Our Neighborhoods and Service Areas are Changing

INFORMATION

911!

Tracie D. HallDominican University GSLIS

tdhall68@hotmail.com

John D. Rockefeller once said:

“I will pay more for the ability to deal with people than for any ability under the sun.”

Twenty-first century libraries are beginning to understand that the work of diversity is simply the work of learning to “deal with people”, who are often as different as they are the same. Diversity and the lens of cultural competence compels us to move beyond the old service mantra of “treat people as you wish to be treated” and a new service framework designed to make service more

meaningful and transformational for the library user:“Treat others as they wish to be treated”.

Why has diversity become such a

buzzword?

DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN DIVERSITY

Accent Language Background Political Affiliation

Age Learning Style Race

Appearance Lifestyle Regional Background

Communication Style Mannerisms Religion

Economic Status Marital Status Religious Denomination

Education Mental Ability/Mental Health

Sexual Orientation

Ethnicity Nationality Size

Family Size/Makeup Occupation Skin Color

Gender Parental Status Values System

Income Level Personality Type Work Experience

Job Classification Physical Ability Work Style

Libraries Everywhere are Coping with Change:

Finland’s Infobank Project

A service has been created through the Open Learning Centre Project (Avoin oppimiskeskus –projekti) (yrs. 2001-2003) organized by the International Cultural Centre Caisa (Kansainvälinen kulttuurikeskus Caisa) in cooperation with the Kelsinki City Library (Helsingin kaupunginkirjasto). The project is funded by the City of Helsinki and the European Social Fund. http://www.infopankki.fi/default.asp

Select Topic:WELCOME TO FINLAND PERMITS ACCOMMODATION FINNISH LANGUAGE WORK EDUCATION HEALTH SOCIAL SERVICES CRISES CULTURE AND LEISURE ASSOCIATIONS

Info Bank contains “Important basic information for

immigrants on the functioning of society and opportunities in Finland.”

Increased Migration is adding to the diversity and multiculturalism in the US

Assumptions and Values Voting

  Issues of Access and Inequity that Impede Diversity in Libraries:

Monolingual nature of library communication and native language insularity of immigrant communities. Kalyani Rai (2002) notes that 56% of Asians do not speak fluent English and 35% live in linguistically isolated households

Unfamiliarity with and Misperceptions of Library Services (include fear of costs and fees)

Feelings of Inadequacy (language, cultural, class or income level)

Past Experience of Exclusion or Poor Treatment (new migrants may fear ill-treatment, miscommunication, judgment)

Cultural, Social and Physical Barriers {signage, ADA, etc}

Linguistic Barriers {signage, absence of multilingual staff, computer technology, collections, programs, answering machine systems}

Cognitive or Communication Preferences {Visual/Auditory/Kinesthetic}

Library funding and staffing mirrors socio-economic or political inequities

Feelings of Inadequacy Sanctioning “identified patient’ treatment

To scale this wall, we need a committed

workforce.

Ideas for Improving Public Library Services to Diverse Populations

“Check” yourself

Reach out to community stakeholders working with populations underserved by the library and look for ways to establish partnerships.

Challenge the “invited, but not included” mode of “diversity” work.

Look outside of libraries and at other businesses for customer-service and best practice ideas.

Champion diversity as central (not tangential) to customer service.

Remember the much quoted mantra: “If you don’t like change, you’ll hate irrelevancy.”

Remember what happened when Rabbit tried to build a house