This document summarizes a presentation on cultural competence given by Katherine Becvar and Sarah Naumann at the 2014 CARL conference. The presentation covered literature on cultural competence in professional organizations and libraries. It discussed the ACRL diversity standards, which provide a framework for cultural awareness, cross-cultural knowledge, developing inclusive collections and services, and organizational dynamics that promote cultural competence. The presentation also addressed challenges libraries face in achieving cultural competence.

1. The
Prac)cali)es
of
Cultural
Competence
Katherine
Becvar
Adjunct
Reference
Librarian,
College
of
San
Mateo
Sarah
Naumann
Adjunct
Instruc:on
Librarian,
CSU
East
Bay
Research
Into
Prac)ce
session
CARL
2014
-­‐
"Leadership
In
Ac)on”

2. What
we’ll
be
covering
today:
! Literature
review
and
background
! The
diversity
standards
&
the
development
of
cultural
competence
! Discussion
ac)vity
! Research
results
! Next
steps
and
ques)ons

3. Cultural
Competence
in
Professional
OrganizaBons
What
can
we
learn
from
them?
! AACN
-­‐
American
Associa)on
of
Colleges
of
Nursing
! APA
-­‐
American
Psychological
Associa)on
! NASW
-­‐
Na)onal
Associa)on
of
Social
Workers
! NEA
-­‐
Na)onal
Educa)on
Associa)on
! NIH
-­‐
Na)onal
Ins)tutes
of
Health
! and
others...

4. Diversity
as
focus
“If
your
school
or
library
or
organiza)on
doesn’t
look
like
the
community
around
it,
if
it
doesn’t
mirror
the
world,
you’ve
got
some
work
to
do.”
(Shorter-­‐Gooden)

5. Cultural
Competence
in
Academic
Libraries
Yes!
! Library
collec)ons
! Instruc)on
! Reference
“Not
everybody
learns
in
the
same
way...there
are
cultural
differences
in
learning
styles
and
approaches”
(Shorter-­‐Gooden).

6. The
process
of
training
Challenges
&
Successes
! Resistance
! Who
is
going
to
be
the
diversity/mul)cultural
librarian?
! Charge
comes
from
higher
up
! Focus
on
individual
skills

7. Cultural
Competence
Training
in
Library
School

8. ACRL
Diversity
Standards
:
Overview
and
Context
! Developed
by
ACRL’s
Racial
and
Ethnic
Diversity
Commiee
between
2008
-­‐
2012,
released
in
2012
! Affirming
ACRL’s
commitment
to
“diversity
of
people
and
ideas”
and
making
libraries
reflec)ve
of
the
(diverse)
communi)es
they
serve
! Increasing
aen)on
to
concept
of
cultural
competence
in
service
professions
-­‐
nursing,
social
work,
librarianship,
etc.

9. ACRL
Diversity
Standards:
Cultural
Competency
for
Academic
Libraries
! Standard
1.
Cultural
awareness
of
self
and
others
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
develop
an
understanding
of
their
own
personal
and
cultural
values
and
beliefs
as
a
first
step
in
apprecia)ng
the
importance
of
mul)cultural
iden))es
in
the
lives
of
the
people
they
work
with
and
serve.
! Standard
2.
Cross-­‐cultural
knowledge
and
skills
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
have
and
con)nue
to
develop
specialized
knowledge
and
understanding
about
the
history,
tradi)ons,
values,
and
ar)s)c
expressions
of
colleagues,
co-­‐workers,
and
major
cons)tuencies
served.
! Standard
3.
OrganizaBonal
and
professional
values
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
develop
and
support
organiza)onal
and
professional
values
dedicated
to
culturally
competent
service.
! Standard
4.
Development
of
collecBons,
programs,
and
services
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
develop
collec)ons
and
provide
programs
and
services
that
are
inclusive
of
the
needs
of
all
persons
in
the
community
the
library
serves.
! Standard
5.
Service
delivery
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
be
knowledgeable
about
and
skillful
in
the
use
and
provision
of
informa)on
services
available
in
the
community
and
broader
society,
and
shall
be
able
to
make
appropriate
referrals
for
their
diverse
cons)tuencies.
! Standard
6.
Language
diversity
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
support
the
preserva)on
and
promo)on
of
linguis)c
diversity,
and
work
to
foster
a
climate
of
inclusion
aimed
at
elimina)ng
discrimina)on
and
oppression
based
on
linguis)c
or
other
diversi)es.

