Competency C

“Each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program is able to…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.”

Introduction

Differences between people and groups, or diversity, strengthens communities and institutions if the differences are both allowed expression and accepted (Wong and Figueroa, 2015). Librarians must be able to recognize the diversity of the community in which the institution is embedded. Because libraries exist to serve the community, it makes no sense to develop services and programs that are not relevant to the community. Specifically, collections and programs should reflect the interests and the makeup of the community. We need to help preserve the culture, celebrate the differences, and help erase stereotypes. 

Ignoring the diversity of the staff and patrons of an information organization will eventually cause the organization to be irrelevant to the community. While one could argue that focus should be placed on every diverse group that exists in the neighborhood, I would assert that a great deal of focus should be on the groups that have been excluded and discriminated against. This not only helps the members of the community that fall into the excluded/discriminated against category to feel included and heard, it helps to educate everyone else about the issues surrounding the discrimination. 

During the 19th century, American society viewed the huge influx of immigrants from Europe as challenge and wanted to assimilate them into the American mainstream. At the turn of the century, public libraries started to make an effort to help ethic groups, but only by helping them to integrate into the mainstream rather than acknowledge cultural differences (Rubin, 2010, chapter 2). And it wasn’t even until after the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s that public libraries actually worked on behalf of African Americans. Since then, libraries and librarians have tried to be culturally responsive and inclusive of the populations that make up the community that support them.

Figure 1 is called a “diversity wheel”. This image (taken from John Hopkins University & Medicine, 2016) demonstrates the types of diversity that we, as librarians, need to be aware of in our information organizations. “The center of the wheel represents internal dimensions that are usually most permanent or visible. The outside of the wheel represents dimensions that are acquired and change over the course of a lifetime. The combinations of all of these dimensions influence our values, beliefs, behaviors, experiences and expectations and make us all unique as individuals” John Hopkins University & Medicine, 2016).

Figure 1: Diversity Wheel: Taken from (John Hopkins University & Medicine, 2016).

Diversity is a topic of special interest to me because I have had the rare opportunity to be a minority as a white person more than once in my life. The first was as a women in a male-dominated field and the second as a person married to a Christian Arab living in Israel. While it is easy to become embittered when personally faced with discrimination day after day, I believe it has helped me to understand what many of the majority people in the U.S. rarely have the opportunity to learn: what it really is like to be a minority. It has also helped me to be both an advocate for minority groups but also a bridge between groups who don’t normally speak to one another. As librarians, I believe we need to be actively working to stop discrimination and not only include everyone as individuals but as potential contributors to the success of the information organization. As the wheel shows there are many different internal and external characteristics that may determine the group we fall into, but here I will discuss Cultural, Economic, Age, and Gender diversity.

Cultural Diversity

It always amazes me when I hear or see people put others down because of some difference between them. I have discovered that it really doesn’t matter what the difference is: skin color, religion, sexual orientation, wearing clothes from the 2nd hand store, even having gone to the “wrong” university.  Differences can always be found and arguments made for why those differences are better or worse. Except for the Native Americans that were here before the discovery of the New World, the U.S. is an immigrant nation. We are the ultimate melting pot and many other countries have not experienced the same “growing pains”.  We have a way of sounding “politically correct” while being racist that in other places, no one bothers with. For example, as a woman married to an Arab in a country where 80% of the people are Ashkenazi Jews (from Europe), I was told to my face that my house must be really dirty because I live with Arabs. I was told I was traitor because I could speak Arabic a little better than Hebrew (I could barely speak either). After 9 years of living in an Arab village and working in a Jewish-only (I was the only non-Jewish person there) company, I came to some conclusion that I never would have done as a white majority woman in the U.S: that segregation was actually a good idea. In Israel, even though 20% of the population are Arab, Jews and Arabs do not live in the same places. Everything is highly segregated. Arabs are the “service class” and as such 75% have visited a Jewish home, while only 25% of Israeli Jews have ever been to an Arab home or village. Because of the way I was treated, I did not want my children to face the same discrimination on a daily basis and risk becoming anxious, self-hating, or worse, radical. They were completely protected from discrimination because they rarely left our village except to visit relatives in other Arab villages. I could write for days about the discrimination I faced, but the real point here is that I am confident that I know what it feels like to be a minority such as an African American in the southern U.S. before civil rights.  I know what it feels like to have someone from the majority class “patronize” me. For example, even though my husband has a Ph.D. in Microbiology, people at my work would always be saying things like “he must be a good cook” or I was lucky because “Arabs are good cooks”.

