TLA 2002 presentation as of Saturday, April 20, 2002, 9 pm

Welcome to
A for Accessibility: The Texas Century Scholarship Diversity Initiative as a Key to the Future of the LIS Profession in Texas


Ellen Perlow
(E-Mail: eperlow@twu.edu ; Web: http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/)
Manager of Information Services, Texas Woman's University School of Library and Information Studies
Texas Library Association 2002 Conference, Dallas Convention Center,
Thursday, April 25, 2002, 10 am-11:50 am
This document is available in alternative formats upon request.
This document meets the World Wide Web Consortium Guidelines for accessible web design.
URL: http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/tla2002paper.html


Abstract/Proposal:

Over the years, numerous programs at annual Texas Library Association conferences have focused on the need to recruit more qualified professionals to the library and information science [LIS] field, as well as the prerequisite, the need to recruit many more students to our LIS programs. The LIS profession, especially in Texas, needs skilled, dedicated professionals. LIS programs nationwide and specifically in Texas avidly search for enough students to fill their classes. At any given time, the list of job openings on the Texas Library Association job line (http://www.txla.org/jobline/jobdisplay.asp) usually numbers as many as 90 professional positions.

This contributed paper explores how the American Library Association's ASCLA Division Century Scholarship (http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html) and the Texas Century Scholarship (http://www.txla.org/html/awards/scholar/century.html), two companion LIS diversity initiatives for people with differabilities, will be instrumental in helping the LIS profession in Texas, as well as nationally, and worldwide, achieve its mission of recruiting a diverse workforce, as well as accomplishing equity of access goals set forth for the nation's workforce (for instance, the President's New Freedom Initiative: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/freedominitiative/freedominitiative.html ).

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The American Library Association ASCLA Division Century Scholarship

In June 1999, the American Library Association's [ALA's] ASCLA [Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies] Division established the independently-funded ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship Diversity Initiative (http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html), currently up to $2500 annually, to recruit people who do things differently into LIS careers and to help fulfill ALA's mission to bring needed diversity to the profession (see: http://www.ala.org/work/).

The ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship now boasts two Century Scholars: Rebecca Van Scyoc (2000), a graduate LIS distance education student at the University of Illinois, and Simon Healey (2001), graduating in December 2001 with a Master's of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Applicants for the 2002 ALA ASCLA Scholarship now are being sought. By Texas Library Association [TLA] Conference time in April 2002, our Century Scholar for 2002 will have been chosen. Will the ALA ASCLA Century Scholar for 2002 also be a Texan who also qualifies for the matching Texas Century Scholarship?

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The Texas Library Association's Matching Texas Century Scholarship

Established in February 2001 by the Texas Library Association [TLA], TLA's companion Texas Century Scholarship ( http://www.txla.org/html/awards/scholar/century.html) makes Texas a leader in promoting ALA Century's diversity initiative and creating new professional opportunities for our students.

To be eligible for the $2000 matching Texas Century Scholarship, one must win the ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship, attend one of the three ALA-accredited LIS programs in Texas [Texas Woman's University, University of North Texas, or University of Texas at Austin], and agree to work in a Texas library or information center for two years upon graduation. May we have a Texas Century Scholar!

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The Century Scholarships at a Crossroads

There already is outstanding support for the ALA and TLA Century Scholarship programs among advocates for people who do things differently=people with differabilities and people who are members of the class. Unfortunately, among LIS educators and practitioners, there is doubt that such a program has validity or that Century Scholars have the ability to succeed in the LIS profession. This doubt is unfortunate because it is based upon age-old negative stereotypes and false assumptions about people with differabilities.

How can one's entire mind set and pre-conceived notions about people with differabilities be changed from negative to positive? This author's answer may sound simplistic, but the method works. Attend and experience an assistive technology conference, for example, the conference held each March in Los Angeles sponsored by the California State University at Northridge (see: http://www.csun.edu/cod/). At the conference, meet the creative geniuses, the inventors, the designers, the creators, the users of the exhibited assistive technology that is the highest tech with the highest human touch. Voice recognition and speech synthesizers may be the newest gadgets in our latest model automobiles. But these technology devices, like e-mail, were the brainchild of people who needed the technology for themselves or others: people with differabilities. Much of the assistive technology we all enjoy today originated as technology invented out of necessity, technology that one day we too may need. Assistive Technology IS Everywhere! (see: http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/ateverywhere.html).

