Minority Recruitment & Retention:

The Continuing Challenge of Diversity for the Next Generation of Library Professionals

Sonia Ramírez Wohlmuth

School of Library & Information Science

University of South Florida

Presentation available online at http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~swohlmut/JCLCoverview.ppt

Major initiatives Spectrum, 1997- (with collaboration from PLA,

MLA, NLM, RUSA, ACRL) IMLS: 12 of 35 awards in 2006 have a diversity

component ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce

(IMLS) Individual schools of library and information

science Employer support for continuing education

(growing your own model)

Preparation of a Diverse Workforce

Education and training Admissions policies and practices Financial aid Mentoring Supportive network Curriculum

Preparation of a Diverse Workforce, cont.

Entry into the profession Internship programs, residencies Mentoring Professional activism Grooming for leadership roles Community outreach

Who Are Today’s Graduates?

1997-1998 2002-2003

3,976 89.3% White 3,871 88.2%

203 4.6% African-American 235 5.4%

110 2.5% Hispanic 140 3.2%

140 3.1% Asian-Pacific Islander

125 2.8%

21 0.5% Native American 19 0.4%

ALISE Statistical Reports. http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/

Florida: A case study

Florida is a state of great diversity Ethnic diversity Large foreign born population Linguistic diversity Socio-economic diversity Growing populations at both ends of the age

range Is the state’s diversity reflected in Lib/Info Sci

graduates?

Demographics of Florida Population, 2005 estimate: 17,789,864

American Indian and Alaska Native persons: 0.4% Asian persons: 2.0% Black persons: 15.7% Hispanic or Latino origin: 19% Native Hawaiian and other

Pacific Islanders: 0.1% White persons: 62.8%

U.S. Census Bureau. State & County QuickFactshttp://www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/printer_1230.shtml

BlackWhite Latino

Florida’s Linguistic Diversity 23.1% of the population over age 5 speaks a

language other than English at home 16.8% of the population is Hispanic 16.7% of the population is foreign born Two Florida cities are among the 10 U.S. cities

where over 50% of the population speaks Spanish – Hialeah (91.9%) and Miami (66.6%)

U.S. Census Bureau. Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000.

FSU Graduates (1990-2005)

% minority 12.9 6.8 10.1 8.8 9.5 6.6 11.9 9.2 16.8 18.5 13.4 23.4 16.2 20.8 18.2

SUS Florida Facts and Figures -- http://www.flbog.org/factbook/pivot_table.asp?filter=Race

Percentage of Minority Graduates (FSU) by Year

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

0

5

10

15

20

25

USF Graduates 1990-2005

% minority 9.8 8.5 7.8 12.0 14.2 8.7 12.5 8.3 12.1 13.5 13.2 16.8 16.3 17.7 17.9

SUS Florida Facts and Figures -- http://www.flbog.org/factbook/pivot_table.asp?filter=Race

Percentage of Minority Graduates (USF) by Year

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Wh

ite

His

pa

nic

Afr

ica

n

Am

eri

ca

n

Asia

n &

Oth

ers

Florida Population

Florida MLSGraduates

2004-2005 Graduates from FSU & USF

Preparation of Graduates Internship/Outreach Opportunities Curriculum Networking/Interaction with the

Professional Community Computer Literacy Preparation for an Instructional Role Language Skills

Courses at ALA-accredited Programs

Institutions with no specific courses addressing diversity; and, no specific references to diversity in course descriptions.

19

Institutions with courses that reference diversity or multiculturalism, although it may not be the main focus of the course.

5

Institutions with specific courses that address multiculturalism or diversity.

32

Courses with Multicultural Focus

Course on services to diverse or multicultural populations (adult services)

24

American Indian 1African American 2Latino / Hispanic 2Asian American 1Pacific Islander 1Jewish 1Rural communities 1

Focus on the Young

Materials and Services for Multicultural Children and Young Adult Populations

13

Asian American 1

Latino / Hispanic 2

At-risk youth 1

Preparation for Linguistic Diversity

According to the 2004 ALISE report* only 6 of the ALA-accredited master’s programs have a foreign language requirement of any type.

According to the 2003 ALISE report** only three schools (Montreal, NC-Central, and Puerto Rico) report having a foreign language graduation requirement.

*http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2004/Curriculum/Curriculum.htm**http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2003/Curric/Curriculum01.htm

Why No Foreign Languages? Foreign languages must compete with

other required courses. These must be limited in number to ensure the feasibility and competitiveness of programs.

There is an underlying assumption that students have sufficient foreign language instruction in the undergraduate and secondary school curriculum.

Foreign Languages in U.S. Universities

Foreign language enrollments at U.S. universities and colleges reached an all-time high of over 1.3 million in 2002.

As a percent of all enrollment in U.S. universities and colleges, foreign language enrollments have dropped dramatically since 1965 when they constituted 16.5% to 8.6% in 2002.

In 2002, graduate students comprised only 2.7% of students enrolled in foreign language courses.

Welles, Elizabeth B. “Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2002.” ADFL Bulletin 35 (2004): 1-20. 30 July 2006 <http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf>.

According to NCES (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98) in 2002 graduate students comprised 12.4% of total postsecondary enrollment.

Florida Responses to the Challenge

Recruitment and retention Dedicated scholarship/fellowship programs Mentorships with the local library

community Entry into the profession

Henrietta M. Smith Residency at University of South Florida Libraries

Florida State University, Project Athena

Training for Diversity Curriculum

Florida State is one of the few schools with a foreign language requirement for students who choose the M.A. option.

Both Florida State and South Florida offer courses on multicultural literature for youth

South Florida has offered a course on Latin American information resources that requires a reading knowledge of Spanish

Achievement Cannot always be measured

quantitatively Is reflected in mission statements of

institutions that train and hire new library graduates

Can be seen in initiatives of the library community and professional organizations

When tomorrow’s librarians …reflect the communities that they serve and are able to effectively communicate with and serve all library users we will know that we have met the challenge of diversity.

CLASS OF 2016. Welcome. Willkommen. Bienvenus. Bienvenidos. Benvenuti. Bem Vindos.