Making Diversity Count. A Librarian at the Kitchen Table. No. 411.

The American Library Association has (ALA) released "Diversity Counts," a comprehensive study of gender, race and age in the library profession...
To increase diversity, the ALA committed $1.35 million in 1997 toward the Spectrum Scholarship Program, a groundbreaking effort aimed at encouraging more people of color to become librarians. A 2004 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) nearly doubled funding available for graduate students from racially and ethnically underrepresented groups to attend ALA-accredited master's programs or National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) library media programs. Since its inception, more than 400 students have received scholarships, mentoring and ongoing networking opportunities.

The study was conducted by the ALA Office for Research & Statistics, ALA Office for Diversity and Decision Demographics, a research firm based in Arlington, Va. The research provides the ALA with a reliable estimate of employment and will influence future recruitment efforts.

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