversity to youth and prospective librarians
• recruitment to specific areas of the profession (music, academic, medical librarianship)
• how to apply diversity to work as a librarian
• how to enhance programming and services for new populations
• outreach efforts to traditionally underrepresented groups
• what are library schools doing to recruit native language speakers
• interest in serving people with disabilities
• Librarians for America's Neighborhoods (Urban Libraries Council). Assessment and evaluation tool that will be useful for others.
  
• define and discuss cultural competences
• diversity fatigue
• create diverse collections
• glbt diversity issues are not working at cross purposes with other diversity issues
• residency programs interest
• attracting underrepresented groups to particular areas
• recruitment at levels below college; if students don't see value in a BA, they won't see value in an MLS
• incorporate diversity into the curriculum, particularly in an online environment
• we need a national diversity agenda
• accessibility in library systems and websites
• matching library school students to jobs
  

During the introductions, attendees gave more details about their interests than is represented above.

Diversity in library education

• Change the way we think about what we do
• Roberto Ibarra - Contextual Diversity
• Curriculum education: it is the responsibility of all faculty to discuss diversity, not just the course on diversity or not just the diversity officer
• Theory should inform practice: role theory, general systems theory
• Recruitment: what can LIS do to recruit to the profession. Alumni and currently enrolled students are a good resource; start recruiting at an early age; target student workers and support staff; hold social events for staff to inform and educate
• Be transparent to and inclusive of your students
• Psychic pay: what librarians work for

Among all thew people of the world, there are more similarities than there are differences.


Time did not permit me to record the rest of the discussion that took place.

ALA Diversity Town Hall Meeting