“They must come to see that, as traditionally organized institutions, libraries help to reproduce existing social inequalities while giving the illusion that such inequalities are natural and fair.” Abdullahi, 2007, p. 455
Many people join the information profession with the hope to empower patrons through the power of knowledge and the opportunity it provides educationally and socially. Thus, many prospective information professionals view libraries as noble institution that should reach out to underserved populations and minorities. Recognizing the cultural differences and how these differences affect the patron and society is essential.
Without this recognition, libraries use the dominant groups cultural view point when serving patrons. This viewpoint affects library operations, reinforcing the dominant groups culture as the norm, and perpetuating the current state of inequality, rather than improve it. It is important for libraries to recognize their role in the institutionalization of inequality, so that efforts can be made to reflect our multicultural society in library services. Libraries collect and preserve books and materials to make up the cultural record. In doing so, they establish what is the accepted culture. The degree of empowerment plateaus quickly when it is met with inequality.
It is especially important for library students to recognize this as an ethical issue. To do this, ethics must be an important part of the curriculum in Master’s of Library and Information Science programs and schools. This may drastically change how classes are taught, but it only makes sense so that students can then practice this multicultural sensitivity during their careers.
Abdullahi, I. (2007). Diversity and intercultural issues in library and information science (LIS) education. New Library World, 108(9/10), 453-459.
“The cultural background of LIS professionals (e.g., cultural and ethnic groups, language, socioeconomic status, the environment) is an important consideration in the process inasmuch as members of minority groups within the ranks may be able to help bridge communication, interpersonal, and cultural gaps.” Overall, 2009, p.18
America’s cultural landscape has changed significantly in the past few decades, and will continue to become more diverse as time goes on. Most libraries, however, do not reflect this change. The typical librarian is white, middle class female. How can we diversify the library landscape, and why does it matter?
Some library science schools have marketed to minority populations specifically to increase diversity in the profession. Thus, libraries can hire librarians that represent a culture or underserved population. These efforts need to be adopted on a larger scale to improve cultural competence in library institutions.
Increasing diversity in LIS professionals increases the degree of cultural competence in library institutions. This is especially helpful when developing a collection that is in another language, answering reference questions to someone in Spanish, or creating programming that reaches out to another ethnicity. These efforts make the library more approachable and accessible for underserved groups. In addition, these LIS professionals are the cultural connection to this community for others working at their library, so other LIS professionals have firsthand experience with someone from that culture, making the library staff more culturally competent as a whole.
For me, being a stereotypically white, middle class female library student, cultural competence is something that I must be aware when working with patrons, but also when fulfilling the library’s mission as a whole. My experiences with other cultures through work, friendships, and travel, along with courses in my undergraduate and graduate studies, also contribute greatly to this cultural competence. Recognizing the importance of diversity, and reaching out for opportunities to serve minority populations and facilitate cultural competency in all populations, is an important step.
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