Cultural diversity means that we treat people as individuals, try and connect with them, and at the same time include them. Every culture has their customs, their food, and their achievements. As information professionals I believe we have the duty to break stereotypes. Focus on African American contributions and achievements, not the crime rate (unless it is to show how this statistic is used as a stereotype). Get input from community members and staff that belong to the group. We need to take the time to understand customs as well.  They may feel very strange at first, but with an open mind it is possible to bridge gaps and learn something new. Look for positive effects or humor in the situation.  For example, in the Middle East, people go visiting each other a lot, but they never call ahead…they just show up at your house. As the host/hostess, you are required to drop everything you may have been doing and first offer a meal. If that is declined, offer soda and fruit, then nuts, and finally, coffee, in that order. But don’t serve the coffee too soon because that is the signal for the guests to go. So the trick is to not serve the coffee too late as your guests might want to leave (and you are keeping them there) or too soon because then they will think you are trying to get rid of them.  As a typical American, this custom used to drive me crazy because I was looking at it through my American Customs lens, which means they should have at least called ahead so I could get the kids’ underwear off the floor.  Over time, I realized three really good things about this custom. First, it forced me to keep the house clean ALWAYS; second, I was able to connect with people on a level we never do in the U.S, (in reality it was never more than about 1 ½ hours out of my day, but (once I could understand what people were saying) I always enjoyed the company); and third, we watched so much less T.V. (unless there was a war going on).

Another example from my own experience that relates to how people use information and why it is so important for the library to carry material that reflects the cultural diversity of the community, is that of the libraries in our village of 50,000 people. First of all, the library was not free and, because the unemployment rate of the village is about 50%, it was not a place that was available to most of the community. Additionally, the library carried mostly books in Hebrew, not Arabic (this is the same for the schools as well). As a result, educated Arabs prefer to read in Hebrew because this is the written language to which they were mostly exposed and very few can read real Arabic literature. And, as is the case in much of the world, English is a required language, so there were a few books in English. Because we were bilingual, we spoke English at home and I had a very large library of kid’s books in English, so my children typically taught their English teachers how to speak and read. I was shocked the day my eldest daughter came home from school one day in 3rd grade,  and told me that the first English words the teacher put on the board for the kids to learn were “ambulance and hospital”.  Sadly, this is a reflection of the fact these are probably the most recognizable English words in this part of the world. In addition, any teacher or school librarian caught teaching what is known as the Nakba (or tragedy) when most Arabs lost their land in 1948 in Israel, can be fired and displaying the Palestinian flag in any form is a criminal offense. Taken together, these seemingly disjoint facts actually point to a concerted effort by the Israeli government to erase the past and create a future for the kids that does not include their own culture. People in the U.S. don’t realize how important it is to celebrate cultural differences. As I have seen, it is actually tragic to lose a culture through “assimilation”. When I hear arguments for “English-Only” or “official language” here in the U.S., I realize that the same arguments proponents use are those that are used to wipe out cultures in other parts of the world.

As these examples show, cultural diversity is complex. Because of my own experience living in two totally different cultures than the one I was brought up in, I have a different perspective, but I think Evans & Ward (2007, pp. 63) have hit the nail on the head when they say “Having an experience of living in a different society helps you understand the degree of culture shock that can be experienced by a new colleague or user”. I would go so far as to say everyone should go live in a foreign country for a little while if we really want to reduce the problems caused by racism in this country. Just experiencing what it is like to be a minority gives you an understanding that you can bring home and use to help minorities here.

