Spanish-speakers preferred: How libraries can make their workforce better reflect their communities

Wakelee, Andrew; Thompson, Kim M.

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Description

Title

Spanish-speakers preferred: How libraries can make their workforce better reflect their communities

Author(s)

• Wakelee, Andrew
• Thompson, Kim M.

Issue Date

2022-10

Keyword(s)

• Inclusion
• US job ads
• Hispanic-serving institutions
• Spanish language
• Critical librarianship
• Social justice
• Community engagement
• Information seeking

Abstract

While Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in the United States (US), Spanish-speakers face barriers to information access that may continue to impede their inclusion and careers in libraries. Despite a stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the library profession continues to greatly underrepresent Spanish speakers in its collections and workforce. By looking at Social Identity Theory and the Theory of Information Poverty, we propose ways for libraries to better meet the needs of Spanish-speakers and to better include them in their workforce. This paper details an overview of the theoretical framework, provides a literature review on the Spanish-speaking community's relationship to libraries, analyzes US job ads data for inclusive wording towards Spanish-speaking applicants, and provides practical steps that libraries can take to make their workforces and outreach programs more inclusive.

Series/Report Name or Number

Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference, 2022

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117963

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2022.1016

Copyright and License Information

• Copyright 2022 Andrew Wakelee, Kim M. Thompson
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

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