Multicultural/Diversity Training in Library M.L.S. Programs: Segregated or Interspersed Throughout?

Librarians Working with Diverse Populations: What Impact Does Cultural Competency Training Have on Their Efforts?  The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 36, Issue 6, November 2010, Pages 479-488 Lori S. Mestre

The study referred to above points to the issue of multicultural/diversity training in librarian programs as lacking in the majority of cases. As to the specific question as to whether the program ought to require a specific course in multicultural/diversity librarianship or inject a multicultural focus to the entire program, interspersed throughout, the majority of respondents found that they would prefer the latter to the former. I would have to agree, as this gives the importance of the issue a boost, whereas to segregate the multicultural/diversity issue to just one course in the program does not give it the emphasis it needs. The idea of segregating diversity into one course just segregates its importance further. 


In law school, for example, there was one course called women and the law. It was not a required course and hardly anyone took it, being offered once per year. Out of 300-400 law students in the upper classes, there were 12 people present in that course. In Europe, women's topics are not even considered worthy of research. 


In the case of the U.N.T. program, I believe and think it would beneficial to add a diversity focus as a requirement in the M.L.S. program, especially as Texas has a diverse immigrant population. Nearly every big city does nowadays. In terms of diversity in other ways, such as providing assistance to those who are disabled as to sight, hearing, learning and mental capacity, it behooves us to add some information, across the board, as we will have those populations, also. 


I was a special education teacher and had learning/mentally disabled kids in my classes. Most of the teachers and especially our school librarian, at the time, had no interest in these children at all and even thought they had no place physically being in our school library, as they could not read the books. (The collection development policy did not include their needs, as they were a small population). There is a new librarian now, so I hope this issue is being addressed. All kids need to be given an opportunity to have access to books they can read, no matter what that level is.