Bulletin of the Office for Diversity American Library Association ISSN 1554-494X

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2005 ISSUE

DIVERSITY TOOLCHEST

Multicultural Programs at Indiana University Libraries
Dee Holliday

Multicultural programming at Indiana University Libraries can be a daunting experience.  With such a diverse group of students and faculty as well as members of the local community in attendance, it's often difficult to design programs to make the audience feel the program was planned just for them. However, the intent is just that to make the
audience feel welcomed at Indiana University Libraries multicultural programs. 

Most of the multicultural programs for the Libraries are sponsored in the spring. For those of you who do not have programming embedded into your job description, it takes months to design, plan and implement a program.  IUB Libraries host a number of programs celebrating cultural recognition months such as Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration,
Black History, Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage, Latino Heritage, Women's History, and Juneteenth; program planning begins in the fall for delivery of the programs in the spring and summer. 

IUB Libraries not only sponsor's programs for cultural recognition months, but also provide a host of other programs that include panel discussions as well as individual speakers.  At the IUB Libraries Speakers Program, we have sponsored programs such as "New Directions in
Multicultural Education in the 21st Century Indiana".  Speakers for this program included Indiana University faculty from Latino Studies, the Dean of Indiana University's School of Education, and the Diversity Educator for Indiana University. The program also featured well known community leaders, the Director of Multicultural Education for the Monroe County Community Schools Corporation, and the Special Projects Assistant in Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department.

The Libraries has hosted programs celebrating the historic Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the turbulent history of lynching in Indiana, Affirmative Action, and local historians have given talks on the history of Bloomington Indiana and Indiana University as part of that community. Program formats that have been tested for the delivery of multicultural programs include film screenings, panel discussions, and individual speakers in small seminar settings. As stated previously guest speakers have spoken on a multitude of topics concerning diversity and multicultural issues. Recently, we have begun filming presentations and converting them into a video streaming product
designed for Web access. The most important thing to remember about video streaming is to make certain that you have obtained written consent from all speakers so there won't be any legal repercussions. In providing films of multicultural programs, it is our hope that persons who otherwise did not attend would visit the Libraries Cultural Resources page to view the filmed event.

Another reason for the success of IUB Libraries educational and cultural programs is the establishment of the Libraries Diversity Committee. The Committee was established in 2002 as an extension of what can be accomplished by the multicultural outreach librarian and the Library's commitment to diversity issues.  The committee's role and purpose document states that the committee shall provide leadership and guidance to the Libraries by promoting understanding in areas of diversity. The Committee shall serve as an advisory group to the Dean, Libraries Administration and Libraries Human Resources by providing
recommendations and planning on diversity programs and initiatives, staff and patron needs and other concerns in the areas of diversity. The Committee shall lead in the creation and implementation of diversity activities within the Libraries. Other outreach initiatives include bibliographies, educational programs and electronic pathfinders such as
the one located at http://www.indiana.edu/~libugls/. 

During 2005, the IUB Libraries Diversity Committee published the first edition of its Diversity Newsletter with the second edition slated for publication in December 2005. The Multicultural Outreach Librarian and the IUB Libraries Diversity Committee has much work ahead, but at least we have gotten off to an exceptional start.  Partnering with organizations such as the Office of Diversity, Director of Admission and Placement, School of Library and Information Science, the Subject Librarians, and students who study in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) who have given their time and participated in Library sponsored programs even with hectic schedules, and lastly the support of the directors of the Indiana University Cultural Centers.All the entities mentioned here have supported IUB Libraries multicultural programs and have contributed greatly to the successes we've seen over the past four years.

Library programs have had good attendance along with local press coverage which adds to the success. Lively student debate, dialogue, and participation have caused me to realize that the formula of the small seminar is the best way to introduce the diversity and multicultural related programs to Indiana University students, faculty and staff and members of the local community.

Dee Holliday is Multicultural Outreach Librarian, Indiana University Herman B Wells Library.

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