Volume 9 , Number 2 Diversity Matters (Summer 2003) | Pages
July 2014 Volume 9, Issue 2
(2014). Volume 9, Issue 2. OLA Quarterly, 9(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1701
© 2014 by the author(s). OLA Quarterly is an official publication of the Oregon Library Association | ISSN 1093-7374 OLA Quarterly
Diversity Matters
In This Issue
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Chat
With All Due Respect
Gay Themed Books in Oregon Public and Academic Libraries: A Brief Historical Overview
Diversity and Special Services
Developing Virtual Spanish language Resources: Exploring a Best Practices Model for Public Libraries
Deep Change—Diversity at Its Simplest OLAQSummer .//0 Vol 1 • No . OLA Quarterly Oregon Library Association Summer 2003 http://www.olaweb.org Vol 9 • No 2 ISSN 1093-7374
The OLA Quarterly is an official publication of the Oregon Library Association. Diversity Matters Please refer questions and input regarding Table of Contents the Quarterly to: Fred R. Reenstjerna . OLA Publications Chair A Hitchhikers Guide to Chat Douglas County Library Karen Munro and Annie Zeidman-Karpinski 1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd. Roseburg, OR 97470 phone 541-440-6007 With All Due Respect Maresa Kirk and Jey Wann fax 541-440-4317 [email protected] Gay-Themed Books in Oregon Public and Academic Libraries: Graphic Production: A Brief Historical Overview Tobias Weiss Design Larry R. Oberg and Gary M. Klein 7345 SW Deerhaven Drive Corvallis, OR 97333 0 phone 541-738-1897 Diversity and Special Services fax 541-738-1897 Carolynn Avery [email protected] Developing Virtual Spanish-Language Resources: Exploring a Best Practices Model for Public Libraries Michael Shapiro ./ Deep Change—Diversity at Its Simplest Sandra Rios Balderrama Upcoming Issues Fall 2003 Energizing Young Adult Services Winter 2003 Other Voices: Library Associations in Oregon OLA Quarterly is indexed in Library Literature. Oregon Library Association 2002–2003 Executive Board
President OEMA Representative Oregon Young Adult Network Connie Bennett Kelly Kuntz Heidi Weisel Eugene Public Library Beaverton School District Corvallis-Benton County Public Library 541.682.5363 503.591.4286 541.766.6784 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice President/President-elect ALA Representative Public Library Division Faye Chadwell Wyma Rogers Rob Everett University of Oregon Newport Public Library Eugene Public Library 541.346.1819 541.265.2153 541.682.8314 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Past President PNLA Representative Support Staff Division Janet Webster Carol Reich Diane Bolen Marilyn Potts Guin Library Hillsboro Public Library Willamette University OSU/Hatfield Marine Science Center 503.615.6514 503.370.6673 541.867.0108 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] State Librarian Trustees and Friends Division Secretary Jim Scheppke Barbara Wright Steve Skidmore Oregon State Library Hillsboro Public Library Siuslaw Public Library 503.378.4367 503.644.7307 x221 541.997.3132 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Academic Library Division Member at Large Treasurer Sara Brownmiller Dale Vidmar Suzanne Sager University of Oregon Southern Oregon University Portland State University 541.346.2368 541.552.6842 503.725.8169 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Children’s Services Division Parliamentarian Dan White Ed House Douglas County Library System Beaverton City Library 541.440.6009 503.526.3705 [email protected] [email protected]
The Publications Committee
Fred R. Reenstjerna, chair Kris Kern Mary Ellen Kenreich, ex officio Douglas County Library System Portland State University Portland State University Ad Coordinator Juanita Benedicto Victoria Scott University of Oregon University of Portland Pam North, ex officio Sherwood Public Library Sue Jenkins Rachel Mendez Editor, OLA Hotline Driftwood Public Library Multnomah County Library System Editor, OLA Web Site OLA Quarterly Publication Schedule 2003
The OLA Quarterly is an official publication of the Oregon Library Association. Beginning with volume 3, number 4 the Quarterly is indexed in Library Literature. Each issue of the OLA Quarterly is developed by a guest editor(s), on a topic decided by the Publications Committee. To suggest future topics for the Quarterly, or to volunteer/nominate a Guest Editor, please click on the appropriate e-mail link.
Vol./No. Theme Deadline Pub. Date Guest Editor
Vol 9 • No 3 Energizing Young July 15, 2003 September 15, 2003 Christine Perkins Fall 2003 Adult Services Oregon Young Adult Network
Vol 9 • No 4 Other Voices: Library October 15, 2003 December 15, 2003 To be Announced Winter 2003 Associations in Oregon
Oregon Library Association Non-Profit Organization P.O. Box 2042 U.S. Postage Salem, OR 97308-2042 PAID Permit No. 121 Salem, OR Diversity Matters
know diversity matters to the it is just “right” to respect other offer a search strategy and methodol- Oregon library community. people, on a purely self-interested ogy applicable to assessing collections I Numerous Oregon libraries make basis, you do better when you draw for other subjects. Michael Shapiro a difference by providing outreach on a wider range of human experi- explores a best practices model in his services to previously underserved ence. The difficult part is making the evaluation of web-based Spanish communities, diversifying their collec- time, listening, and looking for your language resources offered by five U.S. tions, or recruiting ethnically or own built-in prejudices. public libraries. Bridging the emerging culturally diverse staff. Consider these Sheryl Steinke, school librarian for generation gap among library staff, libraries as examples: The Black the Eugene 4J school system, told me: Annie Zeidman-Karpinski and Karen Resource Center, located in the North … As a public school librarian I Munro examine the virtues of online Portland branch of the Multnomah believe that so much of what children chat. Examining another type of gap, County Library, offers many library learn about … happens at school. The Jey Wann and Maresa Kirk ponder the materials relating to the African best schools are those where people value our profession places on educa- American experience. Corvallis-Benton of many ethnicities, religions, ages and tional attainment. Carolynn Avery’s County Public Library offers “Hora Des persuasions learn and work together. thoughtful piece reminds us that Cuentos en Espanol” (Spanish story In public schools lacking diversity embracing diversity in libraries means time) every Saturday. Southern Oregon among the people, the books, maga- incorporating services and collections University Library is developing the zines and other materials in the library to support users with visual impair- First Nations Tribal Collection, a digital can help to introduce the richness of ments or physical disabilities. Finally, collection focusing on the tribes who the human condition. Sandra Rios Balderrama’s provocative lived in or near the Siskiyou-Cascade- Xe Yu, in Portland State University’s essay anchors this issue. Her vision of Klamath bioregion. Cataloging Department, wrote: The diversity bestows new but not effort- Diversity is a part of the Oregon most important and difficult thing to less levels to which we should as- Library Association’s Vision 2010. This achieve, of the many dimensions of pire—deep change above and beyond statewide call to action urges us to diversity, perhaps, is ethnic diversity … the mundane. create a “strong and diverse workforce” Our problem is that libraries are more While we can be proud of the by drawing on “the broadest range of interested in diversifying their collec- steps that our profession and Oregon skills and abilities from people with tions, than in diversifying their ranks. libraries have taken to honor diversity, diverse educational, experiential, and Without a major effort in human we should not be complacent. Respect- cultural backgrounds.” resources, libraries may not be able to ing the diversity of opinions of others While putting this issue of OLA provide good services to all. can counter political climates that Quarterly together, I queried a Typically, when someone dis- measure someone’s patriotism by number of library professionals about cusses diversity in libraries, we focus measuring one’s level of conformity. why diversity matters to libraries. on services or collections. We are, after Enhancing our understanding of John Helmer, director of the Orbis- all, a practical profession intent on gender, ethnicity, disability, or culture Cascade Alliance, said: This is pretty improving user services. Contributions can dismiss notions that make someone simple minded, but for me it comes to this issue of OLA Quarterly will automatically suspicious because of down to the fact that you just can’t satisfy this practical, professional bent. physical appearance or religious beliefs. think outside your own head. The I hope they also will address that side Especially in the aftermath of the events only way to get something new in of us that is needful of introspection of September 11, 2001, the health and there is to keep your mouth shut for a and inspiration. welfare of libraries, if not our nation, bit and listen to someone that has a In their careful analysis of gay, may be incumbent on promoting and different perspective and background. lesbian, bisexual and transgender sustaining diversity. Even if you forget about the fact that holdings, Gary Klein and Larry Oberg —Faye Chadwell University of Oregon Libraries Guest Editor OLAQ 1 A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Chat