Expecting everyone [reading or listening to this paper] to attend an assistive technology conference may be beyond the realm of probability. However, visiting just the above website alone (http://www.csun.edu/cod/) and the site's listed conference exhibitor links seems to be a doable alternative. It is recognized that, as is true with any other group with whom one is unfamiliar, one needs to interact with people to appreciate their potential. People with differabilities are especially talented in that by necessity, they have learned to adapt to the environment in different ways, and have developed the skill of adaptive capacity and the art of creatively thinking outside of the box.

That is why the Texas Century Scholarship program needs to be expanded to be more than just a monetary award. Assistantships, practica, internships, and apprenticeships are well-known winning strategies that students apply to successfully enter and succeed in the workplace. At first, the employer hires an employee on an obligation-free temporary or trial basis. The employee has an opportunity to learn and acquire the necessary skills to perform the job, and to prove himself/herself worthy of employment. The employer then has the opportunity to evaluate the employee and determine whether the employee should continue in the position and be transferred to permanent status.

Adding recruitment and apprenticeship components to the Texas Century Scholarship program will help Texas Century Scholars succeed. A grant or grants (perhaps to the Institute of Museum and Library Services: http://www.imls.gov/ and/or a Demco, Inc./Texas Library Association research grant: http://www.txla.org/html/awards/scholar.html#demco) would be written to fund the recruitment of fifty students with differabilities into actual, though perhaps other than professional, positions in libraries and information centers across the State of Texas. The fifty selected participants also would be mentored to pursue professional LIS degrees at Texas universities, The grants, if approved, would help provide accessibility training and awareness to Texas libraries and information centers, fund a portion of the selected participants' salaries, and provide needed assistive technology. It is planned that the Demco/TLA grant application will be submitted by TLA 2002 conference time.

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Justification for the American and Texas Century Scholarships is that these scholarship programs directly address and satisfy the stated missions of the LIS profession and the American and Texas Library Associations:
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Outlook for the LIS profession:

Despite the current economic slowdown, the LIS job outlook appears good. On the conservative side, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2000 Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that "...because MLS programs increasingly focus on computer skills, graduates will be qualified for other, computer-related occupations... Some job openings for librarians will stem from projected slower than average employment growth through 2008. Replacement needs will account for more job openings over the next decade, as some librarians reach retirement age." (1)

According to the more optimistic Chicago Library System: "The current job market is strong. Library school placement centers currently report that 90 percent of their graduates have jobs within six months after graduation. Public library budgets have been on the rise for the past five years. Technology skills are in high demand, as are candidates who bring diversity, energy, and other outside job skills to the workplace." (2)

More good news: "More Jobs, More Money: The number of librarian jobs is projected to grow about 5 percent between 1998 and 2008... By 2008, librarians are expected to hold more than 159,000 jobs7,000 more than they did in 1998." (3)

Library Journal's "Placements & Salaries 2000" report states that despite salary increases remaining small, "graduates from American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information science (LIS) schools found plenty of jobs ...."(4)

Echoing the importance of LIS technology training, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that "[m]any companies are turning to librarians because of their research and organizational skills, and knowledge of computer databases and library automation systems. Librarians can review vast amounts of information and analyze, evaluate, and organize it according to a company's specific needs. Librarians are also hired by organizations to set up information on the Internet. Librarians working in these settings may be classified as systems analysts, database specialists and trainers, webmasters or web developers, or LAN (local area network) coordinators." (5)

In fact, the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science lists 262 different job titles for possible positions LIS graduates may find in today's job market ( http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~mach/realjobs.html; "Access Services Librarian" is the number one job title on the list). (6) The LIS programs and profession hold a distinct advantage over other fields of study. Unlike other fields, in which a student must obtain an undergraduate degree to pursue master's and doctoral degrees in that particular area, LIS programs welcome students from all types of backgrounds: for good reason. Even a cursory search on Gale Group's Ready Reference Shelf database reveals that there are libraries and information centers for every segment of knowledge, from cats (Library Cat Society (LCS), PO Box 274, Moorhead, MN 56561-0274 USA) and donkeys and mules (American Donkey and Mule Society (ADMS), 2901 N. Elm St. , Denton, TX 76201 USA http://www.donkeys.com/) to the extraterrestrial (for instance, J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies Information Center, 2457 W. Peterson Ave. , Chicago, IL 60659 USA, http://www.cufos.org/). (7)

