Article
Identifying the Visible Minority Librarians in
Canada: A National Survey
Maha Kumaran
Liaison Librarian
Leslie and Irene Dubé Health Sciences Library
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Email: maha.kumaran@usask.ca
Heather Cai
Information Technology Services Librarian
McGill University Library
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Email: heather.cai@mcgill.ca
Received: 30 Oct. 2014 Accepted: 8
Apr. 2015
2015 Kumaran and Cai. This is an Open
Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons‐Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike License 4.0
International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial
purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the
same or similar license to this one.
Abstract
Objective
–
This paper is based on a national survey conducted in late 2013 by the authors,
then co-moderators of the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC)
Network of the Canadian Library Association (CLA). It is a first survey of its
kind, aiming to capture a snapshot of the demographics of the visible minority
librarians working in Canadian institutions. The authors hoped that the data
collected from the survey and the analysis presented in this paper would help
identify the needs, challenges and barriers of this group of librarians and set
future directions for ViMLoC. The authors also hoped that the findings would be
useful to library administrators, librarians, and researchers working on
multicultural issues, diversity, recruitment and retention, leadership, library
management, and other related areas.
Methods
–
An online survey questionnaire was created and the survey invitation was sent
to visible minority librarians through relevant library association electronic
mail lists and posted on ViMLoC’s electronic mail list and website. The survey
consisted of 12 questions: multiple-choice, yes/no questions, and open-ended.
The survey asked if the participants were visible minority librarians. If they
responded “No,” the survey closed for them. Respondents who did not identify
themselves as minority librarians were excluded from completing the survey.
Results
–
Of the 192 individuals that attempted, 120 who identified themselves as visible
minority librarians completed the survey. Of these, 36% identified themselves
as Chinese, followed by South Asian (20%) and Black (12%). There were 63% who
identified themselves as first generation visible minorities and 28% who
identified themselves as second generation. A total of 84% completed their
library degree in Canada. Equal numbers (38% each) identified themselves as
working in public and academic libraries, followed by 15% in special libraries.
Although they are spread out all over Canada and beyond, a vast majority of
them are in British Columbia (40%) and Ontario (26%). There were 38% who
identified themselves as reference/information services librarians, followed by
“other” (18%) and “liaison librarian” (17%). A total of 82% responded that they
worked full time. The open-ended question at the end of the survey was answered
by 42.5% of the respondents, with responses falling within the following broad
themes: jobs, mentorship, professional development courses, workplace issues,
general barriers, and success stories.
Conclusions
–
There are at least 120 first, second, and other generation minority librarians
working in (or for) Canadian institutions across the country and beyond. They
work in different kinds of libraries, are spread out all over Canada, and have
had their library education in various countries or in Canada. They need a
forum to discuss their issues and to have networking opportunities, and a
mentorship program to seek advice from other librarians with similar
backgrounds who have been in similar situations to themselves when finding jobs
or re-pursuing their professional library degrees. Getting support from and
working collaboratively with CLA, ViMLoC can be proactive in helping this group
of visible minority librarians.
Introduction
In
December 2011, the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) Network
(http://vimloc.wordpress.com/) was established through the Canadian Library
Association (CLA). The focus of the network was to create a forum for visible
minority librarians in Canada. In January 2013, ViMLoC was invited to
participate in a panel presentation at the Ontario Library Association (OLA)
Super Conference. At the presentation, ViMLoC sought ideas from the attendees
on future directions for ViMLoC. Based on the feedback, two future directions
were identified and added to ViMLoC’s agenda: that ViMLoC 1) gather statistical
information of visible minority librarians working in Canadian institutions;
and 2) create a mentorship program for this group. In December 2013, the
authors, then co-moderators of ViMLoC, distributed an online survey to gather
statistical information on visible minority librarians at Canadian institutions
both in and outside of Canada.
The principal aim of the survey was to
collect foundational data on the number of visible minority librarians working
in Canadian institutions. The authors hoped that any additional information
collected through this survey would help ViMLoC identify the needs, challenges
and barriers of this group of librarians and set future directions for
ViMLoC.
