1.2 Learner Diversity

Candidates articulate and model cultural competence and respect for inclusiveness, supporting individual and group perspectives.

In my second semester of graduate school, I took LLT 550: Collecting and Curating Print and Digital Resources. The course was designed to cover the principles of collection development and management as well as viewing a collection as an active system that changes with the needs of the community around it. For an assignment of the course called Community Exploration Assignment, I got to look into the demographics of the community around me that libraries that I work at have served. 

The demographics of a population can vary from place to place, community to community, and state to state. The community in Sinking Spring, where I work, is very different than that of Kutztown. As a school librarian, I should be aware of my local demographics in order to look into library users. In order to best serve my library community through connection, instruction, and service, I need to understand the cultures with my community. 

For this assignment, I focused on the county that I have grown up in and worked in, Berks County. When I explored the information for the county, I learned that the county has a higher population of those of Asian or Latino descent, Spanish is a common language spoken at home, and almost 30% of the county have attained a bachelor's degree. Finding out these statistics that help to inform me about what I can include in the library. I can make sure to include materials that can make these students feel seen. Since I am wanting to make sure that every person who walks into the library sees themselves in a material that is available to them, this is a huge priority for me. 

The community that surrounds the library is it's lifeblood. The community around a library informs what the collection consists of or focuses on. In order for me to be fully informed and serve my community in the best way that I can, I need to be informed about the community around me.