Economic Diversity

Economic diversity refers to the fact that people live in different economic situations. In any community there is typically a continuum of economic diversity from homelessness to very well off. As librarians, we need to be sensitive to this diversity, especially since many of those lowest on the economic ladder may need to use the library for job seeking, education, forms,  access to medical information, entertainment, reading, emailing, and access to computers for other reasons. According to the American Library Association (2016c) there were 46.2 million people living in poverty in 2010. Four years later, that figure had not changed much. As part of our professional code of ethics, librarians “provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.” This includes people at all economic levels, including those experiencing poverty. The ALA recognizes that those who are homeless or in extreme poverty face different issues than those at do not live in poverty situations.  The Outreach Resources for Services to the Poor and Homeless people (2016c) addresses this issue straight on. Librarians need to recognize that “people experiencing poverty or homelessness may be limited or prohibited by many issues, including:

• Library card or access policies requiring a permanent address

• Prohibitive fines, fees or other penalties or the perception that services incur fees

• Staff who are not trained in service to people who are poor or homeless or who are made uncomfortable by prejudices against people who are poor or homeless

• Limited promotion at the community centers and organizations (food banks, shelters, after-school programs) which serve people experiencing poverty or homelessness

• Limited access to the library building by either limited means of transportation or service hours

• Lack of programs or resources that address people’s experiences or current situations” (American Library Association ,2016c)

It should also be mentioned here that economic status has a direct impact on access to technology, known as the digital divide. In a society where jobs are increasingly dependent on technological, computer, and information literacy, those that do not have access to training will necessarily not have the chance to participate in the information economy. Knowing that access is not equitable and that those with lower incomes are less likely to have access, libraries and librarians need to step in and help level the playing field.

As the economic situation for many people continues to decline, especially for those with children, we need to make sure that we are part of the solution by helping with educational needs, job seeking, and discovery of governmental benefits. School is an issue for many homeless children as they may move around a lot. Reading, homework help, and other educational outreach for homeless children may make a huge difference in the life of a child who may not have any other stable access to education. Librarians help anyone who comes into the library to find information, regardless of their economic situation, but they should also be very sensitive to the fact that many in extreme poverty or homeless situations may need extra care and should be given it.

Age

One group of library users that librarians need to understand the information needs of are the elderly. The internet as we know it is only about 25 years old, so those who are reaching retirement age now were already 50 years old when Mosaic (or Netscape, the first real internet browser) was introduced. I was in graduate school, working on a Ph.D.in Computer Science at the time and I remember thinking when I heard about “Mosaic” and “the Internet” that is was some newfangled fad that would quickly disappear because I was already in my 30’s and I’d seen many technologies come and go. I was so wrong, but there are still many in my generation that only use computers to do email and type documents.  For many who did not grow up with computers, or perhaps used only typewriters, computer technology and the internet can be somewhat scary. While the same can be said for those who can’t afford to buy computers, the elderly are a different group not only because they are not digital natives, but because they may have accessibility challenges like vision, hearing, and motor issues. They may have no frame of reference for learning how to use a software program because they grew up in the industrial age not the information age. Add to that the number of people reaching retirement age in the U.S., which is growing faster than any other age group in the U.S. as the baby-boomers turn 65 and older. This means that because the population of older adults as part of the community of the information organization is increasing, services and products aimed at this sector need to increase. So, for example, an increase in computer training courses for older adults would help older patrons become more self-sufficient with a computerized catalog, finding information on the internet, and using other tools for their information needs. Adding books and magazines or other printed material in large print is another way to help older patrons enjoy access at the library.  According to the Outreach Resources for Services to Older Adults (American Library Association, 2016b), “Libraries can help eliminate barriers to access for older adults by:

• Providing books-by-mail programs, home visits, institutional deposit collections, accessible bookmobiles, or other outreach programs for homebound older adults

• Utilizing tools such as computer screen readers, screen magnifiers, or other tools to enlarge texts and providing accessible collections including audio books, large-print formats, or Braille titles.