This
is the first survey of its kind in Canada designed to learn directly from
visible minority groups for such information as:
- Which
ethnic groups these librarians belong to
- Whether
they were first or second generation Canadians
- Their
educational qualifications and experiences
- The types of
institutions in which they are currently employed
- The types
of positions they hold, and,
- Whether
they are employed full-time or part-time.
The
authors hope that the quantitative data and the qualitative analysis of the
survey presented in this paper will be useful to library administrators,
librarians, and researchers working on multicultural issues, diversity,
recruitment and retention, leadership, library management, and other related
areas.
Research
background
The
Canadian Employment Equity Act (Government of
Canada, 2014) uses
the term “Visible Minorities” and
defines them as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian
in race or non-white in colour” (Statistics
Canada, 2012a).
Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey (2013) states that there are
13 categories that make up the visible minority variable - Chinese, South
Asian, Black, Arab, West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin American,
Japanese, Korean, visible minority not included elsewhere, multiple visible
minority, and not a visible minority. South Asian includes East Indian (from
India), Pakistani, and Sri Lankan. Southeast Asian includes Vietnamese,
Cambodian, Malaysian, Laotian, and others, and West Asian includes Iranian,
Afghan, and others (Statistics
Canada, 2013).
The
Immigration
and Ethnocultural Diversity in Canada report (Statistics
Canada, 2014) states that
20.6% of the total population is foreign born and that 19.1% are visible
minorities. The three largest minority groups are South Asians, Chinese, and
Blacks. Statistics Canada also projects that close to 30% of the nation’s population
will consist of visible minorities by 2031, including both foreign-born and
Canada-born visible minorities (Statistics
Canada, 2010). Does our
profession reflect this current demographic? The 8Rs Study (Ingles et al.,
2005) states that
visible minorities “are under-represented across all types of libraries” and
make up “only 7% of the library professional librarian labour force” (compared
to 14% of Canada’s entire labour force).
It
was ViMLoC’s intention to learn directly from visible minority librarians
first, about the number of them working in Canadian institutions and second,
through an open-ended question, their professional needs, challenges, and
barriers, so that ViMLoC can partner with CLA and other interested entities and
collaborate to assess, plan, and implement the needed frameworks to work with
these librarians and address their concerns.
Knowing
the number of librarians and their needs will help ViMLoC create pathways and
partnerships to address their needs, find ways to eliminate barriers, provide
ways to network, and create a mentorship program. Gathering statistical
evidence was the first step towards achieving ViMLoC’s aims to help visible
minority librarians receive professional support and network. Armed with this
data, ViMLoC representatives can make a case to libraries and library schools
in Canada to work with ViMLoC to design and initiate programs to help visible
minority librarians achieve ALA accreditation, progress faster in their
careers, and become employable sooner, and also work with professional
organizations to request funding to support their education and enable them to
attend conferences. If ViMLoC continues gathering these statistics every 3-5
years, the change in the data will help them understand the rate at which this
population number is changing, the reasons for such a change, the immigration
patterns of this group (where they come from), and how ViMLoC can help or
support this particular group.
Literature
review
A
literature review was conducted to ascertain if there were any similar studies
done among visible minority librarians. None were found. The literature review
was expanded to find any material on visible minority librarians and their
experiences. There is a dearth of literature in Canada that focuses on the
challenges and barriers faced and overcome by visible minority librarians. A
search in Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) and Library
Literature and Information Science Full Text & Retrospective limited to
Canadian publications retrieves very few results. There are career and
demographic profiles of librarians that also feature minority librarian data (Fox, 2007; Ingles et al.,
2005; McKenna,
2007), papers on the
importance of diversity among Canadian librarians (Kandiuk, 2014; Leong, 2013), papers on
multicultural populations, services, and collections (Berry, 2008; Chilana, 2001; Cho & Con, 2012; Dilevko &
Dali, 2002; Kumaran & Salt, 2010;
Paola Picco, 2008), and articles
on information seeking behaviour or information practices of immigrants (Caidi, 2008; Caidi & MacDonald, 2008; Hakim Silvio, 2006) and reading
practices of Canadian immigrants (Dali, 2012).
