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CULTURAL DIVERSITY

2007 LSTA Grant Guidelines

Amount of Grant: $200,000 (total amount available in category)

Program Contact:
Mary Villegas, Library Development Division
(602) 926-3604 or 1-800-255-5841 or mvillegas@lib.az.us

Select an Outcome, or Use as a Model:

• Library staff learns how to be more culturally sensitive.
• Underserved, diverse audiences increase participation in library programs or increase the use of library resources.
• Participants’ understanding of diverse people in their community is increased because the library partnered with a tribe or local community cultural organization.

Project Requirements:

• Projects promote understanding and respect for or develop resources about diverse cultures.
• Members of the cultural community that will be served or represented by the project must fully participate in planning, implementation and evaluation.

Model Project Products:

• Diversity training for library staff to use in their work.
• Ethnic or culturally diverse events or programs.
• Collections reflecting diverse populations are established or enhanced.

Sample Evaluation Models:

• Participants respond verbally to a post-program discussion indicating that they better understand and appreciate people from different cultures.
• Library staff provides a short written narrative indicating how they have gained a deeper understanding of another culture.
• Project organizers track the number of culturally diverse participants in library programs and survey a percentage of them about the program’s effectiveness.

Sample Activities:

• A series of lectures, workshops, and demonstrations on the Ming Dynasty are planned at the library in collaboration with the local Chinese cultural center and the Community College Asian Studies Program staff.
• A Cinco de Mayo event is held on the library grounds in collaboration with the local Spanish language radio/television station. The library provides activities, programs, and educational materials and the media outlet provides pre-and post-event coverage.
• Tribal and non-tribal libraries in a county collaborate to share resources and plan joint programming around a community theme.
• All library staff receives cultural sensitivity training. In collaboration with a local cultural organization, they develop at least one new program/event that utilizes the learned skills.
• In celebration of Black History month, all libraries in the county invite African-American authors to discuss their writings and sign books. The libraries work with the local university’s African-American Studies and English Departments to help them select and locate authors.
• Library staff participates in conversational language classes to learn to better communicate with a part of the library’s constituency that speaks a language other than English.

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Updated:  11/22/2006