by Karen Munro ibrarianship is going gray. A 1999 typical recreational chat session is a virtual Literature Librarian Readex survey, drawing from the kaffeeklatsch, during which the conversa- University of Oregon Lsame year’s ALA Survey of Librarian tion may range from international politics Salaries, tells us that 45 percent of respond- to recipes for crème bruleé, and during and by ing librarians were between 45 and 54 which any or all participants may be doing Annie Zeidman-Karpinski years old. Only 13 percent were younger several other things at once. Science and Technology than 35 years old, which puts Annie (33) Resistance may not be exactly futile, Services Librarian and me (29) in the minority camp. And but chat and similar technologies are here University of Oregon while it’s not the years in your life that to stay. And there’s no disputing chat’s count so much as the life in your years, it’s usefulness. When one of us worked at a been interesting for us to compare notes dot-com, our computer screens were on starting our careers at the University of visible to all and we had little privacy— Oregon. There are some small but notice- chatting was the fastest, most private way able differences between our generation of to discuss important things like why the librarians (we are both 2002 MLIS gradu- CEO was selling stock during a supposed ates) and the librarians who are mentoring blackout period. In a high-tech courtroom us. Our mentors may default to print more where a friend worked, the judge main- often than we do, while we turn first to tained a chat session with her clerk electronic resources, or even the Web. throughout a trial. The clerk was able to They know bushels about the history of ask the judge procedural questions as the the library, the university, the publishers, trial was going on, taking advantage of the our vendors. We know XML. They pick up instantaneous and relatively unobtrusive the phone or type an e-mail. We chat. nature of chatting. Librarians in small Well, actually, some of our most senior institutions may find chat a cheap or even reference librarians chat, and we’ve been free way of providing digital reference known to use a telephone now and then. service. And if you use software that So the distinctions aren’t really that clear. permits more than two people to chat at But online chatting (and text messaging, the same time, the difference between the analogous form of communication on e-mail (quick) and chat (instant) suddenly cell phones and PDAs) is widely consid- makes virtual meetings a workable reality. ered the hallmark of gadget-loving, tech- Obviously, chat has both potential savvy, attention-deficient Generation Y-ers, benefits and drawbacks. Regardless, it’s and to a certain extent, this perception may finding its way into workplaces and univer- be fair. Online chatting, or instant messag- sities from the ground up, and we’re better Annotation ing, as it’s also called, evolved in tandem off knowing what it is and how our patrons Both Annie and I let with online bulletin boards, discussion are using it, than we are sticking our heads our typos remain in groups, and listservs. Chatting is still a in the sand. So, in the spirit of eager techie this chat’s transcript to favorite means of communication for catholicism that is one of the best qualities give a better sense of millions of college students and their party of Generation Y, Annie and I offer you a how rapid and planners. It’s instantaneous, highly infor- highly informal Hitchhiker’s Guide to Chat. informal the exchange mal, and most of the time it requires little tends to be (and how to no intellectual investment. It’s electronic ICQ History Log For: kmunro much interpretation gossip. A typical workplace chat message is Started on Tue Mar :: !"" can be required). a one-liner fired off to a colleague in the (See Annotation ) middle of the day, commenting on a kmunro 3:01 PM ready when you are, chica. problem or asking for some feedback. (I zed 3:14 PM whoops. i here now 2 just sent a chat message to Annie, asking kmunro 3:14 PM excellent! shall we begin? how old she is, because I needed to know kmunro 3:16 PM ok, so we wanted to chat for this article and couldn’t remember.) A a little to show howit’s done. Vol No ! • SUMMER !""
kmunro 3:16 PM or how not to do it, maybe. them one bit at a time, so i don’t get Annotation ! kmunro 3:16 PM first things first? too far behind in the flow of htings. In our actual chat, this zed 3:16 PM that’s right. i set my comptuer zed 3:23 PM jeez. smaller bits? was a graphic emoticon; up and thenyou signed up and i had to kmunro 3:23 PM also, most chat apps don’t a picture of a person authorize you inorder to get this going. let you send huge chunks of text all at looking annoyed, that kmunro 3:17 PM we’re using icq, a free once. or they slow down, at least. Annie included by download fromthe internet. kmunro 3:24 PM smaller bits, yeah. clicking on it in the ICQ kmunro 3:17 PM i’m using the lite version, kmunro 3:24 PM like this. one thought at a menu of emoticons. annie’s got thefull meal deal. time. zed 3:17 PM after typing each message zed 3:24 PM you ran into a text limit once. ihave to click thesend button which i right? how many lines, you think? Annotation totally hate*ANNOYED* kmunro 3:24 PM the text limit on icq is a An interruption is (See Annotation !) character limit, i think. i could try to another common event zed 3:18 PM ok the lite version is at http:// hit it... in chat; from “RL,” or www.icq.com/download/ zed 3:25 PM well...the suspense is killing “Real Life.” It’s zed 3:19 PM i went all out and down- me. how many lines? considered good loaded the pro versionfor some kmunro 3:25 PM ok, jsut did it. it’s 450 etiquette to explain functionality. characters. what’s going on if kmunro 3:19 PM hang on a second, i’ve zed 3:32 PM if you were a student asking a you’re going to be got a colleague here. reference question. and I used a distracted for more than (See Annotation ) database like, lexis, when I showed it a minute or two. zed 3:20 PM AIM from AOL is a big to you the i’d have to explain more product. i jsut hatedoing anthing with about lexis, which form exactly i’m Annotation AOL. and one of the reveiws of ICQ using, how i’m getting in, and so on. ICQ provides audio said it was for the “birkenstock” we could co-browse. alerts when another crowd.;-) kmunro 3:33 PM or browse simulta- chatter sends you a kmunro 3:21 PM ok, i’m back. neously, at least. i think co-browse is message. kmunro 3:21 PM why is icq for an imprecise term to use here. birkenstockers? zed 3:34 PM co-browsing/simultaneous zed 3:21 PM no problem. i was actually browse woudl be good, unless there emailing someone as well. i like that i were network problems or whatever. can can do whatever adn when there’s a be painfully slow. and other technical message from you it starts a thingy issues, like authentication, log in, etc. blinking on my toolbar. kmunro 3:34 PM well, i was just thinking kmunro 3:22 PM yes, you get the blinky that if we’re already chatting, as a thing because you turned off the sound. student and a librarian, it would be (See Annotation ) simple for us both to go to online zed 3:22 PM no idea why ICQ is for the sources and for the librarian to walk birkenstock crowd. i like to think it the student through them. means we’re smarter, more discriminating zed 3:35 PM let’s say i asked for an article kmunro 3:22 PM it’s cute, but a little startling. from The Oregonian kmunro 3:22 PM funny cross-post. kmunro 3:35 PM for instance, i could tell you kmunro 3:22 PM that happens a lot with that i’m in Lexis Academic (and walk you chat, i find. through getting into it in the first place), kmunro 3:23 PM i find it’s a good idea to and tell you that I chose Western News over-explain what i’m saying, thinking, Sources and specified The Oregonian doing…while i’m doing it. zed 3:35 PM librarian can walk student 3 kmunro 3:23 PM and it works better to through them, but it can be time consum- parse thoughts into smaller bits, send ing. helps to ask student. describe what OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
you see... so you know they are on the zed 3:50 PM or for teh student to stop Annotation 1 same page you are. emailing or chatting with someone else Chat slang for “Lots of kmunro 3:36 PM yes, exactly, getting the or....the lag time can be really annoying Laughs” or “Laughing student lead the safari is a much kmunro 3:50 PM one of the joys of the Out Loud,” meaning better mode. reference desk. the chatter is amused. kmunro 3:36 PM on the bright side, you zed 3:53 PM in my other job, folks found can do things like paste in the lexis that except fot he delays, bad grammar Annotation disclaimer: and typos doing reference this way was There are a variety of kmunro 3:36 PM Access to certain freelance a lot like any reference interview. ways of sending folks articles and other features within this kmunro 3:53 PM and you can vary your your contact publication (i.e. photographs, font size, style, and color (and use the information. Chat classifieds, etc...) may not be available. emoticons, if you’re bold), for empha- software makes it easy kmunro 3:36 PM easy-peasy. sis and so on. as in a conversation. to exchange the zed 3:36 PM we are also using a lot more kmunro 3:54 PM you can also change the numbers and screen complete sentences and grammar than background of the field where you type names of friends. Some most folks. your text in. mine’s a restful taupe. people even put this kmunro 3:37 PM plus, our speling is beter. kmunro 3:56 PM so, we set this up by information on their *GIGGLING* downloading the free software and business cards—both kmunro 3:37 PM but chat can be fun adn installing it on our ocmputers. the paper and electronic useful for librarians to do P2P as well. kmunro 3:57 PM all right. and then we PDA versions. zed 3:37 PM is P2P different from f2f? were assigned an icq number. mine is kmunro 3:37 PM not just as a teaching or ********* [9 digit number]. it’s not easy reference tool, but as peer support. i, to remember. for instance, have used icq to get your (See Annotation ) opinion on several things recently. kmunro 3:58 pm but you get to choose zed 3:38 PM yeah. i sometimes i even your own icq name, right? respond! LOL zed 3:58 PM yeah. you get a name. actually (See Annotation 1) i think you can even use ones that are kmunro 3:38 PM hee. i misused p2p, i think. taken now. not sure. i just meant in the general sense, peer kmunro 3:59 PM the ID number and online relationship building. not file-sharing. name of the person you’re chatting kmunro 3:38 PM your responses have been with appear at the top of the ICQ wonderfully helpful, actually. window while you chat. the ICQ kmunro 3:38 PM you’ve reviewed a Web window only takes up a small part of page I was working on, in real time as your screen, so you can see other i made changes. programs at the same time. zed 3:39 PM you can use chat as email, zed 3:59 PM make sure you keep really.but faster. still, if i’m not at my everythign as private and generic as desk, you’d be in the same situation. possible. otherwise you’ll be getting a kmunro 3:39 PM true, if you’re not at your lot of bored folks “chatting” with you. desk i could send your cell a text and with those fun blinking things on message using icq or another chat your toolbar [and beeping uh-ohs] it software can be annoying to get rid of someone kmunro 3:49 PM icq is nice because it’s trying to sell you 6 months of viagra pretty light, pretty trouble-free, but kmunro 3:59 PM your own ICQ number there are always snafus. and because displays on the little window that 4 chat speeds up teh interaction, waiting disappears into the taskbar. it’s like the for the computer to unfreeze can seem control panel. really...long. kmunro 4:00 PM now...can anyone icq you Vol No ! • SUMMER !""