There
are very few scholarly works that speak directly about librarians who are
visible minorities and their experiences as Canadian librarians, except for the
recent publications on leadership (or lack thereof) among minority librarians (Kumaran, 2012) and the
collection of chapters co-edited by Lee and Kumaran (2014), which includes
papers on experiences of going through the tenure process (Majekodunmi,
2014); struggles and
success stories of assimilating themselves into the Canadian library system (Dakshinamurti,
2014; Lau,
2014; Li,
2014; Maestro,
2014; Shrivatsava,
2014); challenges
specifically as Chinese born or Chinese-Canadian librarians (Li, 2014; Cho,
2014); and struggles as new immigrants in this new country (Gupta, 2014;
Kumaran, 2014).
A
major challenge in finding and accessing information about these librarians
lies in the fact that there is no universally accepted terminology or subject
heading by which these librarians can be identified (Aspinall, 2002). Various terms
such as “ethnic minorities,” “visible minorities,” “diverse librarians,” and
“librarians of colour” are used to identify this group of librarians. Adding to
the confusion is the United Nations’ request to Canada to not use the term
“visible minorities” as it is considered racist terminology (Government of
Canada, 2011; National Post, 2007).
Lack
of literature on and by minority librarians in Canada themselves could be due
to many reasons: they are in positions that do not require them to publish;
lack of training in writing academic papers, especially if they are first
generation minority librarians; lack of support for writing for publication;
lack of time or funding; not having a dedicated Canadian library journal that allows
them to voice their thoughts; and perhaps fear of bringing attention to
themselves by expressing their opinions.
Methodology
An
online survey questionnaire was created using FluidSurvey (see Appendix 1:
Questionnaire). After ethics approvals from the authors’ respective
institutions, the survey was made available between December 9, 2013 and
January 31, 2014. It was a nation-wide survey with participation from visible
minority librarians working in Canadian institutions both within and outside of
Canada. The online survey invitation was sent to visible minority librarians
through relevant library association electronic mail lists, such as the
Canadian Library Association, Canadian Medical Libraries Interest Group, and
Special Libraries Association. The invitation was also posted on ViMLoC’s
electronic mail list and website.
The
survey consisted of 12 questions: multiple-choice, yes/no, and open-ended. The
survey provided a definition of visible minorities as defined by the Canadian
Employment Equity Act (Government of
Canada, 2014) and asked if
the participant was a visible minority librarian. If the response was “No,” the
survey closed. Respondents who did not identify themselves as minority
librarians were excluded from completing the survey. The rest of the survey was
divided into personal and professional questions.
Results
Of
the 192 individuals that attempted, 120 who identified themselves as visible
minority librarians were permitted by the system to complete the survey.
Once
participants identified themselves as visible minorities, they were asked to
identify which ethnic groups they belong to or which group fits them best, with
options provided. Over 36% of the respondents identified themselves as Chinese,
followed by South Asian and Black. While many of the respondents for the
“other” category identified themselves as “mixed race,” one respondent
identified as “Canadian.” It is possible that this respondent is a second or
third generation Canadian and does not identify with any other groups offered
as options.
Question:
What group do you belong to or which group fits you the best?
Participants
were also asked if they were first or second generation Canadians. (First
generation visible minority would mean that they were born elsewhere and moved
to Canada at some point during their lives. Second generation would mean they
were born in Canada to immigrant parents.) Of the librarians who completed the
survey, 63% identified themselves as first generation visible minorities and
28% identified themselves as second generation. Another 9% of them identified
themselves under the “other” category. Comments from “other” included “one
parent was an immigrant to Canada,” “third generation,” “yonsei” (fourth
generation Japanese Canadian) and “US permanent resident born to second
generation Americans.”
