Diversity: Then is now. Commentary on Carter, J. R. (1978) Multicultural graduate library education

Abstract

Robbins Carter's portrait of the librarian workforce is still true. According to the latest American Library Association (ALA) demographics, the profile of today's librarian is that of a white (87.1 percent) woman (80.7 percent) of middle age (57.1 percent, age 45 or older) (ALA, 2013). Despite these data, support for increased diversity is strongly present among LIS faculty and within professional organizations, motivating certain initiatives such as site-specific funding, site-specific curricular foci, and national accreditation standards. The continuing challenge is recruiting potentially successful students of color into LIS graduate programs when the entry-level salary for library positions is less than $50,000 per year. The question remains: if the workforce demographics are relatively unchanged, how may diversity be better supported in master's level LIS education?In 1978, Robbins noted that there were four categories of barriers likely obstructing recruitment of students of color into LIS programs: financial, educational, psychosocial, and cultural.Financial barriers. Robbins observed that support for diversity within LIS programs was dependent on receiving external funds. This may indicate a less than sincere commitment to diversity and more of a preference for seeking convenient, and sometimes temporary, opportunities. Overall, this still seems to be the case. National attention toward increasing diversity often coincides with the awarding of federal funds through programs such as the competitive grants available through the Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program. Note that international students are usually excluded from this targeted funding.Some IMLS grants launched demonstration grants that tested approaches for limited periods of time, resulting in graduates who created ripples of influence in the workforce. Other grant-funded efforts reenacted earlier diversity initiatives and supported these earlier initiatives through a more secure presence, a legion of graduates, and continual reporting through presentations and publications. A third category of diversity support directly funds students. The most visible example is ALA's Spectrum Initiative Scholarships that have provided $5,000 in funding, a leadership institute, and networking support for over 800 students from underrepresented groups since the late 1990s. Given the current costs of higher education, most funding sources require additional commitment from the LIS programs to provide students with a package of support and, often, student employment.The educational barriers are still seen. American Indian students, for example, are overrepresented nationally in the number of two-year degree holders. A lower percentage of bachelor degree completion means that their entry into master's degree programs is more challenging, requiring recruitment through long-standing personal contacts and the availability of distance-delivery course offerings. Schools continue to require application processes that students of color, especially firstgeneration graduate students, find overly complex and dependent on the quantitative measures of GRE test scores and GPA calculations. LIS education remains solidly in graduate education, although some LIS programs now offer undergraduate concentrations. In addition, there are library technical programs awarding certificates, two-year or four-year undergraduate degrees and the ALA-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) offers the Library Support Staff Certification Program. …