LIS educators are adapting their curricula to respond to the proliferation of positions in the LIS field. According to the 2000 KALIPER Report:

"...At the turn of the century it appears that change in LIS curriculum is spanning a broad spectrum: some schools are going through a carefully planned evolution where they're broadening their focus to include other information environments, but retaining a solid focus on librarianship; other schools have implemented a more sudden and significant shift away from their past focus on the institution of the library such that their changes reflect total revision as opposed to steady evolution. Perhaps what's most important at the heart of this stability versus change nexus, is that students and employers do exist at both ends of the spectrum.

But regardless of the nature of LIS curricular change, in discussing the future, several faculty expressed concern about a growing shortage of new PhDs in LIS that they believe will only worsen as senior faculty retire. A need for more doctoral students and doctoral programs was emphasized. [Emphasis added] In essence it appears that despite the differences in how schools are changing, common concerns about the future exist and continuing conversation about the nature of LIS and its curriculum are still needed." (8)

A review of LIS-related websites reveals an emphasis on recruiting more people to the profession, especially representatives of minority populations, for instance, by providing a variety of student scholarship opportunities. The expressed goal is to have the diversity of the LIS profession reflect the diversity of the communities the profession serves (see: http://www.ala.org/spectrum/index.html and http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html). Diversity and a diverse workforce are key principles expressed in many LIS organization mission statements, for instance, that of the American Library Association, which lists "Diversity" at its number one= top "ALA Key Action Area" (see: http://www.ala.org/work/).

Is the diversity of our profession that we seek truly reflecting the diversity of the communities we as professionals serve?

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Diversity: Some Definitions and Statistics

What is diversity? What and who is a minority?

At least in the United States, diversity is often viewed as applying only to ethnicity. By U.S. Census definition, certain ethnic groups have been deemed "minorities." A question pertaining to an individual's ethnicity is routinely asked on most state and federal, if not private sector job application forms in the United States [ although answering the question may be optional, the question is still asked]. The question is prominent on the U.S. Census and many statistics and projections are generated from responses received.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 Report, the population figures for U.S. Census-defined minorities indicate the following:

People who self-identified as being:
A marketing report on the economic power of people who self-identify with the homosexual lifestyle provides the statistic that this cultural group represents 10 percent of the U.S. population. (10)

As the American Library Association online Diversity Brochure points out: "... diversity applies to more than race and ethnicity." (11)

Diversity: 1. Different; unlike; dissimilar; distinct; separate. 2. Capable of various forms; multiform. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. Source: http://www.dictionary.com/

Minority: The smaller in number of two groups forming a whole. A group regarded as different from the larger group of which it is part. From Latin minor: less, smaller. Definitions adapted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996.

The United States Bureau of the Census reported in 1997 that 19.7 percent of the population "had some level of disability*." (* in this paper referred to as "differability" or "people with differabilities")(12)

Yes. People with differabilities as a class are nearly 20% of the population.

In the same report, it is noted that there is an increased prevalence of differabilities among certain ethnic minorities: "...For all ages, the prevalence of severe disability was 8.5 percent for Asians and Pacific Islanders, 9.7 percent for Hispanics (not statistically different from the rate for Asians and Pacific Islanders) , 12.2 percent for non-Hispanic Whites, and 15.7 percent for Blacks. " (13)

Interestingly, people with differabilities, unlike any ethnic group, is a group all of us in the human race can join at any time, and all of us seem to join sooner or later in life: if not due to birth, illness, accident, natural disaster, lifestyle choice, or war/terrorism, then due to the inevitable aging process.

