Refocusing of the Study of Gatekeepers among Linguistic Minorities, the Case of Spanish speakers in the United States

Abstract

In library and information science (LIS), the concept of gatekeeping warrants further exploration, especially due to the strong influence it can have on information behaviors of American minoritized communities. This work focuses specifically on Spanish speakers living in the U.S. and how gatekeeping manifests in their information behaviors. This study employs conceptual analysis to explore the concept of gatekeeping in the LIS literature focused solely on Spanish speakers. Metoyer-Duran's (1991) taxonomy of gatekeepers in ethnolinguistic communities is the main conceptual framework applied to this research, contextualized by broader aspects and further definitions available in the literature. The relationship between information behaviors and gatekeepers used by Spanish speakers is complicated by language and educational attainment. The studies analyzed indicate that organizations such as local health clinics, houses of worship, Latin American stores, workplaces, and schools are common locations where Spanish speakers go when they need information. However, personal social networks are still the primary way that American Spanish speakers obtain information. The use of libraries and the Internet is limited within the American Spanish speakers' infosphere. More research is needed, especially considering that even the term "Spanish speakers" is too broad to represent a U.S. population that may come from more than 18 countries that use Spanish as a first language.