if they know your number, or do they kmunro 4:35 PM cu. have to be authorized? (See Annotation ) Annotation zed 4:01 PM anyone can try to chat with zed 4:35 PM okcubye There are actually me, but first i’ll have to authorize them. several different ways its a setting too. References to avoid folks, zed 4:02 PM comes as a “system notice” Cohen, J. Making a Statement, in Absentia. everything from total kmunro 4:02 PM can you block people New York Times March 20, 2003:G1. banishment to from icqing you? fluctuating “visibility” kmunro 4:02 PM the way you can block Foley, M., 2002. Instant Messaging Refer- depending on user email addresses from sending to you? ence in an Academic Library: A Case Study. preferences. (See Annotation ) College and Research Libraries 63(1):36-45. zed 4:02 PM uh. wait. until i authorize, i think Annotation i don’t see even a message. and you can Harmon, A. Clique of Instant Messagers Chat slang for block folks from chatting with you. Expands Into the Workplace. New York “Be Right Back.” kmunro 4:03 PM so there’s a balance of Times March 11, 2003:C1. privacy and accessibility. can you de- Annotation authorize someone who gets out of line? Lynch, M., 2000. What We Now Know Chat slang for “See You.” zed 4:03 PM yup. and you can send folks About Librarians. American Libraries 31(2):8. other icq numbers. kmunro 4:05 PM okay, that’s so you have Web Gestures, Smilies, & Net Jargon. easy access and can just click on our user Retrieved April 2, 2003, from names to start chatting with us, right? http://www.icq.com/feelings/gestures.html. zed 4:07 PM you can put folks on an “ignore list” to boot them off. kmunro 4:08 PM keep me posted. brb. (See Annotation ) kmunro 4:20 PM ok, just to recap (without ever having closed out this chat session), we’re recording the session by....? annie? how are you doing this? the full version of icq has better transcript capacity than the lite version, Ebsco ad to go here i think. zed 4:21 PM in the “pro” vesion i actually have a history button in the middle of this chat screen. and when i click it i see our conversation, but in reverse. very surreal actually. I can then save this as a text file. kmunro 4:23 PM and can you email the transcript to someone? zed 4:25 PM yup. its now on my desk top. i’ll email it to you. kmunro 4:26 PM great. i just got your email, and i have the entire log of the chat. kmunro 4:34 PM don’t know. anything else we should cover? 5 zed 4:35 PM nothing i can currently remember. see ya! OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Ten Things To Know About Chat
1. Check your perfectionism at the door. Chat patrons can’t see or hear you, so all your is a rapid-fire, by-the-seat-of-your-pants cues will have to come through what you medium. Users rarely bother with capital type. You may feel that you’re over- letters, punctuation, or proper grammar. explaining what you’re doing, but it’s better This can be a shock to the system, but it to do that than to leave a patron hanging in can also be relaxing to know you’re not cyberspace, wondering what’s going on. being judged by your typos. 7. Play to chat’s strengths. Remember that you 2. Don’t take it personally. Remember that can use chat to cut and paste URLs, chatting is usually fast and informal, and boilerplate, standardized responses, and people may not bother with some finer other useful information. (Remember points of etiquette. While most chatters are copyright restrictions though!) Chat can polite and respectful, it can take time to also be a great medium for people with get used to the speed of the exchange, the hearing loss. shorthand usages, and some of the slang. 8. Protect your privacy. Just as you wouldn’t 3. Learn to duck and cover. If you use chat give personal information out at the with co-workers, you may want to master reference desk, keep your chat reference the art of the “away” message. Chatting is transactions professional. Chat handles great, but sometimes you want to focus on don’t carry a domain name the way e-mail a task without interruption: At those times, addresses do, so it’s impossible to see an “I’m not here” message is your best whether the patron you’re chatting with is a friend. If you use chat for reference, make student, a fellow employee, or someone sure you know how to set up a message else entirely. Libraries that use chat for that tells patrons the service is closed. reference may set up generic librarian accounts for employees to use. 4. Be realistic. Chat works best for short, relatively simple reference questions. For 9. Learn to block. We hope you’ll never have longer, more complex research, nothing to do it, but knowing how to ban, block, or beats good old-fashioned face time. ignore another chatter’s messages is crucial if you use chat for reference (or even just 5. Play the field. Experiment with more than within the workplace). Problem patrons one chat application to compare features (and Viagra salesmen) exist online just as like privacy, browser support, spam they do in the real world. protection, and add-ons. See the College and Research Libraries article cited at the 10. Have fun. Learn to use the shorthand, the end of this article for an idea of some emoticons, the slang. Your chat experience criteria that a real-world library used in will probably be a lot more satisfying if you deciding what software to adopt. know that “
by Maresa Kirk n the library world, we’ve been com- education snobs? Of not paying closer Mark O. Hatfield Library mitted to diversity since before it attention to suggestions from colleagues Willamette University I became popular. We take pride in without a college degree? Or are we reverse- and by maintaining diverse collections, treating all education snobs who discount the sugges- patrons with respect, and providing users tions of coworkers with undergraduate or Jey Wann with equal access to information graduate degrees? Oregon State Library When we think about diversity within the Those of us who work in libraries value workplace, we probably think about relatively diversity. We also value literacy and knowl- recognizable categories such as race, ethnicity, edge. Consequently, we value formal educa- age, gender, or disability. We’ve all had tion. Positions that include the word “librar- training and know that we must not discrimi- ian” in the title are generally not open to nate on the basis of these characteristics. those without an MLS. Some non-librarian Most libraries have built-in divisions: positions may require a bachelor’s degree. management and non-management; librarian Other times, job applicants may substitute and support staff; public services and techni- college education for work experience. cal services; salaried staff and volunteers. Respect for education is built into our Within these groups, there may be further workplaces. Although it makes sense to pay divisions, such as reference and circulation, attention to educational background, we need acquisitions and cataloging, etc. Beyond these to be careful about giving it more value than are less formal divisions based on personal it deserves. style, interests, and educational background. One thing that unites us is on-the-job Because we are members of the Oregon learning. The longer we’ve been in the Library Association’s Support Staff Division workforce, the more likely that we have (SSD), we became curious about the educa- learned skills on the job. Many skills we use tional attainment of library support staff. A every day—from book repair to designing 1997 survey by the Support Staff Interest Web pages to applying for grants—we Round Table of the American Library Associa- learned on the job. We probably learned tion found that paraprofessionals hold a wide these skills informally from co-workers, in- variety of degrees. (See http://www.ala.org/ house, at workshops sponsored by library Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/ associations, or in classes that are not part of Round_Tables/LSSIRT/Strategic_Plan3/ a formal degree program. Issues_Survey/Results.pdf.) Of the 2,089 If we look at all of our co-workers, respondents, 64 had a master’s in library from volunteers and student assistants to science (MLS), 116 had another master’s library directors, we are amazed at what degree, and 10 had a Ph.D. An informal they know and can do. This knowledge and survey of the authors’ paraprofessional co- these skills make library staff everywhere workers and SSD colleagues found educa- dynamic. They allow us to keep up with the tional attainment ranging from high school to demands of our field. multiple bachelor’s degrees. Two respondents To continue meeting challenges, and to had three bachelor’s degrees each and there foster the diversity that libraries affirm, we were also various vocational certifications and must treat all of our colleagues with respect, associate’s degrees. Some individuals are regardless of the level of formal education working towards their bachelor’s degree or they have attained. We are not suggesting towards their master’s degree. Several had that libraries alter position requirements; nor earned master’s degrees, and one person had are we assigning value to anyone’s level of both an MLS and a Ph.D. education. We are saying that With these informal data in mind, we the most important thing is 7 wondered whether we are guilty of being what we do, not how we less respectful of coworkers based on their learned to do it. educational level. Are we guilty of being Gay-Themed Books in Oregon Public and Academic Libraries: A Brief Historical Overview