Table
1
Ethnic
Groups
|
Chinese |
36% |
43 |
|
South
Asian (includes Bangladeshi, Indian, Sri Lankan) |
20% |
24 |
|
Black |
12% |
15 |
|
Filipino |
3% |
4 |
|
Latin
American |
1% |
1 |
|
South
East Asian (includes Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian and Laotian) |
2% |
3 |
|
Arab
(includes Egyptian, Kuwaiti and Libyan) |
2% |
2 |
|
West
Asian (includes Afghan, Assyrian and Iranian) |
5% |
6 |
|
Korean |
1% |
1 |
|
Japanese |
6% |
7 |
|
Other,
please specify... |
12% |
14 |
Table
2
Generation
|
First
generation |
63% |
76 |
|
Second
generation |
28% |
33 |
|
Other |
9% |
11 |
Table
3
Where
Library Degree Was Received
Space
was provided for respondents to provide further information if they wanted to:
the year in which they came to Canada or their age when they came to Canada.
There were a few who came to Canada in or after 2000 (N=7), a few who came in
the 70s, 80s and 90s (N=7), some who came before they were 11 years old (N=6),
and the rest identified themselves as second, third or fourth generation
Canadians.
The
next questions focused on educational and professional accomplishments and
status, particularly where participants received their professional library
degree; whether it was ALA accredited; the province where they currently work;
number of hours they work per week; and the type of institution where they
work.
When
asked if they completed their library degree in Canada, 84% responded “Yes” and
19% responded “No.” When asked to reveal from which university or college they
received their library professional degree, only 101 out of 120 responded. It
is possible that some respondents were still in library school or simply did
not want to identify where they received their degrees for unknown reasons.
Almost 40% of the 101 respondents stated that they had graduated from the
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, followed by the
University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, at 31%. Of the 19 respondents
who indicated that they had foreign degrees, 7 respondents had received their degrees
in Africa and Asia (outside of United Kingdom and United States), but only 3
identified their degrees as non-ALA accredited.
When
asked what types of library they were employed in, an equal number of
respondents identified themselves as working in public and academic libraries
(38% each), followed by special libraries (15%). Those who chose “other”
identified themselves as “unemployed,” “library consultant with provincial
government,” “federal agency,” or “federal government.”
The
authors wanted to know how widely these minority librarians were spread across
Canada and beyond. The table below indicates that although they are spread out
all over Canada and beyond, a vast majority of them are in British Columbia and
Ontario.
This
is not surprising because these two provinces have the highest numbers of
immigrant populations, as illustrated in the table below (Statistics
Canada, 2009).
The
authors used a list of job categories from the American Library Association’s
(ALA) website (accessible only to its members) with some modifications for the
creation of the next question about types of jobs in which these librarians
were employed. When asked to identify themselves to the closest job category(ies), 38 % identified themselves as
reference/information services librarians, followed by “other” (18%) and
“administration” (15%). The authors did not ask what “other” meant in this
category and it is also not clear what types of administrative positions these
respondents hold.
Table
4
Employment
by Library Type
|
Public
Library |
38% |
46 |
|
Regional
Library |
1% |
1 |
|
Academic
Library |
38% |
45 |
|
Special
Library |
15% |
18 |
|
School
Library |
1% |
1 |
|
In
Library school |
2% |
2 |
|
Other
- please specify |
6% |
7 |
Table
5
Geographic
Distribution
|
Alberta |
8% |
10 |
|
British
Columbia |
40% |
48 |
|
Manitoba |
6% |
7 |
|
New
Brunswick |
2% |
2 |
|
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
1% |
1 |
|
Nova
Scotia |
5% |
6 |
|
Nunavut |
1% |
1 |
|
Ontario |
27% |
32 |
|
Quebec |
4% |
5 |
|
Saskatchewan |
6% |
7 |
|
Other
(if you are working for a Canadian Library outside of the country) |
1% |
1 |
Table
6
Visible