10. ACRL
Diversity
Standards:
Cultural
Competency
for
Academic
Libraries
(cont.)
! Standard
7.
Workforce
diversity
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
support
and
advocate
for
recruitment,
admissions,
hiring,
and
reten)on
efforts
in
libraries,
library
associa)ons,
and
LIS
programs
to
increase
diversity
and
ensure
con)nued
diversity
in
the
profession.
! Standard
8.
OrganizaBonal
dynamics
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
par)cipate
in
and
facilitate
the
development
of
organiza)onal
dynamics
that
enable
individuals,
groups,
and
organiza)ons
to
con)nually
develop
and
exercise
cultural
competence.
! Standard
9.
Cross-­‐cultural
leadership
Library
leaders
shall
influence,
support,
and
encourage
the
crea)on
of
proac)ve
processes
that
increase
diversity
skills;
empower
colleagues,
co-­‐workers,
and
cons)tuents
from
diverse
backgrounds;
share
informa)on
about
diverse
popula)ons;
and
advocate
for
their
concerns.
! Standard
10.
Professional
educaBon
and
conBnuous
learning
Librarians
and
library
staff
shall
advocate
for
and
par)cipate
in
educa)onal
and
training
programs
that
help
advance
cultural
competence
within
the
profession.
! Standard
11.
Research
Research
shall
be
inclusive
and
respecdul
of
non-­‐Western
thought
and
tradi)onal
knowledge
reflec)ng
the
value
of
cultural
ways
of
knowing.

11. The
Culturally
-­‐
Competent
Librarian…
! “shall
develop
an
understanding
of
their
own
personal
and
cultural
values
and
beliefs”
(Standard
1)
! “shall
have
and
con)nue
to
develop
specialized
knowledge
and
understanding
about
the
history,
tradi)ons,
values,
and
ar)s)c
expressions
of
colleagues,
co-­‐workers,
and
major
cons)tuencies
served”
(Standard
2)
! But
how?
…

12. Cultural
Competence
as
a
Process
! Star)ng
at
the
individual
level
! self-­‐reflec)on,
iden)ty
forma)on,
power
and
privilege
! cogni)ve
flexibility
-­‐
ability
to
shig
frames
of
reference
! Moving
to
interpersonal
level
! beyond
just
contact
or
knowledge
of
other
cultures
! Expanding
to
environmental
level
! impac)ng
our
organiza)ons
and
prac)ce
Informed
by
Patricia
Mon)el-­‐Overall
and
Janet
M.
Benne

13. From
Mon)el-­‐Overall,P.
(2009)
“Cultural
Competence:
A
Conceptual
Framework
for
LIS
Professionals.”

14. AcBvity:
The
Cultural
Shield
How
do
these
things
help
you
think
about
culture
or
diversity?
! Family
/
Heritage
/
Growing
Up
! Educa)on
/
Training
! Personal
Life
/
Friends
/
Life
Experience
! Work
Experience
Take
5
minutes
to
write
responses
on
your
handout,
then
discuss
in
small
groups
for
10
minutes

15. Cultural
competence
and
the
ACRL
Diversity
Standards
in
California
academic
libraries
Survey
Results

16. 59
14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes
No
Q2.
Is
service
to
diverse
populaBons
a
priority
for
your
library?
(n=72)
18
39
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Yes
No
I
don't
know
Q3.
Does
your
library
have
a
Diversity
Statement
or
something
similar?
(n=72)
60
1
12
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes
No
I
don't
know
Q4.
Does
your
college
or
university
have
a
campus-­‐
wide
Diversity
Statement
or
something
similar?
(n=72)
Ins)tu)onal
Approaches
to
Diversity

