Motivation and Diversity: Factors that Influence the Choice of LIS as a Career

This presentation is from the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Podcast Archive which can be found here.

Lisa Hussey (British Columbia, Library, Archival and Information Studies) discusses her dissertation, which focused on building an understanding of the motivations of ethnic minorities to choose library and information science (LIS) as a career. Diversity in LIS and diversity initiatives in LIS programs have been important topics in the profession and in the literature. Increasing the presence of librarians of color may help to improve diversity within LIS. However, recruiting ethnic minorities into LIS has proven to be difficult. The central questions explored can be divided into two parts: (1) Why do ethnic minorities choose librarianship as a profession? (2) What would motivate members of minority groups to join a profession in which they cannot see themselves?

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