Cultural Competence for Librarians

July 3 - July 30, 2023 | Four-week course

The United States Census Bureau projects that by 2044, more than half of the American population will be a member of a minority group. Much like the United States population, higher education demographics are also projected to change dramatically, with the percentages of enrolled African American and Hispanic students expected to increase at a greater rate than that of Whites and Asian Americans by 2022.

For the library profession, which has historically struggled with developing a workforce that is reflective of the communities being served, these changing times will require cultural competence, defined by the Association of College and Research libraries as “a congruent set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable a person or group to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (ACRL, 2012). While cultural competence has become a part of some library and information science programs, for librarians currently working in the field, cultural competence may be an enigma.

This course will introduce librarians to the concept of cultural competence in the library and information science profession. Specifically it will assist attendees to:

• Define cultural competence as it applies within the library in order to explain the its benefits for organizational performance and success;
• Examine personal cultural values and beliefs in order to better appreciate the cultural values and beliefs of others
• Investigate strategies for applying cultural competence
• Identify opportunities for new or enhanced library programs, services and resources

Shaundra Walker is the Associate Director for Instruction and Research Services at Georgia College. She holds a B.A. in History from Spelman College, a Masters in Library and Information Studies from Clark Atlanta University and Ph.D. in educational leadership with a concentration in higher education administration from Mercer University. Shaundra has over 15 years of experience working in libraries and higher education. Her work and research in libraries and education is deeply influenced by her experience attending and working in minority serving institutions. Her research interests include the recruitment and retention of diverse librarians and organizational development within the library.

CALL Training Partner for this Event: Library Juice Academy