Minority population, by province and territory (2006 Census)
|
|
Canada |
Que. |
Ont. |
Man. |
Sask. |
|
Alta. |
B.C. |
|
Total
Population |
31,241,030 |
7,435,900 |
12,028,895 |
1,133,515 |
953,850 |
|
3,256,355 |
4,074,380 |
|
Total
visible minority population |
5,068,095 |
654,350 |
2,745,205 |
109,100 |
33,895 |
|
454,200 |
1,008,855 |
|
South
Asian |
1,262,865 |
72,850 |
794,170 |
16,565 |
5,130 |
|
103,885 |
262,290 |
|
Chinese |
1,216,565 |
79,825 |
576,980 |
13,705 |
9,505 |
|
120,270 |
407,225 |
|
Black |
783,795 |
188,070 |
473,765 |
15,660 |
5,090 |
|
47,075 |
28,315 |
|
Filipino |
410,700 |
24,200 |
203,220 |
37,785 |
3,770 |
|
51,090 |
88,075 |
|
Latin
American |
304,245 |
89,510 |
147,135 |
6,275 |
2,520 |
|
27,265 |
28,960 |
|
Arab |
265,550 |
109,020 |
111,405 |
2,320 |
1,710 |
|
26,180 |
8,635 |
|
Southeast
Asian |
239,935 |
50,460 |
110,045 |
5,670 |
2,555 |
|
28,605 |
40,690 |
|
West
Asian |
156,695 |
16,115 |
96,615 |
1,960 |
1,020 |
|
9,655 |
29,810 |
|
Korean |
141,890 |
5,310 |
69,540 |
2,190 |
735 |
|
12,045 |
50,490 |
|
Multiple
visible minority |
133,120 |
11,310 |
77,405 |
3,265 |
810 |
|
13,250 |
25,415 |
|
Japanese |
81,300 |
3,540 |
28,080 |
2,010 |
645 |
|
11,030 |
35,060 |
|
Visible
minority, not included elsewhere |
71,420 |
4,155 |
56,845 |
1,690 |
405 |
|
3,850 |
3,880 |
When
asked if they worked part-time (less than 30 hours/week), full-time (30 or more
hours/week) or casual hours, an overwhelming 82% responded that they worked
full time. The number of hours for part-time and full-time were derived from
Statistics Canada (2012b).
Those
who chose “other” responded that they were “unemployed,” “volunteering,” “part
time contract,” or “casual.”
At
the panel presentation at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference,
attending visible minority librarians mentioned that they faced various
challenges. In light of this, our final question was an open-ended question
that asked them to provide information on anything they deemed relevant to
visible minority librarians. Of the 120 participants, 50 (47%) responded to
this question.
The
open-ended question at the end of the survey helped elicit more information on
these challenges. The question was “Please use the box below to comment on
anything else - topics could be on the challenges of finding the right job, the
need for another degree, lack of support through mentorship or networking
possibilities, etc.” Below is a list of selected open-ended responses:
“Networking and
mentoring among minorities is lacking in the field but something is needed.”
“There is
definitely a lack of support and lack of any access to information on how to
succeed as a visible minority librarian in Canada. Am glad that VimLoC is
changing that.”
Table
7
Type
of Work
Table
8
Hours
Worked
|
Part time |
9% |
11 |
|
Full time |
82% |
99 |
|
Casual hours |
5% |
6 |
|
Other |
3% |
4 |
“Looking forward to a time when upper management reflects the diversity
of Canada.”
“There is definite lack of mentoring for new and early career
librarians, for both those of minority status and non-minorities.”
“I think that
having a professional group within CLA dedicated to visible minorities is quite
important as it gives us an opportunity to discuss issues not often confronted
by our majority counterparts. “
“Lack of
cultural diversity and inclusive practices in the workplace, particularly at
the leadership levels.”
“No programs
encouraging/assisting minorities in Library studies.”
“Lack of
leadership opportunities.”
The challenge of
moving up the career ladder.”
“I think the
professional as a whole lacks visible minority presence at all levels of the
organization.”
“My working experience in Canada has been rewarding. There was great
support but I would certainly advocate for a stronger presence of minority
librarians in all aspects of the library communities in Canada.”
“It's important
for librarians new to Canada to learn the culture and norms here. Their
experience and qualifications do not always translate easily and the onus is on
them to get up to speed. Employers should also recognize talent and potential
and be willing to take a chance on librarians new to the country.”
“Lack of
experience and opportunities to gain library experience is one of the biggest
challenges.”
