Practice,
Reflection,
Advocacy,
eXcellence,
Inquiry,
Solutions:
A Pre-Doctoral and Recruitment
Program for Tomorrow's Culturally Diverse Information Studies Faculty
and Leaders
praXis?
Program Synopsis
National Impact
xxx
Why
the name PRAXIS - Practice, Reflection, Advocacy,
eXcellence, Inquiry, Solutions :
A Pre-Doctoral and Recruitment Program for Tomorrow’s Culturally
Diverse Information Studies Faculty and Leaders?
Critical pedagogist Paulo Freire defines praxis as "...reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it" (cited from Hendriks, Sarah. Review of Freire, Paulo (1998/1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed, translated by Myra Bergman. New York: Continuum. http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/freire/sh2.html, viewed 1/28/02). The proposed program is named PRAXIS because it will enable professional librarians to come from practice, reflect on critical issues in LIS and their community, create a research agenda with a focus on advocacy, engage in an environment that will assist them to eXcel as professionals and develop skills in critical inquiry in order to develop solutions to transform information services and education in a multicultural society.
Description of Project Goals and Major Activities
PRAXIS is pre-doctoral and recruitment program (2002-03) that responds to the following five professional issues:
- Shortage of library and information studies (LIS) faculty from culturally diverse backgrounds
- Graying of the LIS faculty and unfilled positions
- Lack of continuing education opportunities in such areas as research, and information policy and technologies
- Call for leaders to shape information policy
- Lack of empirical, critical and theoretical inquiry in multicultural library and information practice
The cornerstone of this project is that Program PRAXIS will train eight professional librarians in research, information technology and policy as well as prepare them to undertake doctoral studies. It builds on the Department's diversity recruitment and mentoring initiatives, whereby we have identified a pool of potential applicants. Program PRAXIS has two main goals: (1) to increase the number of librarians of culturally diverse backgrounds with advanced professional training, and (2) to increase the number of librarians of culturally diverse backgrounds with readiness to undertake doctoral studies.
Participants of this 9-month (with only a 6-month residency) post-MLIS certificate will receive a scholarship covering tuition/fees and a stipend, and will:
(a) engage in an intellectually-rich and challenging advanced graduate environment;
(b) obtain a post-MLIS Certificate;
(c) be paired and have regular contact with a departmental faculty advisor, a peer doctoral advisor and a national LIS faculty mentor of color;
(d) be engaged in recruitment efforts with ethnic library associations;
(e) produce a publishable research paper and book review in addition to their coursework;
(f) have weekly seminars to have exposure to research and policy issues from nationally renowned researchers from the Department as well as other UCLA faculty whose work addresses the information needs and services of culturally diverse communities;
(g) present their research, the PRAXIS program and doctoral studies at the 2003 ALA Annual Conference (travel stipend provided); and
(h) submit an application for doctoral studies, as appropriate.
PRAXIS has long-range and far-reaching impact for the profession's capacity for diversifying the faculty, research and leadership in information studies. The involvement of culturally diverse and non-ethnic IS and non-IS faculty locally and nationally, practicing professionals, and doctoral students in the implementation of Program PRAXIS will serve as a model of diverse stakeholders in recruiting, teaching, mentoring, and retaining post-MLIS students of culturally diverse backgrounds who will continue into doctoral studies or will engage in praxis as professionals. Eighteen other advanced certificate programs have been identified across the country that would be able to replicate this Program. Program PRAXIS graduates will be leaders and/or faculty engaged in conducting research and providing information access in a culturally diverse, technologically-complex, and information-intensive 21st Century world as well as recruiters for tomorrow's culturally diverse faculty.
Professional Issues
As we embark on a new century, our nation is increasingly becoming more diverse and more technology-driven, and the globalized economy threatens to widen the division between rich and poor. We need a diverse library and information workforce to address the information needs arising out of this complex and rapidly changing environment. (see http://www.ala.org/congress/recommendations.html) The American Library Association, other library and information associations, professionals, and educators are addressing the recruitment of Master's students of culturally diverse backgrounds. At the UCLA Department of Information Studies (IS), our Diversity Recruitment and Mentoring Committee (DRMC; http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/drmc) has been engaged in increasing the number of culturally diverse students admitted, and graduating from the Information Studies program. However, two areas that have not been sufficiently addressed are the lack of diversity of the library and information studies (LIS) faculty and insufficient advanced training for librarians of culturally diverse backgrounds in such things as policy analysis, technology, research and publishing. An examination of current library issues described below substantiates this conclusion. [NOTE: The term “librarian” will be used to broadly to refer to library, archives and information professionals.]