by Larry R. Oberg Introduction Study Design University Librarian The publication of gay-themed books that The present study is designed to assess the Willamette University document the everyday lives and history of strengths of gay-themed collections in and by gay men and women and their place in this Oregon libraries and to determine if libraries and other societies has witnessed enor- of different types, sizes, and locations share Gary M. Klein mous growth over the past few decades. In common collecting patterns. The authors Management/Economics Librarian 1950, a young person who came to an also sought to understand how Oregon Willamette University Oregon public or academic library to write libraries are responding to the needs of a paper or seek answers to troubling Oregon’s GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questions about sexual orientation would transgender) communities and, by exten- have found fewer than 20 titles listed in sion, to the rapid growth of the literature on any subject catalog in the state, and, in gay-themed topics over the past decades. many, none at all. The listed books would The authors did not include periodicals, have presented homosexuality as a medical videos, and other non-book materials within or psychological condition, something to this survey’s scope. Nor did they seek to be repressed or, better yet, “cured.” Asking determine the proportion of pro- to anti-gay for help at the reference desk might have titles or the “quality” of these collections. turned up a few additional titles available Because of the subjectivity involved in elsewhere, but the stigma attached to the determining if a novel is, or is not, a “gay” topic most often ensured that our young novel, fiction is also excluded. patron’s search would be limited to a furtive glance at the card catalog and the Methodology “h” volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Using a single search statement for each of In most medium-to-large Oregon the 60 libraries and library systems sur- libraries today, patrons find listings for veyed, on March 26, 2003, the authors hundreds of gay-themed books under a queried OCLC’s WorldCat database to wide range of relevant subject headings. determine how many of the English They also find knowledgeable and enthu- language book titles these libraries held siastic librarians to help them pursue cover lesbian, gay, bisexual and searches in large consortial catalogs and transgender topics. Working through the other Web-based resources. Were the FirstSearch platform, they used the librarian to guide today’s patron to OCLC’s WorldCat database to obtain uniform access WorldCat, they would discover nearly to the libraries’ holdings. The combination 25,000 unique English-language titles on of the WorldCat database and the gay-themed topics classified under no FirstSearch search engine made possible fewer than 240 relevant subject headings. the use of a single, albeit complex, search Librarians today have a wide range of statement of more than 100 characters, a professional and bibliographic resources at search string that would not have been their disposal to ensure that they become executable on most online public access informed guides to this literature. catalogs. Unlike local catalogs, which can This study does not answer all of the include unique or undocumented process- questions librarians might ask about ing options, the WorldCat database offers a building collections and providing services consistent protocol for searching biblio- in support of the gay community, but it graphic records. does provide a current snapshot of gay- To facilitate comparison, the libraries themed collections in Oregon libraries. It surveyed were divided into five categories: 8 also offers suggestions and a rationale for state-supported academic libraries, private building these collections and lists re- nonreligious colleges and universities, private sources of use to librarians. religious colleges, community colleges, and Vol No !• SUMMER !""
public libraries and library systems. Several database to separate the records retrieved of these institutions (George Fox University, by publication dates and group them by Lewis and Clark College, University of decade from the 1940s forward. (Earlier Oregon, Willamette University, and Portland imprint dates are consolidated as “pre- Community College) had multiple OCLC 1940s.”) In order to facilitate comparisons, holding codes in WorldCat. Database queries the authors sought current enrollment for these institutions were performed against statistics for each academic institution and all of their OCLC symbols. current population statistics for each To minimize false hits, the search public library and library district. string adopted was tested extensively by The authors required that every library performing keyword searches of the or library system selected for the survey 1) subject headings field using wild cards to serve an Oregon institution of higher capture variations of major words. By education, or serve the citizens of Oregon focusing on subject heading fields, it was as a public library; 2) hold current member- possible to avoid retrieving such non- ship in the OCLC consortium; and 3) store GLBT phrases as “the gay nineties” which their bibliographic holdings information in appear frequently in title and contents OCLC’s WorldCat database. Because a large fields. The query statement also incorpo- number of public libraries in Oregon do rated a tool to minimize possibly including not place their bibliographic holdings personal authors whose first, middle, or directly in WorldCat, the authors chose 18 last name is “gay.” The search formulation public library systems, with holdings listed is: (su: gay* or su: lesbian* or su: bisexual* in WorldCat, to represent the state’s 143 or su: transsexual* or su: transvesti* or su: public libraries and library systems. This is transgender* or su: homophob* or su: a search strategy and research methodology homosexual* or su: heterosexi*) not (pn: that would lend itself to replication, not gay) and ln= “eng” and dt: “bks.” only for GLBT literature, but in many other The authors used the WorldCat subject areas as well.
9 OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Study Results Conclusions • The libraries included in this survey Academic and public libraries located in collectively own 25.8 percent of all traditionally liberal areas, Portland, English-language gay-themed books Corvallis, Eugene, and Ashland, for ex- cataloged in the OCLC WorldCat ample, tend to have the largest gay-themed database. collections. Libraries in traditionally conser- vative areas tend to have the smallest. A • State-supported academic libraries, as a few libraries, however, do not conform to class, provide access to 15 percent of this pattern and have surprisingly large the English-language gay-themed collections for their size, category, or books cataloged in the database.· location. Two-thirds of all gay-themed titles Larger Oregon libraries own dispropor- in the private nonreligious college and tionately more gay-themed books than university category, for example, are held smaller libraries. (This finding holds by a single library (Willamette University) true in each of the five categories of and 35 percent of the titles owned by the libraries surveyed.) private religious colleges are held by one library (University of Portland). It may be • Private religious college libraries in hypothesized that these libraries are Oregon, in the aggregate, own fewer conscientiously choosing to develop these gay-themed books than any of the collections or that individual librarians and other four categories surveyed. faculty selectors are leaving their mark. It is significant that although Oregon • Individual community college libraries accounts for only one percent of the in Oregon, on the average, own fewer nation’s population, its libraries hold 25 gay-themed books than libraries in the percent of the nation’s gay-themed books. other four categories. (The average Like the collections themselves, access has community college library owns 69 improved greatly since our young student gay-themed books. The averages for first searched the subject catalog back in other categories are: private religious the 1950s. Today, consolidated access to colleges, 86; public libraries, 206; branch, satellite and departmental collec- private nonreligious colleges and tions facilitates local searching; online universities, 250; state colleges and access to other library catalogs in the universities, 508.) region, state, and nation is commonly available; and regional consortial catalogs, • The size of the gay-themed book Pioneer, OPALL, and Orbis, for example, collections owned by individual assure rapid delivery of vast quantities of Oregon libraries varies greatly within common holdings. To depend upon “the each of the five categories surveyed. kindness of strangers” in order to avoid (This continues to hold true when collecting these materials locally, however, population size and institutional is a violation of our professional obligation. mission are taken into consideration.) If we do not systematically and adequately collect gay-themed materials, we ignore a • A comparison of the publication dates literature of growing importance and the of the gay-themed books held by immediate needs of a considerable seg- Oregon libraries confirms a dramatic ment of our user community. increase in this literature over the past 10 several decades. Vol No ! • SUMMER !""