Some
of the broad themes that evolved through the qualitative analysis of the
open-ended question are: jobs, mentorship, professional development courses,
workplace issues, general barriers, and success stories.
In
the job category, respondents stated that they don’t believe visible minorities
are being hired in considerable numbers in spite of being encouraged to apply.
Some have problems designing their CV or resume according to Canadian
standards. Finding the first job was often the biggest challenge. When speaking
of their own workplaces, there were positive and negative comments. There was
mention of lack of diversity at their own workplaces, where subtle ways of
stereotyping and alienating exist. They speak of being passed over for
promotions and being told that they do not have Canadian work experience. There
are cases where patrons ignore the visible minority librarian and seek out a
Caucasian librarian. There are others who have not experienced any of these
issues and continue to have successful careers.
In
the mentorship category, responses reiterated the lack of mentorship and
networking opportunities with other minorities in Canada. Participants stated
that they use the American networking opportunities.
There
were suggestions that visible minority librarians take courses on client engagement,
customer service skills, writing reports, special collections (unique language
collections), project management, social media tools, human resources, and
budgeting or financial management.
Minority
librarians in managerial or supervisory roles have identified some issues they
perceive as barriers among other minority librarians in order to succeed in
their careers. The barriers they have observed among fellow minority librarians
are lack of communication skills, lack of customer service skills, and lack of
knowledge of the Canadian work environment. It was also noted that some of
these minority librarians are not willing to accept feedback.
Other
barriers that respondents noted are lack of an initiative to recruit more
minority students at library schools, evaluation of credentials, lack of role
models, and lack of leadership courses for minorities.
Key Findings and
Conclusions
This
is a landmark study capturing a snapshot of the demographics of visible
minority librarians working for Canadian institutions. The authors hope that
the findings of this study will help set future strategic directions of
ViMLoC.
As
evidence from our survey suggests, there are at least 120 first, second and
other generation minority librarians working in (or for) Canadian institutions
across the country and beyond. They work in different kinds of libraries, are
spread out all over Canada, and have had their library education in various
countries or in Canada. Many of the respondents have reiterated what ViMLoC learned
at OLA in 2013 – that they need a forum to discuss their issues, a mentorship
program to seek advice from other librarians with similar backgrounds who have
been in similar situations to themselves when finding jobs or re-pursuing their
professional library degrees, and to have networking opportunities.
It
was interesting to note that a majority of the respondents graduated from
either the University of British Columbia (UBC) or the University of Western
Ontario (UWO). There may be many reasons for this: more immigrants living in
these two provinces, easier admission requirements, larger cohort sizes, higher
intake per year, the option to earn a degree faster through a one year program,
and others. It would be beneficial for ViMLoC to explore this further in future
iterations of a similar survey to see if there is consistency in this data. If
the trend to enroll at UBC or UWO continues to stay higher, this will be an
opportunity for ViMLoC to partner with CLA to initiate conversations with these
schools encouraging them to work with ALA and minority librarians to find ways
to accredit their foreign degrees, so these librarians can be employable sooner
than later.
The
ViMLoC mentoring program is already underway, and ViMLoC hopes to work with the
CLA and ViMLoC members to address scholarship and leadership training
possibilities. CLA needs to consider offering many of these training sessions
free of charge through their online forum, the Educational Institute. These
topics are often covered in library schools, but for first generation
librarians who did not attend library schools in Canada and are not yet
employed in a library, these free workshops will be particularly
beneficial.
Many
librarians have expressed a need for networking opportunities. Although ViMLoC
has been active in professional conferences, such as CLA and OLA, and has a
website, Facebook page, LinkedIn page and a Google electronic mail list,
through which members can interact with each other, an interest in creating
other networking opportunities still remains.
Limitations and
Recommendations
Although
the survey was sent out to various electronic mail lists, it is possible that
there were librarians who did not take the time to complete the survey. Due to
financial constraints some minority librarians may not be members of any of the
library associations, and due to lack of awareness first generation librarians
may not be part of library electronic mail lists. These members may have been
missed in the survey. Unfortunately, there is no way to know the number of
visible minority librarians that did not take the survey.
