Academic Journal

The Urban Library Program: Challenges to Educating and Hiring a Diverse Workforce

Bibliographic Details
Title: The Urban Library Program: Challenges to Educating and Hiring a Diverse Workforce
Authors: Wagner, Mary M., Willms, Debbie
Source: Library Trends. 59:128-146
Publisher Information: Project MUSE, 2010.
Publication Year: 2010
Subject Terms: St. Catherine University, Diversity in the workplace -- United States, 4. Education, 11. Sustainability, Saint Paul Public Library, Minority library employees -- Recruiting -- United States, Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science
Description: Item withdrawn by Eric Johnson (eojohnsn@illinois.edu) on 2011-03-15T21:16:51Z Item was in collections: Library Trends 59 (1-2) Summer/Fall 2010: Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science, Part 2 (ID: 795) No. of bitstreams: 1 59.1-2.wagner.pdf: 245535 bytes, checksum: 4a160ccbf05a65124b4668d8b05a6ed9 (MD5) ; Item marked as completely restricted (or under embargo) by Eric Johnson (eojohnsn@illinois.edu) on 2011-03-15T21:16:51Z Item is restricted until 2012-10-15T21:13:52Z ; From 2003 through the fall of 2009, St. Catherine University (formerly the College of St. Catherine) and the Saint Paul Public Library collaborated to create the Urban Library Program (ULP), an Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS) supported project to recruit, educate, hire, and retain a diverse paraprofessional workforce in the metropolitan Twin Cities of Minnesota. Studies of graduates of the ULP demonstrate its success in educating diverse individuals for employment in libraries in spite of the complexity of their language, economic, and educational challenges. These same studies also reveal institutional and professional barriers to hiring a qualified, diverse workforce. This case study investigates challenges to attracting and educating a diverse workforce, structural barriers that inhibit hiring, class conflicts arising in the workplace, and unexpected results from the program. The authors conclude that for the population targeted in this project, education alone is not the answer to diversifying the workforce. A strong support network is necessary to navigate higher education systems, the hiring practices of libraries, as well as the professional library community. ; Submitted by Eric Johnson (eojohnsn@illinois.edu) on 2011-03-15T21:16:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 59.1-2.wagner.pdf: 245535 bytes, checksum: 4a160ccbf05a65124b4668d8b05a6ed9 (MD5) ; Made available in DSpace on 2011-03-15T21:16:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 59.1-2.wagner.pdf: 245535 bytes, checksum: 4a160ccbf05a65124b4668d8b05a6ed9 (MD5) Previous issue ...
Document Type: Article
Language: English
ISSN: 1559-0682
DOI: 10.1353/lib.2010.a407810
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....ad609252457dca9622f0ad1f6b9f81a1
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
ISSN:15590682
DOI:10.1353/lib.2010.a407810