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Recommendations and Resources e.g., Library Journal, American Librar- The following are recommendations and ies, Publishers Weekly, Choice, Chronicle resources for building a collection of gay- of Higher Education, Book Review themed materials. Depending upon the size Digest. Use specialized resources, e.g., of the gay community served, the curricu- Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide, lum of the school, and the research needs Alternative Press Index, to develop more of the community, a few or many of these comprehensive collections. suggestions will be appropriate to a particular library. • Use the Lambda Literary Awards and the American Library Association’s Gay, • Conduct an environmental scan to Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered determine the need for gay-themed Round Table’s Book Award lists as materials that satisfy community, curricu- buying guides. lar, student and research requirements. • Include the gay biweekly news maga- • Add GLBT literature to the collection zine, The Advocate, in your collection. development policy statement. It is a useful resource for readers and selectors alike. • Allocate resources for the purchase of gay-themed materials. REFERENCES Gough C. and Greenblatt E. (eds.), 1990. • Assign responsibility for the selection Gay and Lesbian Library Service. of gay-themed materials to selectors McFarland, Jefferson, NC. held accountable for filling gaps and building the current collection. Joyce S., 2000. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Library Service: A Review of the Literature. • Remember that available gay-themed Public Libraries 39(5): 270–279. materials are highly diverse. Consider the various types and their importance Klein G., 1993. Helping Students Find to your clientele, e.g., the coming out Sensitive Materials: A Guide to the Litera- process, guides for parents of gay and ture on Homosexuality for Librarians and lesbian children, gay history, fiction Faculty. ERIC Document No. 359 990. that treats GLBT topics. New Gay and Lesbian Books. 2002. • Build awareness of the GLBT literature Booklist 98: 1675–1676. amongst subject selectors. Ridinger R., 2000. Gay and Lesbian Studies: • Solicit suggestions for the purchase of Recent Works in an Evolving Field. Choice gay-themed materials from local organi- 37: 1765–76. zations serving the GLBT community. Spence A., 2000. Controversial Books in the • Prepare bibliographies and publicize Public Library: A Comparative Survey of gay-themed materials. Holdings of Gay-Related Children’s Picture Books. Library Quarterly 70: 335–379. • Collect at an appropriate level; do not force patrons to rely unduly upon ILL Sweetland J., and Christensen P., 1995. Gay, 12 or consortial collections. Lesbian and Bisexual Titles: Their Treatment in the Review Media and Their Selection by • Use commonly consulted selection Libraries. Collection Building 14(2): 32-41. tools to identify gay-themed materials, Diversity and Special Services
by Carolynn Avery ibraries meet their communities’ TBABS at the Oregon State Library. Talking Book and needs by providing diversity in their TBABS provides Braille materials, Braille Services L collections and their formats and by talking books (cassettes) and playback Oregon State Library providing access to a diverse population. machines, and descriptive videos to Orego- One might think that Talking Book and nians who have vision impairments or Braille Services (TBABS) of the Oregon physical disabilities (including dyslexia) and State Library doesn’t deal with much are unable to read regular printed materials. diversity. Our service population is vision TBABS doesn’t just have a few titles: the impaired. Period. Right? So why is the National Library Service has about 60,000 Regional Librarian writing about diversity titles on tape and 5,000 in Braille. matters? What possible insight can she Before coming to TBABS, I spent six have into this subject? years working as a public librarian in Actually, as the spokesperson for Corvallis. For three of those years, I also Oregon’s Talking Books and Braille worked as a cataloguer and reference Services, I bring a valid but often over- librarian for DB-LINK’s National Informa- looked viewpoint to this discussion. tion Clearinghouse on Children Who Are Diversity is not limited to culture or Deaf-Blind at Western Oregon University. religion or race. It includes a wide array of These experiences acquainted me with the abilities. Most libraries, by nature of their information and entertainment needs of dependence on print materials, videos, and people who are vision impaired and with computers, have great appeal to the the limits public and academic libraries sighted and even the deaf populations. face serving these users—limits imposed by What about those segments of the popula- budget and space considerations, as well as tion who, for various reasons, may not be by the small number of users in each able to access knowledge or entertainment community who might need these materi- through books or video screens? als, compared to the community at large. Increasingly, public and academic Accommodations for TBABS in the libraries are expanding audio book collec- State Library are expensive and space tions and providing computer screen consuming. Consider the amount of space enlargers and screen readers in order to taken up by tax forms and instructions in serve this user group. However, shrinking most libraries each year for a limited time. budgets may not cover basic services, let Now imagine the extra space and cost for alone such enhancements. A library’s ability each library to provide that information in to provide these additional services is also Braille. TBABS can and does provide this limited by the relatively small number of tax information in Braille each year. Those individuals who have need of these ser- volumes are only a supplement to the vices, and by the difficulty they may have complete TBABS cassette tape and Braille just getting to the library building. book collection, a collection that required The mandate for libraries is to provide 13,275 square feet of stack space and information to all segments of the popula- circulated 348,224 books in 2001 and 2002. tion. Can community and school libraries Is the staff at TBABS concerned about fulfill this mandate on their own? Probably collection diversity? You bet. TBABS users not entirely. Probably not with the con- can request non-fiction and fiction, adult straints surrounding us. But with assistance and juvenile materials. They have access to from special libraries the answer is a re- Spanish, Russian, and Japanese language sounding “yes!” Oregon public and academic materials; children’s large print libraries can provide assistance to those with books and Twin-Vision books 13 visual impairments or physical disabilities (Braille overlays in regular courtesy of the very special collection of children’s picture books); OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
newspapers and magazines in Braille and his grandchildren; he can’t see the on tape; old-time radio shows and contem- print well enough to read but can porary videos. listen to the cassettes with them. TBABS members also have home access to Web-Braille on a password- • The skier with two broken arms protected site. This Web-based service who still wants to read his favor- provides the full text (in an electronic form ite authors. of grade 2 Braille) of thousands of Braille books and all Braille magazines currently • The school librarian helping a produced by the National Library Service teacher find Braille materials for for the Blind and Physically Handicapped her class. (NLS). Also offered by NLS via TBABS membership is access to a music collection What else does the staff at TBABS do consisting of music scores in Braille and to provide diverse services? Like librarians large print; Braille and large print text- everywhere, we provide readers’ advisory books and books about music; music and ILL services. We provide referrals to appreciation cassettes, including interviews people seeking books that NLS hasn’t and opera lectures; and self-instructional produced—usually we send them to their cassettes for voice, piano, organ, electronic local libraries. We provide copies of books keyboard, guitar, recorder, accordion, for reading discussion groups. We provide banjo, harmonica, and other instruments. phone numbers and addresses to local This material contains more than 20,000 support groups and national information music-related items. services. We give tours of our facility. We Whom does TBABS serve? connect Braille readers with libraries and • The 90-year-old widower with schools for special storytimes. We do macular degeneration who wants to outreach to senior centers, retirement listen to the Bible. homes, and support groups. Yes, diversity matters—in collections, • The blind parent whose sighted 3- in communities, and in libraries. We need year-old wants to see pictures as to reach out to the visually impaired or well as hear the words. physically disabled and let them know what is available locally and from Talking • The 22-year-old student looking for Book and Braille Services. The Talking career guidance. Book and Braille Services can partner with each and every public and academic • The 45-year-old businessman who library in Oregon. Together we can wants to know more about the provide service to a portion of the state’s Middle East. population that by its very nature is not likely to use the major parts of most • The visually impaired student library collections. needing to read a novel for class.
• The 65-year-old grandmother whose arthritis won’t allow her to hold the books of her favorite author anymore. 14 • The grandfather who wants to share his favorite childhood stories with Developing Virtual Spanish-Language Resources: Exploring a Best Practices Model for Public Libraries
by Michael Shapiro f developing and maintaining an In part this deficiency is understandable. President and founder English-language virtual collection is a Delving into areas of virtual library collec- Libros Sin Fronteras I daunting task, then adding issues of a tion development in Spanish is an unend- second language complicates matters ing exercise in opening Pandora’s box. considerably. How should public libraries Many topics most central to developing compare the funding of their Spanish- virtual library collections—liaison with language print collections to that of Span- library users, collection evaluation, re- ish-language virtual collections? Should source sharing, budgeting, the develop- library Web pages be bilingual when a ment of collection policies and reviews— significant percentage of a community’s are complicated further in the context of population speaks another language? Are developing virtual Spanish-language library subscription-based, Spanish-language resources. Bringing forth these issues, one electronic resources necessary acquisitions naturally runs into other related and for U.S. public libraries? Should libraries link equally thorny issues, such as libraries and to high quality, Spanish-language electronic librarians moving into the world of content resources that are free? Is a Spanish bilin- creation, the “English Only” movement gual interface an important feature for rising within government and public libraries to consider when evaluating OPACs institutions, and age, class and ethnicity as or subscribing to electronic resources? Is the they affect public library service. Research digital divide broadened when libraries combining these areas with questions of choose not to develop Spanish-language Spanish-language electronic resource interfaces on their Web pages or not to development for public libraries ap- purchase Spanish-language electronic proaches the non-existent. What does exist resources? Ultimately, do questions of are excellent examples of what some universal access point to public libraries public libraries are doing and a body of developing Spanish-language virtual research setting forth sound guidelines for collections in the same way that they do the creation of Spanish-language digital English-language virtual collections? How resources on public library Web sites. numerous must the Spanish-language population be to merit dedicating funds to Evaluation of Five Public Libraries these resources? If public libraries are not I have semi-randomly and fully unscientifi- presently able to build Spanish-language cally selected five public library systems to components into their Web presence, at examine their virtual Spanish-language what point might they in the future? resources. At various times and by different There are no easy answers to the people, these five have been considered above questions. Indeed, the more one leaders in the field of developing electronic seeks published information on the topic, library resources for Spanish-speaking the more surprised one becomes at how populations. They are: the Multnomah infrequently library literature discusses it. Country Public Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Queens Borough Public Library, the San Antonio Public Library, and the San Francisco Public Library.