This
survey is also only a snapshot in time and these demographics are likely to
change with changes in government policies on immigration. ViMLoC should aim to
conduct these surveys every 3-5 years to compare statistics and learn more
about demographic changes, the needs of this population, their challenges and
barriers, and their continuous evolution in the library field. Data from this survey
will help ViMLoC to find and implement ways to create better networking
opportunities for visible minority librarians to connect, collaborate, and
create a sense of community.
It
will also be beneficial for ViMLoC to learn from this group of librarians the
types of administrative positions they hold and what “other” positions they
hold in their libraries, as well as to learn more about their leadership
experiences, trials, and successes.
ViMLoC
should consider collaborating with CLA and its Education Institute more closely
so both entities can be proactive in helping this group of visible minority
librarians.
Another
initiative for ViMLoC to consider is establishing connections with Canadian
library schools and partnering with them to identify and recruit minorities in
the community to join their schools.
While
ViMLoC has initiated and worked on various projects, funding is always an issue
for this group of librarians, especially if they are first generation
immigrants from Asian and African countries. All ViMLoC representatives are
volunteers interested in this topic and have worked hard on many of the
initiatives mentioned. Funding help from CLA will go a long way in supporting
this network that can help these librarians, particularly those not yet
employed. Apart from helping ViMLoC to offer free web-based workshops on
various topics addressed previously, CLA funding can be used to attract visible
minorities to join library schools and attend library conferences.
Future
surveys undertaken by ViMLoC should not only collect quantitative data, but
also gather more qualitative responses. These qualitative responses will assist
in setting further strategic directions for ViMLoC.
Acknowledgements
The
authors would like to thank CLA for its sponsorship of one-year free personal
CLA membership to one of the lucky respondents of the survey.
The
authors would also like to thank Lyn Currie (retired librarian, University of
Saskatchewan) and Norda Majekodunmi (York University) for taking the time to
read previous versions of the manuscript and offer suggestions for
improvement.
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Appendix
Survey of Visible Minority
Librarians Statistics in Canada
Page 1
Project Title: Collecting
Statistics of Visible Minority Librarians in Canada
Researcher(s): Maha Kumaran
(Liaison, McGill University) are current co-moderators and founding members of
the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) Network, Canadian Library Association
(2011-2013).
Compensation: This survey will take about 5 minutes to complete. By
participating in the survey you will have a chance to win a one-year free
personal membership to CLA. If you would like to enter your name for this draw,
please make sure you enter the information as necessary when redirected at the
end of the survey. Your chance of winning is estimated at approximately 1%,
depending on the actual number of participants who entered their names into the
draw.
Purpose and Objective: Currently there
is no data on the number of visible minority librarians working in Canadian
libraries. The Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) Network wants to
gather statistics on the number of visible minority librarians working in or
for Canadian Libraries. The results of this survey will serve as foundational
data that will help ViMLoC identify the needs of visible minority librarians
and propose projects or initiatives to empower them in their current positions
or their future career development initiatives.
Research
Background: According to Statistics Canada, the current visible
minority population in Canada is over 6 million. This is 19.1% of Canada’s
total population[1].
Statistics Canada also projects that close to 30% of the nation’s population
will consist of visible minorities by 2031 that will include both foreign-born
and Canadian born visible minorities[2].
Does our current profession reflect this demographic? The 8Rs Study states that visible minorities
“are under-represented across all types of libraries” and make up “only 7%
library professional librarian labour force (compared to 14% of Canada’s entire
labour force)[3].
With this survey, ViMLoC intends to determine the number of visible minority
librarians in Canadian libraries. The information collected through this survey
will serve as foundational data that enables ViMLoC to identify the needs of
this particular group of librarians.
The Canadian Employment Equity Act defines visible
minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are
non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.[4]"
The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups:
Chinese, South Asian, Black, Arab, West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin
American, Japanese and Korean.
Confidentiality: All data
collected will be maintained, managed and stored by the two researchers. After
you complete the survey, you will be redirected to another form to provide your
personal information for the draw to win a personal one-year CLA membership.