• Designing library spaces for accessibility, including clear aisles and pathways, available seating, accessible shelving, easy to navigate entrances.”

Obviously, it will help to pull together an advisory group made up of community elders to help determine the best products and services for older adults. In fact, they may become the largest group of users if the library can remain relevant for them because they are not only a large sector in the U.S. economy, if they are retired, they also have the time to come and use the library.

Gender

The last group I am going to mention is that of Gender. As mentioned above, the digital divide is the gap between those who have access to technology and those that do not (Cooper and Weaver, 2003). Besides race and income, girls are less likely to have access to and utilization of technology, regardless of race or income. Even though the information economy is based on the use of technology, only 17% of the people taking the Advanced Placement Compute Science test in high school are girls, even though they constitute 50% of the population (Cooper and Weaver, 2003). An even lower percentage of female college freshmen indicate that they will pursue a degree in computer science. It is a similar story for engineering and the hard sciences.  Much of this is the idea that women don’t belong in this field, that only men have the capacity for engineering and math, and that the lack of women in these fields only proves their point. Interestingly, studies have shown that girls start to lose interest in STEM fields (aside from Biology) by the time they hit middle school.

As a female in Computer Science, I was typically the only women in all of my classes starting from undergraduate all the way through my Ph.D. My advisor was the only woman in a department of 20 professors. Both she and I were almost run out of the department by the male professors, one of which told me point blank I should not be taking up space that a male could have instead, since I should be at home in the kitchen.  I felt I had to work twice as hard to get ½ the recognition and that many viewed me as the “token” female. While this experience was very unpleasant, it did help to shape my views on increasing diversity, especially gender diversity in male dominated technology and engineering fields.  

Libraries and librarians can help with this situation in a big way by bringing in programs and services dedicated to helping get girls access to technology that is relevant to them. For example, a Minecraft Club where the goal is to create worlds and have social interactions they can get excited about. While many people would argue against creating a situation where only girls “need apply”, research has shown that girls actually open up and work less self-consciously (and get more excited about technology) when boys are not involved (Farmer, 2008).  Another idea is to use a maker-space where the girls can use technology to design whatever they want, from jewelry to plastic animals on Computer-Aided Design stations and 3-D print it later.

Coursework & Work Experience

Most of the courses I have taken and much of my experience has prepared me for understanding the issues surrounding diversity and the need for implementing services and products that directly address issues faced by diverse groups. In INFO-200, I learned about the ALA Code of Ethics and our responsibility as librarians to include everyone and make sure everyone has access to relevant materials. In INFO-204, I learned about how diversity includes the staff of the library and the more diverse the staff is, the easier it becomes to address diversity in the community. I chose a discussion from INFO-204 as one piece of evidence because it shows my grasp on the issue of managing a diverse group of employees. Also in INFO-204, I wrote a short paper on empathy where I discuss how empathy is important in supporting diversity by giving examples from my experience of living in Israel as a 3rd class citizen. Another piece of evidence I include is my Philosophy of Management that I wrote as a final assignment in INFO-204. In it, I talk about my approach to diversity. Two other evidence items are concerned with gender diversity, specifically helping to level the playing field for women in STEM. One is my website that I developed during INFO-240 and another is about the STEM Island I created in Kitely with the purpose of educating people how to encourage girls to consider STEM careers. In addition to my school work, my direct experience of being discriminated against has helped me to develop a rare (for a white American woman) understanding and empathy for people and groups who have been discriminated against.

Evidence

The first evidence I’m submitting is called “1st_Study_Group_Page_2_Scrubbed.pdf” and it can be found on the evidence page. I took part in this discussion in my INFO-204 class and is the first post in the file. The discussion is about a group project on managing diversity and it illustrates how an enlightened manager might handle certain diversity issues that may come up with employees, such as religious beliefs. I believe this evidence demonstrates my understanding of issues and challenges that can occur in the workplace brought on by a difference in beliefs about controversial issues.

