In 1989, a book titled Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care was released; the book is primarily aimed at those who work in the service system to care for “severely emotionally disturbed” children, with this work being a focus on developing the practice to better serve children of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and those children’s families (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989, p. ix). However, there are listed “five essential elements” of becoming a culturally competent organization that librarians and other information-professionals can also utilize (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989, p. v).
Those elements are:
Using these five elements, information-professionals can make their information organizations equitable for the community they serve. More importantly, this ensures that all information and the library itself have equitable access.
Equity—which is not the same as formal equality—assumes difference and takes those differences into account to ensure a fair process and ultimately a fair outcome (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 2018, p. 54). Equity of access to information, therefore, is crucial for a healthy information organization. Many public libraries and other information organizations use out-reach as a method of bringing information materials to under- or unserved populations of the community they serve (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 2018, p. 57). Per the authors, “equitable access encourages a shift from developing special services for specific user groups to sustaining quality services for all user groups at all times by actively and regularly considering the multiple perspectives by which individuals encounter the information organization and its services” (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 2018, p. 57). But what about the populations that are under- or unserved that are already utilizing libraries? How can public libraries ensure that those populations are being reached under their own roof?
In 2007, the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) released a set of guidelines for developing and promotion multilingual collections and services in information organizations. RUSA establishes that it is the responsibility of libraries to provide an equitable level of service to all members of their communities regardless of ethnic, cultural, or linguistic background (2007, Section 1.0 para 1). RUSA also stresses that this should not be seen as an “additional” or “extra” service, but that it is an integral part of the library’s services (2007, Section 1.0 para 2). Commenting on RUSA’s Guidelines, Du adds that “[m]ulticultural library collections may create a sense of belonging in their new communities for these new immigrants. Moreover, materials in their native languages help patrons by offering lifelong learning for people for whom English is a second language” (2016, p. 63). In addition, a diverse collection helps the community as a whole to accept differences and increase knowledge of the world (Du, 2016, p. 63).
Works Cited
Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K. & Isaacs, M. (1989) Towards a culturally competent system of care: A monograph on effective services for minority children who are severely emotionally disturbed. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University.
Du, Y. (2016) Small libraries, big impact: How to better serve your community in the digital age. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
“Guidelines for the development and promotion of multilingual collections and services.” (2007) Reference and User Services Association. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidemultilingual
Wong, P., Figueroa, M, & Cardenas-Dow, M. (2018) “Diversity, equity of access, and social justice.” In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information Services Today (2nd Edition), pp. 52-68. Lanhamn, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.