The survey is set up so that researchers will not be able to associate the
personal information with the rest of the data.
Right to Withdraw: Your
participation in this survey is voluntary. You may withdraw from this survey
any time by closing the browser. Once all the information is entered and
submitted, the data is anonymous and withdrawal will not be possible.
Follow up: The researchers
intend to publish the survey results of this study through a Canadian open
access journal, such as The Partnership Journal, and if you are interested, you
will be sent a link to this publication. If you would like to know the results
of the study prior to publication, please contact either one of the
researchers.
Questions or Concerns: This project
has been approved on ethical grounds by the University of Saskatchewan and
McGill University. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your rights
or welfare as a participant in this research study, please contact the
University of Saskatchewan Research Ethics Office at 306-966-2084 or ethics.office@usask.ca or the Manager, Research Ethics, McGill University at
514-398-6831 or lynda.mcneil@mcgill.ca. By completing and submitting this survey, YOUR FREE AND INFORMED
CONSENT is implied.
If you have any questions, please contact: Maha at maha.kumaran@usask.ca or Heather at heather.cai@mcgill.ca.
On the next page, you will see a PDF/Word icon. Please
use this icon to print and save a copy of the consent form if you need it for
your records.
Page 2
The Canadian Employment
Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal
peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The
visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: Chinese,
South Asian, Black, Arab, West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin
American, Japanese and Korean. Are you a visible minority librarian currently
working in Canada?
Yes
No
What group do you belong to
or which group fits you the best?
Chinese
South Asian (Includes Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, SriLankan)
Black
Filipino
Latin American
South East Asian (includes Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, and Laotian)
Arab (includes Egyptian, Kuwaiti and Libyan)
West Asian (Includes Afghan, Assyrian and Iranian)
Korean
Japanese
Other (please specify) ________________________
Tell us if you are a first
generation minority librarian or not. First generation would mean that you were
born else where but moved to Canada at some point in your life. Second
generation would mean you were born in Canada to immigrant parents. If you
would like to add an explanation about this, please use the text box beside,
such as your age or the year when you came to Canada.
|
|
First generation ______________________ |
|
|
|
Second generation
______________________ |
|
|
|
Other ______________________ |
Did you complete your
professional library degree in Canada?
Yes
No
If no, tell us which country
you completed your professional degree?
Was the professional library
degree considered ALA accredited?
If yes, tell us which
University /College you received your ALA accredited library degree.
What type of library are you
currently working at? If you are at a special library, please specify the type
of library - Government, Religious Organization, etc.
Public
Library
Regional Library
Academic Library
College Library
Special Library ______________________________
School Library
Other (please specify)
Which province / territory
do you currently work in?
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon
Other (if you are working for a Canadian Library outside of Canada)
___________________
Select the job category(ies)
that matches your current job responsibilities
Acquisitions
/ Collection Development
Administration
Adult Services
Archives
Assessment
Automation / Systems / IT Services
Cataloging / Metadata Management
Children’s Services
Circulation
Consultant / Knowledge Management/ Researchers
Digitization and Preservation
E-Resources and Serials
Government Documents
Instruction Services
Interlibrary Loan Services
Liaison Librarian
Licensing
Marketing/Outreach/Community Services
Media Specialist
Rare Books and Special Collections
Reference / Information Services
School / Teacher Librarian
Web Services
Youth Services
Other (Please Specify) _______________________
Do you work part-time (less
than 30 hours/week), full-time (30 or more hours/week), or casual hours? Please indicate below:
Part Time
Full Time
Casual Hours
Other _________________________________
Please use the box below to
comment on anything else: topics could be on the challenges of finding the
right job, the need for another degree, lack of support through mentorship or
networking possibilities, etc.
If you would like to save a copy of the survey for your own records
please click on the PDF/Word icon below now.
CLA one year personal membership draw: This is optional, if you do not
want to enter the information click Submit.
Your
full name:
Your
institution:
Your
mailing address with postal code:
Your
email:
Your
day time phone number:
Thank
you for taking the time to complete this survey.