Dr Binh P Le Associate Librarian Penn State University May 21 2015 Introduction Asian Americans Who are they The library profession Lack of diversity in library workforce Lack ID: 167456
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Slide1
Success Characteristics of Asian American Academic Library Leaders
Dr. Binh P. Le
Associate Librarian
Penn State University
May 21, 2015Slide2
Introduction
Asian
Americans
Who are
they
?
The
library
profession
Lack
of diversity in
library workforce
Lack
of diversity in
library leadershipSlide3
Annual Estimates of
U.S. Population 4/1/10
to 7/1/11
Total 308,745,538 100 9.7
White 223,553, 265 72.4 5.7
Black 38,929,319 12.6 12.3
AIAN 2,932,248 0.9 18.4
Asian 14,674,252 4.8 43.3
Hispanic 50,477,594 16.3 40.0
NHPI 540,013 0.2 35.4
Source:
U.S. Census Bureau, Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin, 2011.Slide4
ALA Demographics Studies (2012)
88.7% White
4.5%
Black
3.7%
Hispanic
3.7%
Asian
1.1%
American
Indian
0.2%
Native
Hawaiian
3.8%
Others
Source: ALA Office for Research & Statistics, March 2012.Slide5
Credentialed
Librarians
Characteristics
1990
, 2000, and 2010
Source:
2009-2010 American Community Survey Estimates Applied to Institute for Museum and Library Services and National Center for Education Statistics Data
.
1990
2000
2010
Total
120,365
109,958
118,666
White
105,908
97,827
104,392
Black
7,423
5,244
6,100
Latino
2,266
2,137
3,661
Asian
4,483
3,516
3,260
Native Am
284
310
185Slide6
Higher Education
Credentialed
Librarians
Characteristics
1990
, 2000, and 2010
Source: 2009-2010 American Community Survey Estimates Applied to Institute for Museum and Library Services and National Center for Education Statistics Data.
1990
2000
2010
Total
26,341
25,152
26,954
White
22,680
21,541
23,207
Black
1,462
1,214
1,455
Latino
712
385
691
Asian
1,426
1,580
1,293
Native Am
61
164
66Slide7
Minority Library Administrators
Largest US Libraries
6.1% directors
6.3% associate directors
5.3% assistant directors
9.4% branch managers
No data on Asian American library administrators
Source: AFL-CIO Fact Sheet 2011Slide8
Statement of the Problem
Why Asian Americans are underrepresented
in
senior-level library administration in American academic libraries?Slide9
Need for the Study
There is little empirical literature on Asian American library administration and leadership.
Research
in this area benefits not only Asian Americans who aspire to become academic library administrators, but also higher education institutions and library organizations which try to diversify their leadership as well as assess their leadership development programs for underrepresented groups. Slide10
Research Questions
What
barriers did Asian Americans face in attaining senior library leadership positions in academic libraries?
What are the key success characteristics of Asian American academic library leaders
?
What can aspiring AA academic librarians learn from them?
What can be done to increase the number of Asian Americans in
senior library leadership positions in academic libraries
?Slide11
Research Instrument
17
questions
12 participants (5
women,
7
men)
3 retired deans/directors; 7
deans/directors; 1 associate dean/associate director; 1 interim assistant dean/assistant director (now dean/director)Geographically dispersed
Mostly large public
and private institutionsSlide12
Results
Racial biases
Asian American cultural values
Lack of leadership skills (perceived)
Ethnic librarians’ career
traps
Communication skills
Lack of mentorship
Undervalued professionSlide13
Success Characteristics
Sense of purpose
Mentored by others
Take on
leadership
roles
Demonstrated leadership experience
Professional activities
Professional development
VisibilityBalanced work-lifeSlide14
Library Organizations and Higher Education Institutions
Library organizations
Leadership development programs
Financial support
Higher education institutions
Recruitment policies
Leadership development programs
Financial supportSlide15
Concluding Remarks
An i
ndividual
choice
A void to be filled
Leadership matters