Delving into areas of virtual The Multnomah County Public Library It is refreshing and even a bit surprising to library collection development in conduct a Google search on Spanish is an unending exercise in “Multnomah County Library” 15 and to be presented with opening Pandora’s box the following: OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
“Multnomah County Library: Multnomah News Watch. Along with this section of County Library’s Web site including “Bases de Datos en Español” (Spanish- information about its services, collections language databases), multiple English- and locations. Español A department of ... language databases are listed and anno- www.multcolib.org/ - 11k - Nov. 9, 2002.” tated in Spanish. Most of these databases That the word Español is, I assume require a library card to gain access. quite intentionally, significant enough to Multnomah’s Spanish home page seems merit inclusion in the first few words of this a bit quirky, rough-hewn and somewhat site’s Google description illustrates a rare less refined than its English-language and unwavering clarity about the impor- partner. Yet it is an exceptional and illustra- tance of Spanish offerings to the site’s tive beginning, treating the needs of objectives and priorities. On the site’s home Portland-area Spanish speakers with page, the word Español is unmistakably set seriousness of purpose and displaying a as the uppermost word in the upper right commitment of resources to back it up. The hand corner where no one is likely to miss purchase of several Spanish-language it. The page “en español” is similar to but subscription databases is an acknowledg- not a direct translation of the English- ment of their importance and sends a clear language page. A talking-head-like, “speak- and essential message to library vendors: ing” librarian (highly innovative, though it libraries are willing to spend money on unfortunately didn’t work on my equip- Spanish as well as English content. ment) is found on the Spanish version but not the English one. Other differences include a far more central and prevalent placement for “Clases de Computación” (computer and Internet classes) and work and employment options. Yet it is an exceptional and The Spanish site’s presentation is somewhat more iconic and outline-oriented illustrative beginning( treating and just a bit less colorful and “glitzy” than the needs of Portland)area the English site. Access to the library’s catalog from off-site computers seems Spanish)speakers with nearly impossible even after a lengthy, seriousness of purpose and megabyte-intensive (4.9 MB) download. A command line interface for the catalog in displaying a commitment of English was available but seemed impen- resources to back it up etrable to anyone not trained specifically in its functionality. The Spanish language home page also included a good collection The Los Angeles Public Library of local and national Hispanic community The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) also resources and home-country information, dedicates significant resources to its English learning information, and many of Spanish-language Web presence (http:// the same general, library-specific offerings www.lapl.org/espanol/index.html). Al- of the English-language page. though not as immediately visible as the Also remarkable on the Multnomah Multnomah County site, the switch from the County Public Library’s Spanish Web site LAPL’s English-language home page to the are the subscription databases available Spanish version is prominent and easy to 16 bilingually or in Spanish: Informe, a Gale find. A collection of additional links is product, and Ebscohost en Español, which unique to LAPL’s Spanish Web site. These offers various databases including Ethnic links provide information about library Vol 0 No 1 • SUMMER 1
services like “Abuelos y Libros” (Grandpar- ents and Books), funded by the Ahmanson Foundation, and other services offering readings to children by Spanish-speaking elder volunteers. The site offers a listing of Of the libraries surveyed( “Materiales Nuevos” (New Titles) in Queens seems to offer by far Spanish and announces that the LAPL “will accept Identification Cards provided by the the best and most user)friendly Mexican Consulate.” Spanish)language catalog A Spanish version of LAPL’s 24/7 online reference, “Bibliotecario a su interface( “InfoLinQ” by Data alcance,” offers extraordinary Spanish- Research Associates language reference support to local patrons and even users outside LAPL’s Scanning the site on November 10, geographic area. Sunday afternoon Spanish 2002 revealed a large amount of space queries from my clearly identified Madison, unfortunately dedicated to their October Wisconsin laptop brought an immediate events calendar listing. Links to Informe, and very thoughtful response from an Ethnic News Watch, and Noticias en actual LAPL librarian. E-mail correspon- Español (News in Spanish) all require dence with online reference librarian Bruce library cards for access. Access to NOAH Jensen revealed that “calls have trickled in (the New York City Health Department’s from every continent except Antarctica. A Web site in Spanish) does not. couple weeks ago a bunch of Nicaraguans Of the libraries surveyed, Queens were pummeling us with questions. seems to offer by far the best and most Several have logged in from Mexico. Our user-friendly Spanish-language catalog largest user group by far, though, is library interface, “InfoLinQ” by Data Research school students logging in using pseud- Associates. InfoLinQ (in combination with onyms. Confirming once again that lib “WorldLinQ”) is described as “an innovative school profs are perennially hurtin’ for multilingual Web-based information sys- original ideas” (November 10, 2002). tem.” Users use InfoLinQ to search the LAPL’s “Virtual Library” also offers card- library’s Spanish-language and English- holding patrons access to magazine Spanish bilingual holdings from seemingly content through Informe and newspapers any networked computer without specific through “Noticias” (a Newsbank product). password access. Users can narrow their searches by branch library location, publi- The Queens Borough Public Library cation year, language (Spanish, English, The Queens Borough, New York, Public German, French, Italian, or all), or numer- Library, for years a recognized leader in ous media. Author, title, keyword, and ISBN services to non-English speaking patrons, searching and browsing as well as searches has created both a Spanish-language and of other library catalogs (New York Public Russian-language Web presence. Its Library, Brooklyn Public Library, New York Google description, like Multnomah’s, State Library, etc.) are also available. Of mentioned its Spanish-language offerings, those online interfaces reviewed, InfoLinQ although in English: offers Spanish-language users the easiest “Queens Borough Public Library: … means to navigate and the most complete http://www.queenslibrary.org... Descrip- accessibility to the library’s catalog. tion: Event calendar, information about 17 member libraries, and online catalog. Also The San Antonio Public Library available in Spanish.” Like the three previous libraries, the San OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Antonio Public Library (SAPL) offers a very social services, other local organizations visible “en Español” link on their library (some only available in English), and access homepage. Users have five options: to electronic magazines and newspapers for library cardholders. Users can review new • Catalog: After navigating through a few titles in Spanish (an option under construc- seemingly unnecessary clicks, users tion at this writing). They can reserve can access the SAPL catalog and select computer time at the main library (and soon a (CARL) Spanish interface. The SAPL at other branches); access library classes, catalog offers multiple means of exhibitions, and programs; view usage browsing. Searches can be limited by policies and information; and even review keyword, author, title, subject, ISBN, questions from a U.S. citizenship exam. An ISSN, or LCCN numbers, or specific “Ask Us a Question” ([email protected]) link library branch. allows users to pose short, precise questions to librarians in Spanish via e-mail. • Latin Collection in Spanish: This link describes SAPL’s Spanish collection of approximately 5,000 volumes, offering details about the types of materials offered (fiction, non-fiction, reference and periodicals), subjects of major interest, lending policies, a donations request and It is somewhat surprising that a “box” for suggestions or comments. the home pages of many very
• A policies and acceptable usage page large library systems serving offers information about filters, links to extensive Latino populations do non-library sites, and rules of conduct. not have an immediately visible • General library behavior. option available for Spanish)
• A children’s use and adult accompani- language access ment policy statement. Other Libraries with Significant The San Francisco Public Library Spanish Speaking Populations The San Francisco Public Library’s home It is somewhat surprising that the home page readily links to a Spanish language pages of many very large library systems version with a host of options. Like the serving extensive Latino populations do not Queens Borough Public Library, San have an immediately visible option available Francisco Public Library users are treated for Spanish-language access. Some include to an online catalog in Spanish developed the New York Public Library, the Miami- by Data Research Associates. It offers Dade Public Library, the Chicago Public similar means for limiting searches and will Library, and the Los Angeles County Public archive previous searches. An online help Library. Although their home pages do not option offers Spanish-language assistance. offer this option, these library systems do San Francisco Public Library’s Spanish dedicate significant resources to their home page also connects users to annotated Spanish-speaking patrons in other ways. The links of numerous Spanish-friendly search Dallas Public Library’s home page offered 18 engines. A classified subject listing links to one of the most disappointing Spanish- selected non-library Web sites. The site language offerings. A link in “en Español” provides access to San Francisco Bay area takes users away from the library system’s Vol 0 No 1 • SUMMER 1
