Promoting diversity to add value to the LIS profession

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s (UNCG) Library and Information Studies Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) Scholars Program has had on promoting diversity and adding value to the library and information studies profession. Design/methodology/approach This paper is presented as a case study in which three iterations of the ACE Scholars Program are discussed, including program design and suggested impact the program has had on educating and engaging diverse individuals for careers in the library and information studies professions. Findings Nearly 50 ACE Scholars program participants, representing ethnically, racially and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, have graduated from UNCG with their Master of Library and Information Studies degrees since 2011. In the five years since the first ACE cohort graduated, Scholar alums continue to impact the Library and Information Studies (LIS) profession through their professional roles as well as through their community engagement, professional association memberships and leadership roles, professional presentations and numerous publications. Originality/value This paper presents a model that has helped to promote diversity in the LIS field in way that can be adapted by other graduate programs that are preparing individuals for successful and engaged careers as library and information studies professionals.

Strands of diversity in Library and Information Science graduate curricula

“…In the first of these, some literature has focused on issues related to staffing, hiring, recruitment, and retention in different types of libraries and library schools. The relevant studies have focused on assessing what LIS programmes, and other library and information professional associations, do to recruit and retain diverse groups, including students (Cooke, Sweeney and Noble 2016;Irvin 2016;Kim and Sin 2008;Roberts and Noble 2016) and faculty (Croxton, Crumpton and Holmes 2016;Gulati 2010;Jaeger and Franklin 2017;Jantz 2012;Kandiuk 2014;Subramaniam and Jaeger 2010). Other studies have focused on the competencies and skills needed by librarians and information professionals to work in diverse communities, and on providing the best practices to achieve diversity and equality in the library workforce (Andrade and Rivera 2011;Deng, Thomas and Trembach 2014;Gohr 2017;Larsen 2017;Neely and Peterson 2007;Pho and Masland 2014).…”

“Louder for the people in the back”

“…Nascent LIS research reflects similar calls for inclusion by applying CBPR principles (Cooke, 2019;Croxton et al, 2016;Fritch, 2018;A. N. Gibson et al, 2020;Harper, 2020;Irvin, 2019;Kumasi & Manlove, 2015;Ndumu, 2021;Noble & Sullivan, 2014).…”

“…While LIS researchers and practitioners are including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) on research teams and on library staffs in an attempt to illuminate these historical and contemporary issues, there is still a wide body of literature that describes the lack or racial diversity in LIS as a profession (Croxton et al, 2016;Harper, 2020). Lack of racial diversity among practicing librarians and library administrators persists (Buddy & Williams, 2005;Morgan et al, 2009) among Masters' students and doctoral students (Jaeger et al, 2011), and among both teaching and research LIS faculty (Subramaniam & Jaeger, 2010).…”

Teaching with Color: Calling in White Faculty to Address Whiteness in the LIS Curriculum

“…At the same time, professionals of color frequently suffer micro‐aggressions and more from both patrons and staff (Sweeney & Cooke, 2018). While research shows that there is a dire need to recruit and retain diverse students into LIS programs in order to support a more inclusive workforce (Croxton et al, 2016; Kim & Sin, 2008), LIS programs continue to struggle with this goal (Jaeger et al, 2011; Mehra, 2019).…”