Making Diversity Count: Finding and Using Statistics, Data, and Resources on Diversity in Libraries and Librarianship

 

Data sources for further exploration

Census 2000 

These files contain records for a sample of housing units with information on the characteristics of each unit and each person in it. While preserving confidentiality (by removing identifiers), these microdata files permit users with special data needs to prepare virtually any tabulation. The percentages refer to the proportion of the US population in the sample. Use of these data require “weighting” to achieve national estimates. The Census PUMS files will be discussed in further detail later in the presentation. The data files online include:

  1. 1-Percent Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files
  2. 5-Percent Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files
  3. PUMS 10% for Guam
  4. PUMS 10% for U.S. Virgin Islands

ALISE Statisticsal Report - Association for Library and Information Science Education)

  1. The most current study (2004) is available from ALISE at http://www.alise.org/publications/statisticalrpts.html
  2. Reports from 1997-2002 are online at http://ils.unc.edu/ALISE/ and include the tables included in the print report.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) statistical reports

  1. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) initiated and funded a nation-wide library statistics program in 1989 that includes surveys on academic libraries, public libraries, school library media centers, and state library agencies. NCES works collaboratively with the Bureau of the Census and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to plan survey content and to collect, process, and disseminate the data. ALA helped develop the program and is a partner in these surveys.
  2. NCES Library Statistics Program website: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/
  3. Products include printed reports and data sets. Staffing and expenditure figures are presented by library. Race/ethnicity data are not collected.
  4. The public, academic and state library surveys are “universe” studies – all libraries respond. The public and state library surveys are conducted annually; the academic library survey is biennial. The school library survey is a sample of public K-12 institutions (private K-12 stopped responding with the 1999-2000 study), and is conducted every 3-4 years. School library staffing data are collected annually on a school district survey (Common Core of Data - http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/bat/

Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Annual Salary Survey

  1. Annual statistical report of staffing and salaries, including race/ethnicity and years of employment figures.
  2. Longitudinal tool to compare data across multiple years.
  3. Online as a pdf report and a database at http://www.arl.org/stats/salary/index.html

The Future of Librarian in the Workforce study

  1. Funded by IMLS and conducted by the University North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Information and Library Science
  2. The study will be collecting information about the profession (broadly) and individual surveys to staff about their careers, professional development, etc. Age, race/ethnicity, and career longevity data also will be collected. The study is in the field now (fall 2006).
  3. http://libraryworkforce.org/tiki-index.php

GeoLib- Public Library Geographic Database (PLGDB)

  1. The database includes the locations of America’s 16,000 public libraries, population characteristics from the US Census that best describe people that use libraries, and library use statistics from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Located at Florida State the project is a partnership between GeoLib (FREAC) the Information Institute. www.ii.fsu.edu
  2. GeoLib website www.geolib.org

Specialized reports

ALA studies on diversity within the profession

  1. ALA Member Demographic Survey
    1. The survey is online at  www.ala.org/memberdemog 
    2. Articles with analysis from the survey:
      1. Know Thyself adobe acrobat pdf logo
      2. Get Out the Hair Dye....we really are getting old! adobe acrobat pdf logo
      3. Keep Out the Hair Dye….Member Demographic Survey Update - March 2006 adobe acrobat pdf logo
      4. Membership Looking a Little Younger - September 2006 adobe acrobat pdf logo

Librarian retirement studies and summary articles

  1. Retirement & Recruitment (2002): A Deeper Look adobe acrobat pdf logo
  2. Retirement & Recruitment (2002): A Deeper Look Figures  adobe acrobat pdf logo
  3. Library Retirements - What Can We Expect - 2004  adobe acrobat pdf logo

Survey of Librarians, Supplement

  1. Age of Librarians, 1999 http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/ageoflibrarians.htm
  2. Library Directors, Gender and Salary, 1999 http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/libdirectors.htm