In 1995, in a report entitled "Sixty-Five Plus in the United States," the U.S. Census Bureau reported that according to its "middle series" projections, "the elderly population [Editor: all of us sooner or later; emphasis added] will more than double between now and the year 2050, to 80 million. By that year, as many as 1 in 5 Americans could be elderly. Most of this growth should occur between 2010 and 2030, when the "baby boom" generation enters their elderly years." ... [A]s more people live to the oldest ages, there may also be more who face chronic, limiting illnesses or conditions ..." (14)

The headline for a recently published report by Mary Jo Lynch, statistician/researcher for the American Library Association, says it best: "Reaching 65: Lots of Librarians Will Be There Soon." "Numbers reveal need for major recruitment efforts." (American Libraries, March 2002, p. 55-56) http://www.ala.org/alonline/archive/reaching65.pdf)(15)

So although statistics demonstrate that people with differabilities are a minority who represents a greater percentage of the U.S. population (almost 20% and growing) than any of the U.S. Census-enumerated minority ethnic groups, members of the class seem to be invisible in mainstream society, and in the job market.

In March 2000 documents, the rate of employment in the civilian work force for African Americans was 92.3 percent (16), Asian/Pacific-Islanders, 96.1 (17) , and people of Hispanic origin, 93.2 percent [6.8 unemployed](18).

However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, "the employment rate for individuals with any disability was 50.4 percent in 1994/95 and 48.1 percent in 1997. For those with a severe disability the comparable rates were 34.1 percent and 29.4 percent. Among those with a nonsevere disability the rates were 61.6 percent in 1994/95 and 63.9 percent in 1997. (19)

The Able-to-Work Consortium of companies (http://www.abletowork.org/) places these numbers into perspective: "54 million Americans have disabilities, 17 million are of working age (16-64), yet only 29% are employed full or part-time. Of the 12 million unemployed, 79% would prefer to be working." (20)

In tabular form, the above employment statistics can be summarized:

The Able-to-Work Consortium estimates that in North America's workforce: "According to current labor market projections, the number of job vacancies will continue to outpace the number of available workers well into the next decade. It is anticipated that by the year 2006, there will be:
Is a 29% employed (71% unemployed) rate acceptable?

It is true that people with differabilities, of every race, ethnic group, geographic origin and gender historically have been placed, schooled, and considered as outside mainstream society. People with differabilities were among Hitler's first victims. (21) In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people with differabilities can be sterilized without consent (Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200; 47 S. Ct. 584; 1927 U.S. LEXIS 20; 71 L. Ed. 1000 (1927)). The case also is famous for Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' commentary that "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." It is this author's opinion that age-old negative stereotypes and labels associated with people with differabilities have created the unending cycle of negative perceptions about members of the class that persist to this day. Institution of positive terminology can help change the perceptions and engender acceptance of the 20% of the U.S. population who belong to this class into our society and into our workforce. (22)

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Why Hire People with Differabilities?
  1. People with Differabilities, especially those with computer skills, know accessibility. The U.S. Access Board's Section 508 Accessibility Standards, applicable to U.S. federal agencies (http://www.section508.gov/) have placed Accessibility on the very top of the federal government's agenda and their websites (see the top left corner of the U.S. Department of Justice home page: http://www.usdoj.gov/). The U.S. federal government, the nation's number one consumer, must now by law procure only accessible technology. As the federal government goes, so goes the nation, and the private sector. State laws governing web accessibility, for instance, the State of Texas statute, 1 TAC §201.12 State Web Sites (http://www.dir.state.tx.us/standards/S201-12.htm), are being revised to comply with the new federal Section 508 standards.

  2. People with differabilities will lead the way to your institution's universal design of products and services. "Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities. (23-24) The more universally designed our products and services are, the more customers, patrons, clientele our institutions will attract. Marketing 101: More customers = More $$$.

  3. Knowledge and practice of universally-relevant accessibility and equity of access and appreciation of all diversity, including the diversity of differability, are key requirements for teachers and school library media specialists in the State of Texas. (25)

  4. People with differabilities are creative by nature. Thinking outside of the box is a necessity. For everyone.

  5. People with differabilities are some of the most loyal, dedicated, hard-working employees an employer could have. The opportunity to work is valued and much appreciated.


By recruiting for the American and Texas Century Scholarships, may we celebrate a new century that celebrates diversity and promote:
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References:
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook . Last updated: September 29, 2000. URL: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm (accessed 20 April 2002).

