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A diverse nation from its beginnings, the United States is increasingly faced with the challenge of absorbing new immigrant groups and creating a tolerance for a plurality of cultures. As agencies known to preserve cultural heritage, libraries and their collections must be truly representative of the pluralistic populations they serve. This book overviews cultural diversity in libraries and helps redefine the nature of public and academic libraries in a multicultural society.
Throughout this volume, the authors note that librarians are searching for a more relevant cultural identity for their institutions by asking what the nature of librarianship is, what sort of a library do they work in, what sort of a library should they strive to create in the future, and what sort of a population does their library serve. To address these questions, this book provides an historical overview of the response of libraries to multiculturalism, education and research in multicultural librarianship, the impact of demographic trends on library patrons, and administrative concerns. Several case studies exemplify the discussion.
List of contents
Introduction
The Context of MulticulturalismThe Case for Multiculturalism
The History of Multiculturalism in the Library
Multiculturalism in Public Libraries
Multiculturalism in Academic Libraries
Administrative ServicesRecruitment and Selection of a Diverse Staff
The Demography of Library Human Resources
Research on Multicultural Librarianship
Education for Multicultural Librarianship by Clara Chu
Library Resources for Multicultural Library and Information Services: A Bibliographic Essay
Things That Work: Case Studies from Three American LibrariesCalifornia State Library
University of Michigan
Lorain Public Library
About the author
ROSEMARY RUHIG Du MONT is Dean of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University./ She is the author of
Reform and Reaction: The Big City Public Library in American Life (Greenwood Press, 1977) and numerous articles.
LOIS BUTTLAR is Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. She has authored several books and articles.
WILLIAM CAYNON is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. He is the author of several articles.
Summary
The United States is increasingly faced with the challenge of absorbing new immigrant groups and creating a tolerance for a plurality of cultures. This work argues that, as plurality grows, libraries need to be truly representative of the pluralistic populations that they serve.
