Open AccessAcademic Library Leadership
Author(s) -
Binh P. Le
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of librarianship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2474-3542
DOI - 10.23974/ijol.2021.vol6.1.184
Subject(s) - affirmative action , people of color , white (mutation) , civil rights , academic library , law library , political science , law , sociology , library science , public administration , gender studies , race (biology) , biochemistry , chemistry , computer science , gene
Nearly 80% of American librarians are women. Similarly, the majority of American librarians are White; people of color – e.g., African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans – represent a small percentage of the U.S. library work-force. Throughout history, library leadership positions, regardless of the type of library (e.g., academic, public, or special), have been held by White males. This library leadership landscape was significantly altered following the enactment of a number of progressive laws and affirmative action programs, starting with the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The problem, however, is that not every underrepresented group benefits from these laws and programs (hereafter policies). In fact, based on the present study, it appears that these policies have done little to help increase the number of people of color who are library directors in some of America’s largest and most prestigious academic libraries.