  2. Chicago Library System. Librarianship: Library Careers - Are as Diverse as YOU! . http://www.chilibsys.org/librarianship/careers.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  3. Olivia Crosby. "Information Experts in the Information Age." InfoEdge (West Group). Vol. 2 no. 1, Fall 2001, p. 2.

  4. Tom Terrell and Vicki L. Gregory. "Plenty of Jobs, Salaries Flat." ("Placements & Salaries 2000"), Library Journal, v. 126 no. 17, October 15, 2001, p. 34.

  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook . Last updated: September 29, 2000. URL: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm (accessed 20 April 2002).

  6. University of Illinois. Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Real Job Titles for Library and Information Science Professionals. http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~mach/realjobs.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  7. The Gale Group. Gale's Ready Reference Shelf. (accessed 20 April 2002).

  8. Joan C. Durrance, University of Michigan School of Information, Chair. Kellogg-ALISE Information Professions and Education Reform Project [KALIPER]. What the Field Says About LIS Education at the Dawn of a New Century: An Introduction. KALIPER Advisory Committee Report at ALISE 2000 Conference, New Orleans: http://www.alise.org/nondiscuss/KALIPER_conf_2000_report.htm (accessed 20 April 2002).

  9. United States. Bureau of the Census. Population by Race and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2000. http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-1.pdf (accessed 20 April 2002).

  10. Rainbow Referrals. National Marketing Studies Confirm the Affluence of the Gay and Lesbian Market. http://www.rainbowreferrals.com/sponsors/statistic.asp (accessed 20 April 2002).

  11. American Library Association. Diversity: Why Diversity? ["ALAAction No. 4 in a series] http://www.ala.org/work/diversitybrochure.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  12. McNeil, Jack. U.S. Census Bureau. Americans With Disabilities: 1997. Household Economic Studies. Current Population Reports P70-73. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/sipp/disab97/asc97.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  13. Ibid.

  14. U.S. Census Bureau. Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Sixty-Five Plus in the United States. May 1995. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/statbriefs/agebrief.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  15. Mary Jo Lynch. "Reaching 65: Lots of Librarians Will Be There Soon." American Libraries, March 2002, p. 55-56. http://www.ala.org/alonline/archive/reaching65.pdf (accessed 20 April 2002).

  16. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Table 10: Employment Status of the Population 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Sex, and Race and Hispanic Origin: March 2000. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/race/black/ppl-142/tab10.txt (accessed 20 April 2002).

  17. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Table 9. Labor Force Status of the Civilian Population 16 Years and Over by Sex, and Race and Hispanic Origin: March 2000. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/race/api/ppl-146/tab10.txt (accessed 20 April 2002).

  18. U.S. Bureau of the Census. The Hispanic Population in the United States: Population Characteristics: March 2000(issued March 2001), p. 5. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hispanic/p20-535/p20-535.pdf (accessed 20 April 2002).

  19. John M. McNeil. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Employment, Earnings, and Disability. 1991-1997 data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. (Paper presented July 3, 2000 at the annual meeting of the Western Economic Association International.) http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/emperndis.pdf (accessed 20 April 2002).

  20. Able to Work Consortium. http://www.abletowork.org/ (accessed 20 April 2002).

  21. Philip Rosen. Beyond Anne Frank. http://muweb.millersville.edu/~holo-con/Rosen-1999.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  22. Ellen Perlow. See: http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/discrossedout.doc, http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/ifla2001.html, http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/ala2001divfair.html, http://twu.edu/~s_perlow/tahead2000.html (accessed 20 April 2002).

  23. North Carolina State University. The Center for Universal Design. Universal Design: Definition. http://www.design.ncsu.edu:8120/cud/univ_design/ud.htm (accessed 20 April 2002).

  24. CAST. Summary of Universal Design for Learning Concepts. http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=7 (accessed 20 April 2002).

  25. State of Texas. ExCET: Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas. Field 100: Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC-4: Test Framework. Item 12- pages 3-14. Draft: October 6, 2000. Various sections addressing "student diversity, exceptionality, differential access to technology, the needs of students with disabilities, incorporat[ing] students' different approaches to learning, appl[ying] strategies for organizing the physical environment to ensure physical accessibility and facilitate learning in various instructional contexts ..."


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