Multiculturalism in Libraries

A diverse nation from its beginnings, the United States is increasingly faced with the challenge of absorbing new immigrant groups and creating a tolerance for a plurality of cultures. As agencies known to preserve cultural heritage, libraries and their collections must be truly representative of the pluralistic populations they serve. This book overviews cultural diversity in libraries and helps redefine the nature of public and academic libraries in a multicultural society.

Throughout this volume, the authors note that librarians are searching for a more relevant cultural identity for their institutions by asking what the nature of librarianship is, what sort of a library do they work in, what sort of a library should they strive to create in the future, and what sort of a population does their library serve. To address these questions, this book provides an historical overview of the response of libraries to multiculturalism, education and research in multicultural librarianship, the impact of demographic trends on library patrons, and administrative concerns. Several case studies exemplify the discussion.

"Diversity is going to be the greatest challenge for libraries in the next century, but more books like this one, which seriously look at the many complicated issues, should smooth the way." RQ

Library Journal

This work is meant to fill the current need for information on cultural diversity in libraries. Its scope is broader than that of Cultural Diversity in Libraries (Professional Reading, LJ 9/1/94), an edited collection that grew out of a particular university library's experiences. This volume offers an overview of muliculturalism, discussing, among other things, its history, its place in public and academic libraries, the recruitment of a diverse staff, and the demography of library personnel. It also includes an essay by Clara Chu, "Education for Multicultural Librarianship." The authors of Multiculturalism in Libraries, all professors of library science at Kent State University, have enriched their book with a liberal sprinkling of references and with a final chapter bibliographic essay, "Library Resources for Multicultural Library and Information Sources." In a section entitled "Things That Work," case studies are presented from three U.S. libraries: the California State Library, the University of Michigan (also the subject of Cultural Diversity in Libraries), and the Loraine Public Library. Both works belong in any library whose administration is interested in diversity issues.-Martin Jamison, Ohio State Univ. Libs., Columbus

ROSEMARY RUHIG Du MONT is Dean of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University.

LOIS BUTTLAR is Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University.

WILLIAM CAYNON is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University.