Diversity Recruitment Summit

On behalf of the Department of Information Studies, I would like to thank you for attending the Diversity Recruitment Summit for the Information Professions, as well as to thank all those colleagues who have worked so hard to put this summit together.

This is a time of great dynamism for the fields we represent – not only because of the changing roles and expectations resulting from developments in information technology, but because we are anticipating an unparalleled degree of professional turnover as the baby-boomer generation starts to retire and their institutions restructure and retool.

The moment is now to work to ensure that we develop a Twenty-First Century information workforce that truly reflects the diversity of Southern California. To do this, however, requires a massive, cooperative effort on the part of everyone – from high school counselors to program recruiters for LIS paraprofessional, professional and doctoral programs to the myriad library, archival and other institutions that employ and nurture information professionals and educators.

The 2006 Diversity Recruitment Summit will address changing demographics, pipeline issues for attracting new people into the field, and the creation of promotion and leadership opportunities. Hopefully, it will result not only in a plan for moving forward, but ultimately in the development of a model that can be emulated by other regions as well.

Anne J. Gilliland, Steering Committee Co-Chair
Professor and Chair, Department of Information Studies
Director, Center for Information as Evidence
Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles

Investing in the Future of Our Profession

The work of keeping our communities informed has been constant, yet more challenging every year. Today, we struggle with the old and the new, the high tech and the traditional, and in our ability to keep our libraries and collections relevant.

By choosing to participate in the 2006 Diversity Recruitment Summit, you are committing to make a difference and invest in the profession you have chosen. The outcomes of today’s efforts will be dramatic as we identify strategies that will produce new leadership for the information professions. What will be the informational needs of tomorrow’s diverse communities? How will the next generation of information professionals need to be trained to function adequately in a more diverse world?

Our democratic society allows us the freedom to choose what we read and write. With this freedom, we develop collections, services, and programs in response to the people’s needs. Yet more action is needed as we develop new multicultural service policies and recruitment strategies that will yield a more relevant workforce of information professionals for our region. This is our challenge for today, as we discuss how to invest in the future of our profession.

On behalf of my colleagues on the Diversity Recruitment Steering Committee, I want to acknowledge the work of the many dedicated librarians, as well as the generosity of supporters and contributors, which has made this summit possible. The planning and implementation processes have been a collaborative effort which can serve as a recruitment model for others to emulate.

Albert Tovar, Steering Committee Co-Chair
Library Director for the City of Azusa

Diversity: Up Close and Professional

        Diversity is that space where conditions deemed as differences are edged and become the cause for celebration, innovation, adaptation, or in the worse case scenario, subjugation and suppression. This space can either be a border where the impact and engagement are direct for some and indirect for others, or it can be open circle where all in society contribute in ensuring equity of participation.

        Personally, diversity was thrust upon me at birth. I was born in a land where my family did not look like or speak like the majority culture, but wanted the same things as majority society – the opportunity to live, learn and work towards their self-determined goals.

        My own personal experience, and our unfolding history in the information professions and at large, have shown that diversity as a point of contact can be described as a narrative of adversity, triumph and social transformation which leaves no one untouched. Thus, the work to transform the information professions in order to break down barriers to equity of information access and representation, and career opportunity, is the work of all. Informed by Sempra Energy’s conceptualization of diversity (http://www.sempra.com//diversity/dAbout.htm), diversity in the information professions includes:

Diversity in the information professions needs to be an open circle. The tackling of systemic barriers calls on our field to take our differences and transform them into opportunities for innovation, creative problem solving and enhanced productivity. The Diversity Recruitment Summit is one step that the many information professionals and educators have taken and will take to address diversity in Southern California and at UCLA. Other areas that we are continually working to address are diversity in the curriculum, research, faculty, and practice. The 2006 Summit specifically addresses issues of recruiting a diverse workforce for information institutions, with an emphasis on ethnic and racial diversity. The continuous and challenging process of diversifying the information professions in all their manifestations is a commitment to ensure that voice is given to all.

Note:
“Cultural Diversity” or “Multiculturalism” is the respectful co-existence and interaction of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious, linguistic, sexual orientation or other cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviours, cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking and communicative styles. Cultural diversity is our collective strength as local communities and in our global society. (revision of definition from IFLA Section on Library Services for Multicultural Populations, http://www.ifla.org/VII/s32/index.htm)

About the Summit

A Time of Great Dynamism

Investing in the Future of Our Profession

Diversity: Up Close and Professional