Libraries and the Demographic Shift
We are pleased to report that an article by UW-Madison’s own Janice Rice and her co-author, Haipeng Li, appeared this week in the Huffington Post:
Libraries are a mirror of the communities that they serve. For many libraries, the looking glass reflects America’s tendency to attract new citizens – and those aspiring to citizenship – seeking to turn long-frustrated dreams into reality.
Libraries are necessary to support these dreams, since they are the public institutions that new Americans and diverse groups rely on the most to support continued education, and English language and technology skills needed to thrive and compete in today’s competitive global market.
Li and Rice provide an overview of the work that libraries – particularly public libraries – in America do to serve an increasingly diverse population, and the work that remains to be done as immigrant, minority, and non-English-speaking groups grow in the coming years.
Though there is much work to be done, librarians are by and large rising to the challenge:
Later this month the five ethnic caucuses of the ALA and other library leaders from all types of libraries and backgrounds will meet for the Joint Librarians of Color Conference (JCLC), Sept. 19 – 23, in Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss how libraries can prepare for the country’s demographic shift. Our nation’s library leaders will participate in discussions on meeting the increasing demand for multicultural and multilingual collections; recruiting a racially diverse bilingual workforce; and developing multilingual literacy programs that empower English-language learners.
Janice is a librarian at College Library at UW-Madison, focusing on instruction, outreach, and partnerships with the School of Library and Information Studies. We’re also very pleased to report that this week Janice is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award at the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color. The award is sponsored by the American Indian Library Association. Congratulations, Janice!