Minority Recruitment & Retention:

1. Minority Recruitment & Retention: The Continuing Challenge of Diversity for the Next Generation of Library Professionals Sonia Ramírez Wohlmuth School of Library & Information Science University of South Florida Presentation available online athttp://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~swohlmut/JCLCoverview.ppt

2. Major initiatives • Spectrum, 1997- (with collaboration from PLA, MLA, NLM, RUSA, ACRL) • IMLS: 12 of 35 awards in 2006 have a diversity component • ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IMLS) • Individual schools of library and information science • Employer support for continuing education (growing your own model)

3. Preparation of a Diverse Workforce • Education and training • Admissions policies and practices • Financial aid • Mentoring • Supportive network • Curriculum

4. Preparation of a Diverse Workforce, cont. • Entry into the profession • Internship programs, residencies • Mentoring • Professional activism • Grooming for leadership roles • Community outreach

5. Who Are Today’s Graduates? ALISE Statistical Reports. http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/

6. Florida: A case study • Florida is a state of great diversity • Ethnic diversity • Large foreign born population • Linguistic diversity • Socio-economic diversity • Growing populations at both ends of the age range • Is the state’s diversity reflected in Lib/Info Sci graduates?

7. Demographics of Florida • Population, 2005 estimate: 17,789,864 • American Indian and Alaska Native persons: 0.4% • Asian persons: 2.0% • Black persons: 15.7% • Hispanic or Latino origin: 19% • Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders: 0.1% • White persons: 62.8% Black White Latino U.S. Census Bureau. State & County QuickFacts http://www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/printer_1230.shtml

8. Florida’s Linguistic Diversity • 23.1% of the population over age 5 speaks a language other than English at home • 16.8% of the population is Hispanic • 16.7% of the population is foreign born • Two Florida cities are among the 10 U.S. cities where over 50% of the population speaks Spanish – Hialeah (91.9%) and Miami (66.6%) U.S. Census Bureau. Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000.

9. FSU Graduates (1990-2005) SUS Florida Facts and Figures -- http://www.flbog.org/factbook/pivot_table.asp?filter=Race

10. Percentage of Minority Graduates (FSU) by Year

11. USF Graduates 1990-2005 SUS Florida Facts and Figures -- http://www.flbog.org/factbook/pivot_table.asp?filter=Race

12. Percentage of Minority Graduates (USF) by Year

13. 2004-2005 Graduates from FSU & USF

14. Preparation of Graduates • Internship/Outreach Opportunities • Curriculum • Networking/Interaction with the Professional Community • Computer Literacy • Preparation for an Instructional Role • Language Skills

15. Courses at ALA-accredited Programs

16. Courses with Multicultural Focus

17. Focus on the Young

18. Preparation for Linguistic Diversity • According to the 2004 ALISE report* only 6 of the ALA-accredited master’s programs have a foreign language requirement of any type. • According to the 2003 ALISE report** only three schools (Montreal, NC-Central, and Puerto Rico) report having a foreign language graduation requirement. *http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2004/Curriculum/Curriculum.htm **http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2003/Curric/Curriculum01.htm

19. Why No Foreign Languages? • Foreign languages must compete with other required courses. These must be limited in number to ensure the feasibility and competitiveness of programs. • There is an underlying assumption that students have sufficient foreign language instruction in the undergraduate and secondary school curriculum.

20. Foreign Languages in U.S. Universities • Foreign language enrollments at U.S. universities and colleges reached an all-time high of over 1.3 million in 2002. • As a percent of all enrollment in U.S. universities and colleges, foreign language enrollments have dropped dramatically since 1965 when they constituted 16.5% to 8.6% in 2002. • In 2002, graduate students comprised only 2.7% of students enrolled in foreign language courses. Welles, Elizabeth B. “Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2002.” ADFL Bulletin 35 (2004): 1-20. 30 July 2006 <http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf>. According to NCES (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98) in 2002 graduate students comprised 12.4% of total postsecondary enrollment.

21. Florida Responses to the Challenge • Recruitment and retention • Dedicated scholarship/fellowship programs • Mentorships with the local library community • Entry into the profession • Henrietta M. Smith Residency at University of South Florida Libraries • Florida State University, Project Athena

22. Training for Diversity • Curriculum • Florida State is one of the few schools with a foreign language requirement for students who choose the M.A. option. • Both Florida State and South Florida offer courses on multicultural literature for youth • South Florida has offered a course on Latin American information resources that requires a reading knowledge of Spanish

23. Achievement • Cannot always be measured quantitatively • Is reflected in mission statements of institutions that train and hire new library graduates • Can be seen in initiatives of the library community and professional organizations

24. When tomorrow’s librarians … reflect the communities that they serve and are able to effectively communicate with and serve all library users we will know that we have met the challenge of diversity. CLASS OF 2016.Welcome. Willkommen. Bienvenus. Bienvenidos.Benvenuti. Bem Vindos.