Search

Despite multiple calls for diversifying academia in general, and Library and Information Science programs (LIS) specifically, the number of faculty of color working in higher education remains low. This work presents the points of view and suggestions of a faculty member concerning the diversity dilemma in LIS. The work relies on personal narratives in order to present the experiences and point of view of a member of the LIS community who constantly navigates the spaces of academia while negotiating the many aspects of their experience through the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender. The main objective of the work is to present areas for consideration to those who are interested in bringing change and supporting faculty of color.

Despite demographic changes which indicate larger numbers of racial and ethnic minorities make up most of American society, library and information science (LIS) research remains focused on majority groups. This work proposes ways in which researchers and LIS educators can incorporate more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into their research, especially by making racial and ethnic minorities more visible in it. The main ideas discussed in this regard deal with self-awareness, positionality, and sampling methods. While not exhaustive, the suggestions offered here are straightforward ways in which researchers can become more intentional in their inclusion of historically excluded populations into their research. The ideas shared in this work are aimed at aiding those who are considering the incorporation of DEI topics into their existing research agendas, as well as helping LIS educators set the foundation of sound research which values DEI when guiding students' research endeavors.

Using a social justice framework, we discuss our experiences as faculty members of color working in Library and Information Science (LIS).  We present our educational trajectories as well as our professional engagement with teaching, research, and service.  This piece contributes to the growing literature on diversity in LIS by articulating African American and Latina perspectives of academia, which are underrepresented demographics in LIS and more generally in higher education in the United States.

Google Scholar and academic library discovery systems are both popular resources among academic users for finding scholarly information. By conducting an online survey with 975 users from more than 20 public research universities across the United States, this study comparatively investigates how and why academic users use these two resources. Results show that the ways participants used both resources were similar, and both were perceived as highly "accessible" and "useful." Academic library discovery systems' perceived "comprehensiveness", "subjective norm", "loyalty", and "intended use" were higher than Google Scholar, while Google Scholar's perceived "ease of use", "system quality", and "satisfaction" were higher than that of academic library discovery systems.

This work analyses the structure of LIS program mission statements. The programs considered here are all ALA (American Library Association) accredited programs in the United States and Canada. The study employed content analysis through constant comparative analysis to determine the structure of the mission statements, the stakeholders represented in these as well as and the needs the programs satisfy for the different stakeholders. The results point to LIS programs employing symbolic mission statements that do not help to differentiate one program from another. The stakeholders represented were mainly students and external groups, both in interactions with one another.

This work explores the ways in which academic librarians specializing in areas related to user services consider the courses they took as part of obtaining their library and information science (LIS) degree prepared them to deal with issues of customer service in their current work. Effective customer service is a central aspect of accomplishing community engagement in academic libraries. This research employs Grounded Theory in order to explore the process through which the librarians' personal experience of learning and applying principles of good customer service that will result in more community engagement. A total of 14 academic librarians working reference and instruction areas were interviewed for this project employing a semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis of the data uncovered perceived weakness in how LIS education prepares students to deal with customer service issues in their professional careers. Service learning is suggested here as a sensible approach to help bridge this gap between education and practice.

This study focuses on the roles of organizational stories among librarians who work at the reference desk. Twenty librarians employed in four academic institutions were interviewed. Most of the organizational stories shared among the participants and their colleagues were rich in tacit knowledge and can be classified according to four main roles: explaining work conditions, warning systems, preparing others, and finding comfort. The results of the study also suggest that the librarians recount the stories to different groups according to the role of the stories.

These numbers are up only slightly for African Americans, which made up 3.2% of LIS faculty according to the 2012 report. "Considering the Ethnoracial and Gender Diversity of Faculty in United States College and University Intellectual Communities." "The Virtuous Circle: Increasing Diversity in LIS Faculties to Create More Inclusive Library Services and Outreach.". [Extracted from the article]

Spanish-speaking Latinx are currently the second largest racial/ethnic group in the United States however, general understanding of their use of libraries, museums and archives (LAMs) is limited. This study seeks to understand the level of use and perceptions of LAMs by members of the Spanish-speaking Latinx community. The results presented in this study stem from phenomenological interviews conducted with 13 individuals who identify as Latinx and live in the Boston metropolitan area. The interviews identified a wide array of experiences with LAMs in Boston. In general, libraries were the most used by the participants, followed by museums; archives were the least used. Participants who have or have had children living in the household indicated that their use of libraries and museums was mainly driven by the educational needs of the school-aged children in the household. This work demonstrates the need to create relationships with the Latinx community in order to encourage stronger and more sustained use of LAMs. The different areas of focus for the LAMs considered here are; the need for libraries to foster more consistent use among Latinx, for museums to explore ways in which they can encourage more visits to a greater variety of museums and for archives to create more awareness of the organization itself and its usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Google Scholar and academic library discovery systems are both popular resources among academic users for finding scholarly information. By conducting an online survey with 975 users from more than 20 public research universities across the United States, this study comparatively investigates how and why academic users use these two resources. Results show that the ways participants used both resources were similar, and both were perceived as highly accessible and useful. Academic library discovery systems' perceived comprehensiveness, subjective norm, loyalty, and intended use were higher than Google Scholar, while Google Scholar's perceived ease of use, system quality, and satisfaction were higher than that of academic library discovery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work analyses the structure of LIS program mission statements. The programs considered here are all ALA (American Library Association) accredited programs in the United States and Canada. The study employed content analysis through constant comparative analysis to determine the structure of the mission statements, the stakeholders represented in these as well as and the needs the programs satisfy for the different stakeholders. The results point to LIS programs employing symbolic mission statements that do not help to differentiate one program from another. The stakeholders represented were mainly students and external groups, both in interactions with one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]