Web site and connects them directly to the what more surprising to me was the city’s Web site (dallascityhall.com) which fact that some libraries in places such has a Spanish-language version. as Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, in counties with relatively Guidelines for Creating Public small Hispanic populations, provided Library Web Sites with Spanish Spanish-language information online, Language Information yet I didn’t find Spanish-language Following up on the work of Hal Bright of information online from many libraries the New Haven Free Public Library, Wanda along the Texas-Mexico border or in Reinford, reference librarian at the San Florida or in cities such as San Diego, Antonio Public Library, compiled a list of Sacramento, Albuquerque, and Denver Spanish-language public library sites from with relatively large Hispanic popula- around the country. These are posted at tions (http://www.reforma.org/ the REFORMANET Web site along with spanishWebsites.htm#IN). Reinford’s observations on building a Spanish Web presence: REFORMA’s Information Technology Agenda • If you’re providing Spanish-language Perhaps the best outline detailing the information on your library Web site, myriad challenges and opportunities of don’t expect your Spanish-speaking Latino and Spanish-language digital collec- patron to dig deeply to find it; a link tions in public libraries is offered by directly from your home page is ideal. REFORMA’s “Information Technology Agenda.” This extensive document, pre- • If you provide a variety of Spanish- pared by REFORMA’s Information Technol- language resources on your Web site ogy Committee in June 2000, discusses (catalog, library card application, demographics and the “digital divide” as recommended Web links, etc.) please they relate to the Latino population. It provide one page where all resources discusses the impact of new technologies, are linked together. To me, sites that awareness and instruction, digital preserva- offered a variety of such resources tion and access, and potential partnerships scattered throughout their site, but did while presenting recommendations for not provide “one-stop” access to those each of these subheadings. Although more resources, were very frustrating. than two years old, the document’s bibliog- raphy is an excellent collection of resources • Try not to use the terms “Spanish” and on the subject. “Hispanic/Latino” interchangeably in categorizing your recommended Web Summation links. And if you are providing anno- This review of electronic Spanish-language tated Spanish-language Web links for resources at five public libraries reveals a Spanish-speaking patrons, provide broad array of services, functions and either bilingual or Spanish annotations applications that public libraries might if at all possible … I found libraries in make available to Spanish-speaking library 40 of the 50 states with Spanish- users. Clearly, no single library offers all of language online information. Not the possibilities, but by detailing what surprisingly, states with a high percent- some libraries have accomplished and age of persons of Hispanic origin such exploring some of the guidelines, I hope as California, Texas, and New York also that public libraries can gain a better 19 have numerous libraries providing understanding of developing virtual online information in Spanish. Some- Spanish-language content. Deep Change—Diversity at Its Simplest
by Sandra Rios Balderrama t its simplest “diversity” is about present day. Call it the frustrating debris. people. People who want to make The remnants. The “fall out.” Call it a Phoenix, Arizona A a change from that which appears blessing bathed in trauma, victory, integrity, static or homogenous. People who want to courage, and destiny. Call it a mystery of create change in and around themselves. In forever wondering why it occurred. Call it my view, diversity is about people who living in the past and not moving on to the want to deal with reality as it is, as it has future. Call it honored memory. Regardless, been, as it will be. here we are—truly a multicultural popula- But my reality may not be yours. Most tion with diverse lifestyles, sexual orienta- of the time we say the word diversity using tions, learning styles, etc. “… my etcetera different assumptions and definitions. country, my wounded country, my child, my Some call it a concept, an ideology, a tears, my obsession” (Alegria, Claribel). trend, an issue. Some call it a “movement.” Some of us were brought by force. Some Call it what you want. Stretch it far and of us had our homes taken by force. Some of wide. Focus on the center of the peach us “ran” here by choice—we ran, boated, kernel. For some, diversity is a choice of trained, walked, and crawled for our lives. how one wants to work, of how one How could we forget this? Why do we forget? wants to live, of how one wants to relate That nothing here was “discovered” for the to other people within this country, within first time. And that those who survived did the world. It is about holding up an earth not survive as an empty slate. Language may flag along with your national flag, gay have been beaten out of people. Long black pride flag, POW/MIA flag, if you wish. hair was cut. When I recently viewed The That is my definition. Create your own. Laramie Project, it seemed just yesterday that But make sure that it is meaningful to you. Matthew Shepherd* was left hanging. Make And not your window dressing. We can no mistake. There is a memory. Memory cover up for anyone but ourselves. prevailed. And there are strategies for I suggest this approach and encourage retaining that which speaks to us from the personal reflection because although past in an honest and authentic way. Even an organizational “diversity” statements are assimilated, U.S. educated, English-speaking worthy and important, an individual woman of 2003 still “feels” the sound of her working the reference desk, or making a grandmother clapping dough between her collection development decision, or a hands. She “feels” the smell of the tortilla hiring decision can sabotage the best of toasting on the hotplate as she awakens, on vision statements. There is power “on the Saturday morning, before church, in Los desk.” There is power behind closed Angeles. This gives her memory of “the doors. Everyday leadership and “small” fallout” but it is also restorative. acts of intertwined personal and profes- Libraries, today’s libraries, accessible sional accountability go a long way to libraries help us remember the history and create an environment conducive to herstory. We are dangerous. mutual respect, reciprocation, and learn- In October or November 1989, I was ing. This is an environment where I want part of a Transition into Management to work. Program sponsored by UCLA and the “Diversity” has not been a choice for California State Library. Henry Der, then Americans. It was “imposed” upon those of Executive Director of Chinese for Affirma- us who live on this land currently identified tive Action, told ten of us that the library as the United States. As long as we choose needed to be the place where new immi- 20 to live, work, plant or study here, we are grants learned about civil rights and where accountable for the herstory/history that Americans of every background learned brought us to this present moment, this about global situations that catalyzed Vol 0 No 1 • SUMMER 1
migration to the U.S. In Der’s mind, patience, willingness to listen deeply and libraries were the place to exchange and to look “again,” and the courage to relax reciprocate information and history/ the ego in order to develop new ways of herstory and thus, begin building a shared communicating on behalf of a shared future. Somewhere along the way, be- goal—service to library users. tween U.S. citizenship classes and U.S. We know with our gut, values, ethics, education for Americans, there was a mother wit, our rationale, left and/or right disconnect that in Der’s mind, librarians as minds, our quantitative and qualitative educators, bridge builders, information analyses that diversity is about human navigators could quite naturally and beings striving to “become” more whole as powerfully address. individuals and more “real” as a global When I think about libraries and about village. This global village is beyond e- the future I usually think of a 24/7 mailing a pen pal in Honduras or reading “mercado,” a huge open market that you a blog from Iraq. The electronic and digital might find in Italy, France, Mexico, maybe global villages have had an important role even Portland—many places in the world in forcing us to deal with one another that I have never been. Perhaps it is the (beyond a box of crayons, a mixed salad, color and noise of exchange and bartering a beautiful quilt, a rainbow of handheld that I find pleasing. The mercado is a hands), but being behind the computer multisensory environment that keeps me screen is different than the face-to-face alert, challenged, frustrated, as well as contact we “face” in everyday life. In pleased. In the library work environment I library work, we share “face” time with picture the richest of diverse appearances, colleagues, co-workers, patrons, students, ideas, and perspectives at the table where advocates, trustees, and stakeholders. At something is decided, designed, discussed the degree or level of “face” is where we and, yes, maybe even bartered. attempt to interact on behalf of delivering There is inevitably tension. There is excellent service and/or on behalf of tension because each of us loves our having a work environment that is more favorite ideas, epiphanies, stories. There is than tolerable—that is generative and tension because one of us has an untold conducive to creativity, evaluation, and story that cannot tolerate hearing another’s renewal. Throw a little acknowledgment so freely told. There is tension because one and respect in and we are more than of us resents the silence of another—the happy. Our standards of appraisal rise peace with which another chooses to listen from “It’s better than a kick in the butt” or and reflect before talking. There is tension “No news is good news” to “My adminis- because we don’t know how to listen more, trators are not afraid to tell me I’ve done a talk less or talk up more, listen less. good job” or “Our library not only looks at But in my “picture” usually there is people’s experience but at their potential.” food somewhere at the beginning or the Dipping into actions that result from end. Food is exchanged. Or a story, laugh, “soft skills” is referred to as “touchy-feely.” song, or poem. Foods for the soul. And Dipping into actions that result from “hard when I remember this meeting of decision skills” is referred to as “good business.” I making, design or information exchange, I happen to believe that soft skills are more remember the “face” that passed me the difficult to hone and to practice. In reality blueberry muffin covered by the Guatema- interpersonal skills may never carry the lan textile cloth and lying in the Kenyan same weight as technological skills and basket. Effective communication amongst most standards of operation and perfor- 21 diverse peoples that no longer rely on a mance are scientifically and quantitatively mainstream of standards requires stamina, bound. Whether you weep at the sight of OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Private First Class Lori Piestewa’s* family vultures.” We don’t have to pretend. delivering big pots of food or trays cov- Instead we recruit for diversity in an ered by crinkled foil upstairs to the family’s honest, authentic manner. We actively and porch, or whether you rely on the up-to- purposely look for people who will be the-minute demographic or scientific data, different from us. We look for qualifications when you are implementing meaningful and the rest is a surprise package. Perhaps. diversity work you