Resources

DIVERSITY RESOURCES

Welcome to our collection of diversity resources gathered to help you plan and deliver your own excellent service in your communities. These have been carefully screened and selected. Although most resources are flexible enough to apply to ANY diverse  population, there are some specific items related to particular groups (for  example, Spanish-speakers, immigrants, etc.) under the ‘create programs’ and  ‘even more info’ headings.

These categories can be used as a planning outline if you follow them from  top to bottom, or you can dive into any topic that interests you. Select any  category and you will be guided to an annotated list of additional related  topics to explore. (NOTE: Some links open additional windows, and you cannot  immediately access the preceding page from those.) Explore the links and  resources provided. Some books and periodicals may need to be located at a local  library rather than online.

You may be wondering about the value of diversity planning, or you might be interested in seeing plans that other libraries have developed. Our planning category, library diversity plans, answers your questions  about the benefits of planning, samples of library diversity plans and policies, as well as planning resources to tailor to your own library and community. This is a great place to start.

How well do you know your library’s community? Are there hidden or new populations whose members may not come to the library?  Do teens or seniors always meet at a particular place? What plans for growth  will change the traffic patterns or add schools and new shopping areas. Who are leaders? What outreach programs might best meet the needs of your community? Use our resources to become an expert  as you assess needs.

People are always the front line of excellent library service. Most patrons remember staff interactions more than any other factor. To connect with diverse populations you engage staff and volunteers. Our resources include information on cultural competency, recruitment, training and retention of diverse staff. Don’t forget unpaid staff-volunteers! Welcome and retain volunteers as assets for your service team.

Collections are the mainstay of library service. We selected resources to enable you to develop collections for your diverse, multicultural, and multilingual communities. Find out why diverse collections are exciting additions to your library and provide you with compelling marketing opportunities. Create inclusive collection development plans.

Become a leader in cross-cultural communication and programming as you create programs for your community. Discover ways to communicate with diverse populations, provide practical and useful information for those with special needs, reach out to underserved groups, and market the library to all the people in your community.

Meet the leaders in library diversity as you look at resources from professional organizations and nationally recognized libraries. These links lead you to comprehensive materials, multiple links, and motivation.

We have even more info of all kinds. We just couldn’t stop collecting useful information. Learn more and do more as you become a leader in serving diverse populations. Dip in over and over.