Article Reflection #1 - Jaeger, et al.

The article Diversity, inclusion, and underrepresented populations in LIS research by Jaeger, et al. examines the issue of underrepresented populations within the LIS community—including LIS students, professionals, and scholars. The current LIS community doesn’t accurately depict the user community at large. The United States is an incredibly diverse country, and many populations are underrepresented within the information community. This inequality may imply that the LIS community isn’t properly serving the population.

What can be done to repair this underrepresentation within the LIS community? The article gives several solutions, starting with the recruitment of more diverse LIS students. According to Jaeger et al., only sporadic attention has been focused on recruiting and retaining ethnically diverse master’s students (2010). Implementing a more rigorous, long-term campaign to recruit diverse individuals could improve the levels of diversity among LIS students. The next step is to include more of an emphasis on diversity in LIS programs. A stronger focus on diversity helps those from underrepresented populations identify with the field, which in turn creates more interest in the LIS community from those groups (Jaeger et al., 2010).

“Issues of information related to diverse and underrepresented populations are so prevalent that they can seamlessly fit into the work of any LIS scholar, either as a specific focus or as an aspect of an area of research.” This quote illustrates what can be done within the larger LIS community to decrease the number of underrepresented populations in the field. If all LIS scholars included issues of diversity or underrepresentation in just one aspect of their research, the gap between the LIS community and the actual user community might shrink.

References

Jaeger, P. T., Bertot, J. C., & Franklin, R. E. (2010). Diversity, inclusion, and underrepresented populations in LIS research. Library Quarterly, 80, 175-181.

Social Bookmark 1: Asian American Resource Center

According to the Asian American Resource Center website, the purpose of the AARC is to strengthen the Asian American community by providing transitional housing, rent/utility assistance, and food vouchers, promoting English literacy and civics to non-English speaking adults, guiding youth to become productive citizens, strengthening families by providing cultural enrichment programs, and forming community coalitions to address local issues.

This is a great resource for the Asian American community, especially for those who have just arrived in the United States (specifically in Georgia) and are looking for assistance. There are links to many important websites including the Georgia DMV, Georgia Dept. of Labor, Human Resources, and Prescription Assistance Programs.

This website is well-edited and well organized, so library patrons and staff can easily navigate it.

Katy Christensen's Cultural Mosaic

According to Chao & Moon, one's cultural mosaic combines global individual culture and localized
cultural influences (2005). The cultural mosaic allows us to describe our culture with many different facets, and only those that we identify with. For example, many people might look at me and assume that I identify with being Asian. Personally, I identify much more with my Caucasian friends and feel "white." I was adopted when I was three months old, so I have spent my whole life in the United States. I do consider myself to be Asian-American. As far as other demographic tiles, my cultural mosaic includes my age (23) and my gender (female). I don't identify with the same geographic tile as those around me. Living in Michigan, many of my friends enjoy winter weather and winter sports--skiing, snowboarding, etc. However, I don't like winter, snow, or cold weather, so this tile is one that I would exclude from my personal cultural mosaic.

There are many associative tiles that I would include in my cultural mosaic. I identify myself as a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, student of Wayne State University, alumna of Michigan State University (and one of many who still wishes they were an MSU student!), an employee of the East Lansing Public Library, resident of K street (I love my neighborhood), and a moderate agnostic. These specific tiles of my cultural mosaic are much more important to me than my geographic and demographic tiles. I identify myself based on my relationships with others more than those characteristics that others may use to define me. While I define myself as Asian-American, I am more strongly committed to my identity as a friend, sister, daughter, aunt, employee, student, etc.

The idea of a cultural mosaic gives one the freedom to define himself or herself in whatever way is most fitting personally. This may or may not be congruent with the identity that others have given, and that is acceptable in this model.

Chao, G. & Moon, H. (2005). Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1128-1140.

Test post

This is a test post for my LIS 7370 blog. This blog is under construction. Thanks!

Katy