1. Shortage of LIS faculty from culturally diverse backgrounds
The strength of our nation is the diversity of its people. How we deal with this diversity continues to be a challenge.
As we begin a new century, the ethnic balance of our population is shifting dramatically. Demographers predict that by the year 2050, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Latino/Hispanics, and Native Americans will constitute the majority of Americans.
But diversity applies to more than race and ethnicity. It applies to physical disabilities, sexual orientation, age, language and social class. (Diversity. Chicago: American Library Association, ALAAction, No. 4, http://www.ala.org/work/diversitybrochure.html , viewed 1/28/02)
The American Library Association recognizes the value of cultural diversity, and that not only are librarians responsible for addressing the information needs of a multicultural society but that librarians should reflect this diversity and receive a professional education made up of a culturally diverse curriculum and faculty. According to the findings in the Library and Information Science Education Statistical Report 2000 (edited by Evelyn H. Daniel and Jerry D. Saye. Association for Library and Information Science Educators. http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2000/Contents.htm), ALA-accredited programs offering doctoral degrees reported only 7.8 percent of doctoral students in Fall 1999 represented non-White ethnic groups. This percentage falls short of the 28.1% national population estimate for non-White ethnic groups for the same year. http://quickfacts.census.gov/cgi-bin/usa Furthermore, research has shown that the LIS curriculum lacks multicultural content (Josey, E..J. "Education for Library Services to Cultural Minorities," Education Libraries, 15: 20, Winter 1991; Chu, Clara M. "Education for Multicultural Librarianship," In: Multiculturalism in Libraries, by Ruhig Du Mont, Rosemary et al. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994; pp. 127-56.), thus, many librarians do not have adequate training to provide effective information services in culturally diverse communities.
2. Graying of the LIS faculty and unfilled positions
The Library and Information Science Education Statistical Report 2001 (edited by Evelyn H. Daniel and Jerry D. Saye. Association for Library and Information Science Educators. http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2001/Contents.htm), reports data that show that by the year 2005 fifteen percent of LIS faculty will be 65 years of age or older, thus, ready to retire, and another 21% will be 60-64 years of age and eligible to retire (Table I-18. Age Categories of Full-Time Faculty , http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/2001/faculty/Table%20I-18.htm). Furthermore, during the 1900-2000 year, 49 positions were vacant despite the availability of funding for the positions (Table I-47-a). The call for more Ph.D. graduates to fill these positions cannot go unheeded.
3. Lack of continuing education opportunities in such areas as research, and information policy and technologies
Continuing education has never been as important as it is today….For librarians, continuous learning is critical to renewing the expertise and skills needed to teach and assist members of the public in the new information age. (Education and Continuous Learning. Chicago: American Library Association. ALAAction No. 3, http://www.ala.org/work/educationbrochure.html , viewed 1/28/02)
The need for continuing education is not only an ALA Action area but one of the six recommendations resulting from the Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Education for the First Professional Degree, held April 30-May 1, 1999, by ALA http://www.ala.org/congress/recommendations.html. This call to "Enable Credentialing and Continuing Education" was considered so critical that the 2nd Congress on Professional Education, held November 17-19, 2000, focused on Continuing Professional Development http://www.ala.org/congress/2nd_congress/, viewed 1/28/02.
4. Call for leaders to shape information policy
Librarians must be informed and articulate about information policy issues in order to protect the public's right to information. To do this effectively, it is critical for librarians to be knowledgeable of national information policy, the players and stakeholders, the impact and implications for communities and individuals, and how to represent the public interest and influence policy development. Many information policy issues face our communities today; information literacy, freedom of expression, the digital divide and information access are a few.
5. Lack of empirical, critical and theoretical inquiry in multicultural library and information practice
Although the published literature in multicultural library and information studies (MCLIS) is increasing, it is deficient in both quality and quantity. Excluding a few research studies, the literature can be classed into two categories: description or prescription. Carlson et al (1990) also found that few publications are analytical or theoretical in nature. If they don't describe a service, recount a history of multicultural services or relate problems or issues, they are resource lists, bibliographies, policies or guidelines for developing multicultural services. Few articles were found which discuss foundations for multicultural information services. Therefore, much research of an empirical, theoretical and critical nature still needs to be conducted and published. Since research methods is not a required course in many library and information science programs, many librarians do not have such skills.
