Recruiting a Diverse Workforce for Academic/Research Librarianship: Career Decisions of Subject Specialists and Librarians of Color

Abstract

In libraries and other related organizations, information professionals with subject and cultural/ language expertise are invaluable as they can contribute to the provision of better service for users who are becoming increasingly diverse. Recent statistics indicate that there is a great need to recruit more librarians with subject specialties and with diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds, especially in academic libraries. Two separate studies were conducted to examine career decisions of such individuals who are already working, or likely to work, in academic libraries. Suggestions are made to develop effective recruitment strategies and to ensure that the supply of the two special groups of the library profession will effectively meet the demand.