Wednesday, December 12, 2007

What is it Good For?

Monday I had the opportunity to attend a Indiana State Library Diversity Initiatives Task Force meeting at the Indiana State Library. It was a nice opportunity to see the different ways librarians from across the state are working to promote diversity in their own libraries and in library professions as a whole. Most of the meeting centered around a discussion about a program that the Task Force wants to build to encourage graduate students to consider entering the field.

This discussions triggered my own thoughts about the field of library sciences and my new awareness of all of the different opportunities within library science.
Before I became a Diversity Fellow at UL, I was a library assistant at an elementary school. In that position I gained a greater appreciation for the inner workings of the library. Though the elementary school library was much, much, much smaller than UL it faced many of the same problems that the Task Force addressed in their meeting. The librarian at the elementary school wore many hats. Not only did she do the traditional school librarian duties (checking in and out books, making sure that people stayed quiet) she also spent a lot of time working on grants and developing the library's collection.

As the Task Force members debated I thought about what ways the issue of diversity effects libraries from elementary schools to large public libraries to academic libraries. Through this fellowship I have had an opportunity to work with or collaborate with people who work in all different parts of UL. Recently I have spent some time working on a digital collections project, and after the holiday I will be working with archives. I tried to think of ways that diversity effects these types of library projects also. I came up with this conclusion: after all is said and done, it boils down to representation.

Librarians are the keepers of history and information. Diversity is important in library science because librarians have an obligation to do their best to represent the world around them. During the meeting several people mentioned that they did not want the Task Force to be seen as another "affirmative action program". While I believe that affirmative action, in many cases, opens doors for minorities, when we think about diversity it should not be limited to quotas. Libraries should be concerned about the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and ideas in the library profession. This exchange will enhance the quality of Indiana libraries in every way. Even elementary school libraries should reflect their patrons, inviting everyone to come and join the fun.

Until next time...make it work,
Ashley

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