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Demographics

Articulate the importance of designing programs and services supportive of diversity, inclusion, and equity for clientele and employees.

Introduction

Awareness and knowledge of diversity and its impact is imperative to providing equitable services. Supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives will enhance library operations, services, and programs. Due to the diversity of clientele, libraries should be prepared to fill a broad range of information needs. Aiming for equity and inclusion will enhance the collections and programming opportunities that are provided.

Diversity

The Oxford Dictionary defines diversity as “the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.” Libraries benefit from diversity initiatives; defining information needs can clarify the range of diversity within the community. Information needs are part of the human condition, which is intangible in its entire scope (O’Brien & Greyson, 41). Diversity initiatives focus on groups that have been excluded in some way; removing discrimination and prejudice with significant and intentional efforts can weaken that exclusion and broaden community reach. Intercultural communication and collaboration will bring inclusion into the library (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 53-57).

Inclusion

Inclusion is defined as “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups.” Libraries should strive for an environment where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully. Distinctive skills, perspectives, and experiences should be developed; innovative possibilities can occur with multiple personalities from diverse backgrounds. Equal access and opportunities will aid in the libraries successful achievement of inclusion goals (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 54).

Equity

Equity is defined as “the quality of being fair and impartial.” There is a distinct difference between equity and equality; “equality implies sameness” (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 54). Humans should be treated as equals, and their differences should be respected. Equity refers to the respect of differences between people, and the recognition that some communities are underrepresented or marginalized (Wong, Figueroa, & Cardenas-Dow, 54). Marginalization is defined as the “treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.” User studies and community demographic analysis can reveal if any communities are underrepresented in the library. Striving to include these communities with appealing collections and programming will increase access to library services.

Programs and Services

Kostagiolas explains how personality and behavior traits can distinguish the information seeking approach. He refers to Wilson’s model of information behavior, noting that it:

“includes three constructs which include: a) information needs that are distinguished into personal (e.g., physiological, affective and cognitive), role-related (e.g., individual work, life, or the wider physical context) and environmental (e.g., situation factors based on socio-cultural and politico-economic circumstances); b) various types of information resources that are utilised to satisfy these information needs; and c) a variety of different barriers, encountered by individuals during information seeking, which can be of personal, interpersonal or environmental nature.”

-Kostagiolas, et. al., 3

Keeping these constructs in mind, a librarian can formulate equitable programming that furthers the goals of the institution and its users. Needs assessments can be conducted on the user population to determine the types of programming and collections that the community is interested in. Innovative approaches to diversity will strengthen the library’s role in the community, also.

Evidence

The following evidence reflects my awareness and achievements towards accomplishing goals related to diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Evidence A: Literary Review

INFO200 Information Communities

This blog post for INFO200 Information Communities explores the information seeking behavior and information needs of my chosen community, musicians, with a reflection on the article “The role of personality in musicians’ information seeking for creativity” by Kostagiolas, et. al. (2017). In this study, I reviewed the author’s credentials,  the scope of the study, the methodology, and findings of the piece, with a final determination that musicians as a community adhere to theoretical frameworks on behavior and information seeking.

A Peer-Reviewed Study on the Information Behaviors of Musicians

Evidence B: Research Paper

INFO200 Information Communities

This critical extended essay for INFO200 Information Communities synthesizes and evaluates what I have learned about my chosen information community. The essay is an analysis of current literature concerning issues and debates surrounding musicians and their information needs. I explore the available research in a literature review, followed by a methodology explaining how and why I used those sources to study musicians as an information community. I conclude with a discussion and application, detailing the types of technology and educational programming available for musicians in different library settings. Music programming can reach a wider and more diverse community. It can provide opportunities for patrons that would otherwise be prohibited by socio-economic reasons from participating in musical activities like learning an instrument.

Musicians as an Information Community: How to Fill Musical Needs

[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/sarahfisherportfolio/files/2022/03/Fisher-200-Research-Paper.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

Evidence C: Needs Assessment

INFO266 Collection Management

This group project for INFO266 Collection Management assesses the needs of a specific library’s demographics and community. The Oakland Tool Lending Library was evaluated with a full needs assessment, including a demographic analysis. For this assignment, the group conducted meetings on Zoom while collaborating in Google Docs. Each group member completed a different section of the final document; I drafted the Focus Questions section. I completed the final drafting, formatting, proofreading, and editing in Microsoft Word before submission. The group’s analysis determined that focus groups should be conducted to determine which demographic regions are not being reached; expanding marketing and publicity in these neighborhoods and communities will further diversity initiatives.

Oakland Tool Lending Library: Needs Assessment

[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/sarahfisherportfolio/files/2022/03/INFO-266-NEEDS-ASSESSMENT-GROUP-PROJECT.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

Evidence D: Equity and Inclusion Committee

Folklore Archivist Collection Coordinator, RVMA, UO

I am a current member of the Folklore Equity and Inclusion Committee at the University of Oregon (UO). The committee strives to reach equity, inclusion, and diversity initiatives; folklore is inherently a diverse major so initiatives are often successful. At the last meeting in March 2022, the committee decided on winners for the annual Equity and Inclusion Award. The committee chose to award a professor who will be revising a folklore course, Folklore in the Public Sector, to better decenter, decolonize, and diversify the readings, topics, and speakers in the syllabus. This course will directly affect the education of the student body, especially with the inclusion of diverse speakers from other campus communities. Other committee initiatives include an assessment of folklore programming and archival accessibility to determine ways that the program can strengthen access for diverse communities.

Folklore Equity and Inclusion Committee

Conclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are meant to strengthen the bonds between institutions, communities, and individuals. Equitable access should always be provided. Diversifying collections will broaden the subject scope that can be provided to a local community. These concepts should be applied to every library setting. User studies and demographic analysis can shed light on ways that the repository is lacking or achieving its diversity goals.

References

Kostagiolas, P., Lavranos, C., Martzoukou, K., & Papadatos, J. (2017). The role of personality in musicians’ information seeking for creativity. Information Research, 22(2), 1–20.

O’Brien, H. & Greyson, D. “Diverse Information Needs.”  Information services today, S. Hirsh (Ed.), Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd edition, 2018. 40-51.

Wong, P., Figueroa, M. & Cardenas-Dow, M. “Diversity, Equity of Access, and Social Justice.”  Information services today, S. Hirsh (Ed.), Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd edition, 2018. 52-68.