University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Native Students in Library and Information Science Education, 1990–2019:Past Trends and Implications for Future Advancement

Gosart, Ulia; Fu, Rachel; Massey, Dominique; Tucker, Zoe

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124998

Description

Title
Native Students in Library and Information Science Education, 1990–2019:Past Trends and Implications for Future Advancement
Author(s)
  • Gosart, Ulia
  • Fu, Rachel
  • Massey, Dominique
  • Tucker, Zoe
Issue Date
2023-08
Keyword(s)
  • Indigenous librarianship
  • Native Americans
  • American Indians
  • equitable representation
  • special programming
  • graduate students
  • graduation
  • retention
  • tribal communities
Date of Ingest
2024-10-31T15:27:00-05:00
Abstract
In this longitudinal study, the authors explored institutional-level factors that may have contributed to the success of Native students in graduate library and information science (LIS) programs from 1990 to 2019. They used a mixed-methods design: first, they assessed patterns of participation of Native students in LIS for that period; next, they identified the LIS programs that graduated the most Native students and investigated them in depth using a case-study approach. The authors utilized data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). They found that the low participation of Native students in LIS replicated overall trends in the participation of Native students in graduate education in nontribal establishments. They also found that the low participation of Native students remained a major historical trend characterizing the participation of Native students in LIS. This study suggests that institutional factors contributing to the success of Native students in LIS include effective recruitment, financial aid, and the assurance of their continuous enrollment and graduation via cohort learning, mentorship, flexibility of curriculum choices, and practical experiences. Substantively, this study contributes to the understanding of factors affecting the participation of Native students in graduate education and serves as a foundation for further research into factors affecting Native students' success in nontribal colleges. Methodologically, it offers a model replicable for similar investigations in other fields.
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press
Series/Report Name or Number
Volume 72, Issue 1, August 2023
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
article
Language
eng
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 University of Illinois Board of Trustees

Owning Collections

Library Trends 72 (1) August 2023: Indigenous Librarianship [Restricted Access] PRIMARY
This special issue of Library Trends presents a glimpse into the current state of Indigenous librarianship. In the composition of this issue the editors followed an unconventional approach of soliciting articles. Instead of issuing a traditional call for papers, they reached out to individuals and institutions that were already stewarding Indigenous collections in a culturally respectful manner. This method of sourcing allowed the editors to provide the readers with insights into the current state of the field and to invite emerging scholars to share their perspectives. At the same time, it limited the range of experiences that the editors were able to explore. Additionally, availability for authoring was limited in part because publishing is not often incentivized for librarians. Thus, the issue serves as a collection of field reports featuring certain major trends occurring in Indigenous librarianship in North America.