Program PRAXIS has been designed both to address the national library concerns described above and to respond to the four emphases of the IMLS Education and Training Program. When examined side-by-side, the emphases and issues are complementary.
| Current Library Issues | Program Education and Training Emphases |
| - Shortage of LIS faculty from culturally
diverse backgrounds |
- to enhance the availability of professional
librarians from diverse cultural backgrounds with advanced skills
and specializations which will be made possible with post-MLIS education
and training; - to train librarians who will take leadership roles in policy issues, such as equal access to information technologies and lifelong learning in the 21st Century; - to train librarians in research skills including community analysis, needs assessment skills, and outcome-based evaluation techniques; and - to promote the professional success of librarians from diverse cultural backgrounds with advanced training, and increase their readiness to undertake doctoral studies. |
PRAXIS represents an innovative approach to training
for professional librarians and recruitment into doctoral studies in the
following ways:
- The Program will attract culturally diverse professional librarians who want to (1) increase their knowledge of research, policy and information technology, (2) write a publishable research paper and book review, and gain experience in conference presentations, and (3) consider doctoral studies but require mentoring.
- This Program will provide 8 professional librarians from culturally diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to explore doctoral studies while increasing their skills in the above noted areas.
- A three-prong approach to mentoring will be implemented so PRAXIS students will receive guidance from different vantage points: a local faculty advisor, a peer doctoral advisor and a national faculty of color mentor.
- PRAXIS students will be recruiting, locally and nationally, future
doctoral students from culturally diverse backgrounds by working with
ethnic library associations.
This Program has long-range and far-reaching impact for the profession’s
capacity for diversifying the research, faculty and leadership in information
studies. Program PRAXIS graduates will be leaders and/or faculty engaged
in conducting research and providing information access in a culturally
diverse, technologically-complex, and information-intensive 21st Century
world as well as recruiters for tomorrow's culturally diverse faculty.
There will be two types of results and products, those generated by the
Program as a whole and those produced by PRAXIS students.
1. The Program will recruit eight MLIS librarians of culturally diverse
backgrounds into a pre-doctoral program.
Programmatic information will be disseminated on the PRAXIS website.
- The involvement of culturally diverse LIS faculty, other university faculty, practicing professionals, and doctoral students will serve as a model of diverse stakeholders in recruiting, teaching, mentoring, and retaining post-MLIS students of culturally diverse backgrounds.
- Formative and summative evaluation will gage success of the Program.
- Cross-disciplinary synergies will result with interaction of students with other departments and faculty on campus and cross-institutional relationships will strengthened with the participation of the Advisory Council members, the San Jose State University SLIS program, and national faculty of color.
- “Grow from within” recruitment model – culturally diverse professional librarians (that is, PRAXIS students) will recruit potential doctoral students from culturally diverse backgrounds.
2. PRAXIS students of this 9-month (with only a 6-month residency) post-MLIS certificate program will:
- Be paired and have regular contact with a departmental faculty advisor, a peer doctoral advisor and a faculty mentor of color from another LIS program in the United States;
- Be engaged with the DRMC and ethnic library associations to recruit locally and nationally. The nearby San Jose State University/Fullerton campus LIS program has a large minority MLIS student population and no doctoral program and the 2003 ALA conference has the potential to attract an audience in the hundreds;
- Produce a publishable research paper and book review in addition to their coursework;
- Have weekly seminars to have exposure to research and policy issues
from nationally renowned researchers from the Department as well as
other UCLA faculty whose work addresses the information needs and services
of culturally diverse communities;
Present their research at the 2003 ALA Annual Conference; - Obtain a post-MLIS Certificate; and
- Submit an application for doctoral studies, as appropriate.
As a result of engaging in praxis and developing the above tangible products, Program PRAXIS students will learn from the perspectives of other fields while their training and mentoring will be grounded in library and information science; refine their writing, communication and presentation skills; disseminate their research; and engage in an intellectually-rich and challenging advanced graduate environment that, hopefully, will lead to a Ph.D.