must know that you Perhaps not. Perhaps we obtain the visual will be going against the grain. Tears can diversity of the current Bush administration. be ridiculed. Data can be manipulated. This is good. I like to see different colors Diversity is typically repelled and resisted. and genders of people. Perhaps, in addition But with time, diligence, persistence, to visible diversity, we get intellectual integrity and, I believe, ethics, the salmon diversity and fresh bravery. makes it back home to the root, the These last qualities may or may not set kernel, the base, the heartbeat—the global the system(s) of comfort on edge. Regard- drumbeat—that is at the base of diversity. less, we focus and we go beyond a good At the first level of diversity, typically faith effort, implement diverse strategies, our most successful, is programming and re-articulate our job descriptions and collections. No matter what our back- recruitment brochures, connect with new ground we are capable as librarians of or mainstream library groups or with those displaying, programming, and building representing the GLBT, multicultural, and collections with multiculturalism and people with disability communities, and intellectual diversity in mind. We know stretch timeframes if we need to in order to about Gay Pride month. We know about reach a diverse audience of qualified Spanish-language materials. We know we applicants. We do things differently be- must include small press publications. This cause we are serious about a diverse is an important level. A good level. workforce. Whew! Lots of work, lots of At the second level of diversity, we energy, and serious resources are required focus on staffing. This is who we work at this important level of inclusion and with, work for, work above in the organic opportunity. It is a good level. or mechanical structures of our library At the third level of diversity we are organizations. We provide great program- colorful at the table, reference desk, and on ming but we look around and at “face staff development day. We implement a value” we see mirrors of ourselves but not shared library vision. We are able to finally of the people we serve or want to serve. It say that we have visible diversity throughout is possible that we as a homogenous the ranks. We may be able to include true group think differently and work differ- and natural photos of visible diversity in our ently, but when we come together at the recruitment brochures. But there remains an library meeting table we don’t see whom element of cookie-cutterism, an expectation we do laundry next to, who owns the of “conformity” as to what organizational restaurants down the block, who lives next behavior, meeting protocol, and standards door, who travels on their skateboard, or and appraisals of performance look like. who walks with Ethiopian fabrics billowing Circles try to be squares. Squares try to be in slight breezes. We know we are capable circles. Elephants try to lose weight to fit in of learning a different language or of the giraffe’s house (Thomas, Roosevelt). “brushing up” on another culture but we President’s Bush’s administration or the know deeply that there is only so far we diverse composition of our armed forces are 22 can go. We will always be an outsider. other examples. Most often, in the case of It’s OK. We don’t have to impose libraries, are the unspoken standards, mea- ourselves or become awkward “culture surements and gauges that are potentially Vol 0 No 1 • SUMMER 1
detrimental to the contributions of employ- time contributing individual thoughts, ees from any affinity group who don’t perspectives, ideas, plans, strategies not so “measure up” to those particular standards. much because these might be Latina This is an important level, however, because thoughts but because like my Grandma it reduces visible homogeneity. It creates a used to say with gusto, “Sandra!! God gave workforce that will probably be more us a mind!” And at this level the group attractive to potential library users. This level will begin to understand that gravitation to illustrates a choice to participate and to be any affinity group can happen at the same included in the common recognitions and time as one’s own individuality is ex- rewards of being “American.” Many paved a pressed. For example, while in charge of path with a machete to obtain and imple- the Spectrum Scholarship Initiative at ALA ment this right—to become part of the I often had to explain: “No, the Spectrum President’s cabinet or the Supreme Court, to Scholars are not all straight. They are gay, use the elevators at ALA conferences (like bisexual, lesbian. Some have disabilities A.P. Marshall*), or to be part of the armed that are visible or not visible to you. Some services. Yet I would like to see us push are also Jewish. Some are Asian and further to another level—deeper or higher— American Indian at the same time. Some depending on your metaphors. are straight. Some were born in this At the fourth level of diversity is a country. Others only reside here. Some are rainbow coalition. It devotes time to creating over 55; others are in their 20s. They are new and reviewing traditional operating every one of us and they are not any one principles, values, and communication of us.” At this fourth level we begin to live methods. Perhaps the methods of “rounds” more comfortably with simplicity and (going around the room to hear everyone complexity. We begin to understand we and allowing for introverts to think and know little but we understand what is the speak without interruption), true brainstorm- right thing to do. ing (getting the ideas out in a non-judgmen- At the fifth level of diversity are mutual tal, non-interrupted, non-edited manner), reciprocation, respect, and exchange. Skill “interest-based” negotiations (focus on the for skill. Lesson for lesson. Coins for a kilo interest and the issue not the person or the of tangelos. Heart for heart. At this level I “problem”), incorporation of multisensory am recruited to a library; I get the job; I data (for visual people like me), or a dozen learn about the new “operating principles” other methods may be explored or de- and the overall expectations of a shared signed. The rainbow coalition figures out vision. I am interested and am willing to “how” it will work together. It will create a learn and to practice them. But if there is shared agreement for how to work together “true” diversity, then I expect the employer and how to gather and incorporate “multi- and organization to be interested in plex” perspectives. learning from me and to consider incorpo- The group has decided that main- rating my added value into the stream standards no longer serve the organization’s values. It is not really about contemporary workforce and thus start to “me.” It is really about consistent growth, create new guidelines and agreements in generation, incorporation and evaluation order to obtain the richest fruit, bartering, of both a work environment and the and sounds of the “mercado.” At this level service/product provided. As with my the group may be able to tackle and employer, I have mutual respect for the effectively honor the intellectual diversity user and my colleagues. I am not attempt- of each person, each person in part ing to “better” or “empower” someone that 23 forever subject to appearance or attached I am superior to. I share my skill. I learn to some affinity group, but at the same from others’ questions and interests. I OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
simply “walk” in the manner of the leaders be acknowledged. May they all be “true.” I admire. I act even though I won’t be May you remember the face of the person written up in the American Libraries. I who passed you the bread. May discom- speak softly. I speak enthusiastically in my forts around diversity eventually enlighten. native language without punishment. I not May you demonstrate courage to try only applaud or throw tomatoes from the something new. May you give one another sidelines but I participate in the moment. If the benefit of the doubt. May you bark and there is a hate crime against a gay human growl, bring out the statistics, draw pictures being then I see it as a Latina/Jewish/ and circles—in a meeting where there are Arabic/feminist/paraplegic problem. We shared agreements of time and communica- share the problem, hurt, issue, pain, tion. May your exchanges at your local feeling, data gathering for another human mercado be fruitful. May your worktables whose “becoming” was cut down. produce splinters. May your famous Ms. Alberta Tenorio, library assistant at evergreens reciprocate oxygen for your the Oakland Public Library, advised the 1999 carbon dioxide. ALA Spectrum Scholars during the “Spirit of Service Leadership” curriculum: “Don’t do it This article is dedicated to Faye Chadwell for ‘them,’ do it for you.” Henry Gardner, and my friends at Multnomah County past city manager for Oakland, CA, advised Library: Sara Ryan, Patricia Welch, Ruth California library workers at a 1995 or 1996 Metz, and the Latino Outreach staff. California Library Association conference: “If you can’t be enlightened regarding diversity *Notes then be selfish. Do it for yourself and the 21-year old Matthew Shepherd died on future of this country, the future of libraries.” October 12, 1998, the victim of an anti-gay At the 1998 Colorado Library Association, hate crime perpetrated in Laramie, Wyoming. Susan Kotarba, librarian with the Denver Private First Class Lori Piestewa, age 23, Public Library, said, “I have met the future was the first Native American woman in the librarians that I want to work with. They are U.S. armed forces to die as a result of the teenagers that work in my library.” The combat. Piestewa was part of the Army’s teenagers are nothing less than a future 507th Maintenance Company stationed in librarian. (Gasp.) Someone else had told me Iraq during March 2003. that the young group of teenagers on one of Librarian, author and scholar, A. P. the original Spectrum posters looked like (Albert Prince) Marshall contributed much “gang bangers.” Ah. Pumping heart. The to African American librarianship. The teenagers are our librarians. father of ALA OLOS Director Satia Orange, PFC Piestewa’s family and friends cook Marshall died in 2000. in big pots like my family does. Matthew Shepherd was my Uncle Joe. Alberta is my References grandmother. Claribel Alegria’s “etc.” Alegria C., 1995. “Documentary.” Recorded country of El Salvador is my own. Mr. A.P for The Language of Life, Part Four: Some Marshall is Cesar Chavez. Elevators. Can Sing, an eight-part series created by Bill Vineyards. There is both power and need Moyers and produced by David Grubin. in the least obvious places. The heartbeat. David Grubin Productions, Inc. & Public The shared drumbeat that is our global Affairs Television, Inc. mother. Perhaps this fifth level might be Thomas R., 1999. Building a House for the last level, the deepest level, the peach Diversity: A Fable About a Giraffe & an 24 kernel. Frankly, I am not sure. Elephant Offers New Strategies for Today’s May your levels, your steps, your Workforce. AMACOM. actions, your reflections, your attempts all