Hearings Held at the American Library Association Annual Conference, June 1981, San Francisco, California

by United States. Task Force on Library and Information Services to Cultural Minorities, American Library Association. Annual Conference

1981 · Washington, D.C. : The Commission

This report describes the work of the Task Force on Library and Information Services to Cultural Minorities, which was appointed by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to explore the status of services, resources, and programs for American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Afro-Americans, and to make recommendations for improvement. Sections cover: (1) minority library and information needs; (2) the representation of minorities among library personnel, with a discussion of salaries, library schools and library education, continuing library education, staff development programs, and specialized library skills; (3) library services and programs for minorities including adult education programs and information and referral services; (4) the material and resource needs of America's minorities, touching on availability of resources, networking, barriers to access, collection development, selection policies, publishing, and other areas of concern; and (5) financing of library programs for minorities, covering the funding status of these programs, financial planning, and funding requirements. Forty-two recommendations are presented. Also provided are an executive summary and a foreword noting eight recommendations which NCLIS has declined to support. Appendices describe the methodology and findings of a needs assessment study of library/information service for Asian Americans (with a sample questionnaire provided); report on the needs of other minorities; and list Task Force participants. (ESR.