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The proportion of ethnic minorities in the LIS school student population has remained significantly lower than in the U.S. population: in 2002, ethnic minorities constituted only 11.3 percent of the LIS student population, compared to 31.3 percent of the U.S. population. Despite efforts by LIS schools and associations in recruiting and retaining more students of color, the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities continues. This study aimed at assessing what LIS schools and other library and information professional associations have done for the recruitment and retention of students of color and identifying effective strategies for the recruitment and retention from the perspective of librarians of color. A nationwide, Web-based survey was conducted to collect input from librarians of color who already have experience with LIS schools and the librarianship. Based on the findings, suggestions were made to improve the recruitment and retention of students of color, which will ultimately contribute to the ethnic/cultural diversity in librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevancy of public libraries is often called into question, with some saying that library services have been or will be displaced by, among other things, new media such as social media. This study tested this displacement hypothesis with survey data collected from three nations (the U.S.: N = 879; South Korea: N = 700; and Singapore: N = 987). Ordinal regressions were used to investigate the relationship between the use of social media and nine public library services, taking into account individual demographic differences. The results show that for all three nations, social media use has significant complementary relationships with all nine library services examined. Computer and information literacy training showed the largest effect size. However, signs of displacement effects were observed in the odds ratio statistics, particularly among daily social media users and in reference services, library visits, and time spent in the library, suggesting that where displacement is concerned, these areas warrant extra attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries are under constant pressure to demonstrate their worth. Outcome measures can present the benefits public libraries bring to individuals in terms that are relevant to them. Beyond service-specific outcome assessments, however, few nationwide studies have examined the benefits of public libraries as a whole. Following the Finnish national survey conducted by Vakkari and Serola (2012), this study surveyed more than 1000 U.S. respondents on 22 areas of benefits. The benefits were reduced by factor analysis to three dimensions. ANOVAs were used to test demographic differences in these benefit dimensions. The findings show that most respondents viewed the impact of public libraries on their lives positively. The most frequently perceived benefit was in the reading and self-education dimension. Significant gender and education attainment differences were found for this dimension, with women and more educated respondents giving more positive responses. In contrast, age and race/ethnicity differences were significant in the work and formal education dimension and in the everyday activities and interests dimension. In both dimensions, younger respondents and ethnic minorities reported more positive responses. For the everyday activities dimension, higher-income respondents reported more frequent benefits. Overall, the public library was perceived by different demographic groups as contributing to different dimensions of their lives. There are still areas for further improvement, such as reaching lower-income individuals and seniors in the everyday activities dimension. Continual efforts are needed to measure and communicate the value of public libraries, so that funders and the public will support public libraries with the resources needed to provide quality services to all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information inequity is a central concern of the digital age. Many recognize the role of public libraries in bridging such inequities. Unfortunately, however, public libraries are often limited by the funding available to them. This study used a geographic information system (GIS), inequality measures, and multiple regressions to analyze statistics from the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and from census tract data. It evaluated the levels of public library funding and services and tested how these resources vary with neighborhood income and urbanization levels. This is one of the few nationwide multivariate studies of neighborhood-level variations. The study revealed significant funding and service variations across the nation's 9000 library systems. Distributions of digital materials, full-time staff with a master's degree in library and information science, and library programs were especially disparate. Library systems in lower-income or rural neighborhoods were relatively less funded and offered fewer information resources. Interestingly, the only variable that was not significantly associated with neighborhood income was the number of public Internet terminals. This suggests that recent funding and research efforts may have made a difference. Similar funding efforts are encouraged for other types of library resources such as staff education and training. In light of the prevalent disparities in resource levels across neighborhoods, the study calls for a fundamental evaluation of the funding mechanisms for libraries. Also, information behavior research should investigate how this structural information inequity affects individuals’ information use decisions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]