Diverse Populations, Information, and Library Education

June 04, 2011 posted by admin
At a Glance
Project at a Glance 
  • Status: Active
  • Launch: Fall 2010
  • Partners: Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Libraries and the Internet
  • Funding Agencies: The American Library Association (ALA), The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
  • Team: Paul T. Jaeger, Mega Subramaniam, John Carlo Bertot, Renee Franklin Hill, Jonathan Lazar, Cassandra Jones, James P. Neal, Ursula Gorham-Oscilowski, Rebecca Oxley
  • Mission: To educate librarians to meet the information and service needs of diverse population

 

Mission: The Diverse Populations, Information, and Library Education project works to explore existing and emerging ways in which libraries in all forms are addressing the needs of their changing and diversifying communities.  Our goal is to encourage, support and mentor new librarians and those interested in librarianship who have a desire to work with diverse populations, publish scholarly articles about diversity as it relates to information and libraries, and form partnerships with organizations that seek to serve these varied communities.

The Diverse Populations, Information, and Library Education project is an outcome and response to the shifting and changing nature of our communities and the library's duty to provide information and resources to all members of society.  The project is sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to promote library accessibility and usability for all citizens.  We work to explore existing and emerging ways in which libraries in all forms are addressing the needs of their changing and diversifying communities in the 21st Century.  With the growing nature of information in today's society, in speed and volume, and the technological advances that make this kind of information exchange possible, providing information to everyone in society can become a reality.

During its first year, the project has researched many different subject areas including populations with disabilities, STEM education, and how to prepare future librarians to serve diverse populations.  It is also working in collaboration with the newly formed Information and Diverse Populations concentration at the University of Maryland's iSchool to prepare future library professionals for service in diverse communities.