Competency c

Statement of Competency

Introduction

Libraries are not warehouses to store materials for people to use. Rather, they are community hubs for all sorts of people to gather at. Programming is one of the key components that libraries use to facilitate this communal connection. The purpose of library programs is to educate, entertain, or some combination of both. Another important aspect of libraries is the services they provide to their community. These can range from reference services, homework help, resume building, citizenship test preparation, and much more. However, one of the issues that libraries face is that although these services are available to everyone, they do not have the time or resources to devote attention to every demographic. This can be problematic, especially if some groups have a greater need than others. That is why it is important to design programs and services that emphasize diversity, equity, and the need of marginalized people. This approach also helps to bring people into the library that might otherwise not feel welcome.

Diversity

The United States’ population consists of people from varying countries of origin, either as recent immigrants or as descendants of immigrants. Furthermore, people practice different religions or no religion at all, celebrate different cultures, and speak different languages. People have different sexual orientations, gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, housing circumstances, mental and physical abilities, and educational levels. The country’s demographic make up is ethnically diverse, and in the “coming decades, the racial composition of the population is projected to change even further...one in three Americans—32 percent of the population—is projected to be a race other than White by 2060” (Vespa, Medina, & Armstrong, 2020, p. 6). Because there is no one size fits all approach to library programming and services, libraries will need to continue to change as the population changes, to accommodate their needs.

Inclusion

The way libraries achieve “inclusiveness with regard to differences in age, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, and ethnic, racial, or cultural background within a given population” is through “library school admissions, hiring, collection development, services, and programs” (Reitz, 2014). I have experience in working with a diverse mix of patrons and staff. According to the Bay Area Census (2010), the majority of Daly City's demographics consist of 55.6% Asians, 23.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any other race), and 23.6% White. The Daly City Public Library (DCPL) employee staff members that can speak Tagalog, Chinese, or Spanish, which is helpful when communicating with patrons in their native language. Additionally, we help immigrants with the naturalization process, work visas, and any other information needs they may have. We also host storytimes in English, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Spanish. The librarians use sign language when they sing songs during storytime. There is a program called Paws for Tales whereby children can read to a service animal too, which is beneficial for children that are not comfortable or confident enough to practice reading with others. Furthermore, we have special programs on our computers for blind patrons and work with a local organization that cares for mentally challenged adults to provide them with library resources and services. The DCPL tries to be as inclusive of everyone in the community, but there is always room for improvement.

Equity

Perhaps the most important factor in being inclusive of diverse communities is incorporating equity. The DCPL is currently working to make the organization more racially equitable by examining the potential impact of its policies and procedures. One tool that they are using is the "Advancing Racial Equity in Public Libraries” from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity. Sonnie (2015) states that “Equity is about fairness, while equality is about sameness. We are not interested in ‘closing the gaps’ by equalizing sub-par results” (p. 15). One aspect for which this is applicable is a section of DCPL’s policy for unattended children after the library closes. The policy states that staff is supposed to call the police to come to take custody of the child(ren) until their parents can retrieve them. This has unintended consequences for working parents who are dependent on the library to be a safe place for their children to be while they are at work. And there are no social services available to call instead of the police. It remains to be seen what the library will do to make this policy more equitable for disadvantaged children.

Another issue the DCPL has is there is no wheelchair accessibility to the community room, which is located in the library’s basement. This means that wheelchair-bound patrons cannot attend library programs that take place in that room. Unfortunately, the library does not have the funds to install either an elevator, wheelchair elevator, or a ramp to the room to remedy this issue. The children’s librarian has been trying to get a grant to change this, but so far she has not had any luck. It is unlikely that this will change any time soon due to the financial fallout the city has experienced from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we will keep trying because it is important to improve accessibility for disabled patrons, enabling them to experience all that the library has to offer.

Evidence

Conclusion

I am quite passionate about libraries and their ability to serve all sorts of people. I think it is one of the most magical aspects of the profession. I love meeting new people and assisting them with whatever help they need. Every interaction I have at work is unique and provides a challenge to meet the expectations of library staff. I want to make people feel welcome and valued. I advocate for libraries outside of my work too, because it does no good to just preach to the choir. People that already use the library’s programs and services already place importance on what the library does for them. I want to make outsiders into library converts. So far, I have found that the reasons people do not use the library are because they think it is just for children, they did not know what libraries offered, they did not know libraries still existed, they had forgotten about libraries, they do not like being near-homeless people, they think libraries are dirty, and they did not think libraries were for them. I have done my best to dispel these concerns and misconceptions, but official library advocacy is much more effective at reaching underserved communities. Therefore, I look forward to promoting libraries in my future career so that I can help those that are not currently being included. My goal is to work towards making sure that the services everyone receives are equitable to their circumstances.

References

City of Daly City. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/DalyCity.htm

Reitz, J. M. (2014). Online dictionary for library and information science. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from https://products.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_d.aspx

Sonnie, A. (2015). Advancing racial equity and transforming government: A resource guide to put ideas into action. Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity, 1-66. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from https://racialequityalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GARE-Resource_Guide.pdf

Vespa, J., Lauren M., and Armstrong, D. M. Demographic turning points for the United States: Population projections for 2020 to 2060. Current Population Reports, 25-1144. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf