Twanna Hodge and Beth Lytle

Diversity in LIS Education: Are We Preparing Students for the 21 st Century Workplace? Selected References: Mestre, L., & Association of College and Research Libraries. (2009). Librarians serving diverse populations: Challenges and opportunities. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries. Wheeler, M. B. (2005). Unfinished business: Race, equity, and diversity in library and information science education. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Jaeger, P. T., Subramaniam, M. M., Jones, C. B., & Bertot, J. C. (July 01, 2011). Diversity and LIS education: Inclusion and the age of information. Journal of Education for Library & Information Science, 52, 3, Winston, M. D. (January 01, 2001). Communication and teaching: Education about diversity in the LIS classroom. Journal of Library Administration, 33, We are completing a survey of five Information Schools to see whether their curricula prepare students for working with individuals from background differing from theirs as coworkers and patrons. We want to address gaps and ensure that LIS programs are better educating students to meet the needs of the current workplaces. Schools Selected from 2013 US News & World Report: 1. Syracuse University 2. University of Illinois 3. University of Michigan 4. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 5. University of Washington Selected Questions: Do you have any courses that specifically address diverse user needs and/or how to engage with diverse user populations? Considering the various courses and other efforts related to diversity in your school/department, what more do you think your school/department could do to prepare students for a diverse 21 st century workplace? In your opinion, is this program adequately preparing students to work in a diverse 21 st century workplace?

Next Steps: Gather syllabi for courses relating to diversity from all five schools Interview faculty and administrators at each of the selected schools Compile data Create a resource list for individuals interested in including diversity-related topics in their courses