The next evidence is called “Empathy_Posting_2.doc” and is also on the evidence page. In this INFO-204 assignment, we were called upon to discuss our empathy skills. In this assignment I talk about what it was like to be treated as a 3rd class citizen because I was married to an Israeli Arab in Israel. I believe this post shows my ability to empathize with a minority group. This assignment shows that as a librarian, I would be able to empathize with diverse cultural backgrounds because of the culture shock and discrimination I experienced.

The evidence titled “Vans_Philosophy of Management_Submitted.doc” on the evidence page contains my philosophy of management which I also wrote for INFO-204. Starting on page 2, I discuss my approach and beliefs about diversity. I also reiterate my belief that if everyone lived as a minority in a different country for some period of their lives, their tolerance for diversity would increase tremendously.

My website, which can be accessed through the link “MarieVans.com - Supporting Girls in STEM” on the evidence page, is included as a demonstration of my ability to present information in a way that supports diversity. The main page of the website shows the statistics for the lack of women in STEM and the rest of the website, including most of the pages for teachers, parents, etc. are dedicated to providing information targeting girls or those that want to encourage girls. I believe this example illustrates my ability to organize information in a way that people interested in this issue would want to use.

The final evidence is “Kitely_Slides.pdf”, also on the evidence page, and is part of a slide set I presented at a panel during the VWBPE’16 conference this past March. Slide 2 is about the STEM Island I am creating on Kitely for K-12 teacher to learn how to encourage girls to consider STEM careers. Slide 2 discusses the virtual venue in which learning will occur. The images on side of slides 2 & 3 are part of the island that I have built. I believe that this island is a good demonstration of my ability to create programs and services that address diversity, in this case gender diversity in the STEM fields.

Conclusions

Diversity has special meaning for me because of the direct experiences I have had as both a minority and as a female in a male-dominated field. My coursework and the special projects I continue to work on, including all-girls after school STEM clubs at the local elementary school has prepared me for this competency. It really doesn’t matter if I’m a librarian or a research scientist, I strongly believe that everyone should be treated as an individual and that cultural differences are what make the world an interesting place…not a scary place. As a librarian, I will always be hyper-aware of discrimination and exclusion issues and I will fight tooth and nail against them.

A final note, added after I turned this in, an article I saw that discusses one of the reasons we need to provide services for the homeless: In San Francisco, the library is doing great work: Library Offers Homeless People Mental Health Services, And It’s Working.

References

American Library Association. (2016a). Office for diversity, literacy and outreach services. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/offices/diversity, Accessed March 29, 2016.

American Library Association. (2016b). Outreach resources for services to older adults. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/outreachtounderservedpopulations/servicesolder, Accessed March 30, 2016.

American Library Association. (2016c). Outreach resources for services to poor and homeless people. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/outreachtounderservedpopulations/servicespoor, Accessed March 30, 2016.

Cooper, J. and Weaver, K.D. (2003). Gender and computers: Understanding the digital divide. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Mahwah, NJ.

Evans, G.E. and Ward, P.L. (2007). Management basics for information professionals, 2nd edition. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. New York, NY.

Farmer, L.(2008). Teen girls and technology: What’s the problem, what’s the solution? Teachers College Press. New York, NY.

Grassian, E.S. and Kaplowitz, J.R. (2009). Information literacy instruction: Theory and practice, 2nd edition. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. New York, NY.

Jaeger, P. T., Sarin, L. C., & Peterson, K. J. (2015). Diversity, Inclusion, and Library and Information Science: An Ongoing Imperative (or Why We Still Desperately Need to Have Discussions about Diversity and Inclusion). The Library, 85(2). Pp. 127-132.

John Hopkins University & Medicine. (2016). Diversity Leadership Council: Diversity wheel. Retrieved from: http://web.jhu.edu/dlc/resources/diversity_wheel/, Accessed March 29, 2016.

Rubin, R.E. (2010). Foundations of library and information science, 3rd edition. Neal-Schuman Publishers. New York, NY.

Wong, P. and Figueroa, M. (2015). Diversity, Cultures, and Equity of Access. In: Information services today: An introduction, Hirsh, S., editor. Rowman & Littlefield. Lanham, MD.