17. 34
39
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Yes
No
Q5.
Had
you
heard
about
ACRL’s
Cultural
Competency
Standards
for
Academic
Libraries
before
taking
this
survey?
(n=72)
6
42
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Yes
No
I
don't
know
Q6.
Has
your
library
discussed
or
implemented
any
aspect
of
the
ACRL’s
Diversity
Standards?
(n=72)
Knowledge
of
ACRL’s
Diversity
Standards

18. 12
61
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes
No
Q8.
Have
you
changed
any
aspect
of
your
pracBce
as
a
librarian
as
a
result
of
the
Diversity
Standards?
(n=72)
58
15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Yes
No
Q7.
Do
you
think
that
ACRL’s
Diversity
Standards
are
something
that
your
library
could
benefit
or
currently
benefits
from?
(n=72)
Impact
of
ACRL’s
Diversity
Standards

19. 65
7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes
No
Q11.
Do
you
feel
that
you
possess
a
sufficient
amount
of
cultural
competence
to
support
your
day
to
day
interacBons
at
the
reference
desk
or
in
the
classroom?
(n=72)
59
13
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Yes
No
Q9.
Do
you
feel
that
you
have
a
strong
knowledge
of
or
familiarity
with
cultures
other
than
your
own?
(n=72)
Personal
Cultural
Competence
in
Reference
and
Instruc)on
38
27
2
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Very
important
Somewhat
important
Less
important
Not
important
at
all
Q10.
How
important
is
it
to
you
to
have
a
common
cultural
understanding
with
students
that
approach
you
at
the
reference
desk
or
whom
you
teach
in
the
classroom?
(n=72)

20. 12
9
6
7
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Language
differences
or
barriers
Differences
in
social
cues
and
interac)ons
(body
language,
asking
ques)ons,
etc)
Situa)on(s)
handled
differently
because
of
knowledge
about
a
specific
culture
Library-­‐
or
informa)on-­‐
specific
cultural
differences
teachable
moments
about
diversity
and
cultural
difference
Number
of
Responses
Coded
categories
from
free-­‐text
responses
Q12.
Can
you
give
us
an
example
of
how
cultural
differences
have
presented
themselves
to
you
on
a
day
to
day
basis,
and
how
you
handled
the
situaBon?
(n=43)

21. Q12:
Can
you
give
us
an
example
of
how
cultural
differences
have
presented
themselves
to
you
on
a
day
to
day
basis,
and
how
you
handled
the
situa)on?
-­‐
a
sample
of
responses
-­‐
! “If
you
work
at
an
academic
reference
desk
in
a
community
college
in
California,
you
are
dealing
with
different
cultural
backgrounds
daily.
I
cannot
come
up
with
one
situa)on
specifically
because
I
do
not
think
of
them
as
situaBons,
but
as
reference.”
! “I
don't
think
I
understand
Japanese,
Korean,
or
Chinese
cultures.
Nor
can
I
(I'm
embarrassed
to
say)
tell
them
apart.
I
deal
with
many
people
of
Asian
descent
at
my
university,
but
lack
any
depth
of
cultural
knowledge.”
! “I'm
not
sure
this
counts
as
a
‘cultural
difference,’
but
at
my
last
place
of
work
a
male
student
of
color
asked
to
borrow
a
highlighter.
I
said,
"Sure,
just
be
sure
to
bring
it
back!"
and
he
replied,
"You
think
I'm
going
to
steal
it?"
and
I
realized
this
was
probably
yet
another
microaggression
in
his
life,
as
he
probably
ogen
encounters
people
who
treat
him
like
he's
going
to
steal
something
because
of
his
age,
gender,
race,
and
manner
of
dress.
Ader
that,
I've
been
more
sensiBve
to
how
I
say
things
like
that.”

22. 11
6
11
10
7
6
2
7
13
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Ethnic/cultural
descent
Other
aspect
of
background
(ie.
Sexual
orienta)on
or
"how
I
was
raised")
Live
in
an
urban/diverse
place
Have
traveled
or
lived
overseas
Professional
development,
associa)ons,
or
training
Educa)on
-­‐
anthro
and/or
other
cultures
Diversity
class
in
library
school
Rela)onships
-­‐
friends
or
family
of
another
culture
Work
experience
-­‐
serving
a
diverse
popula)on
Number
of
responses
Coded
categories
from
free-­‐text
responses
Q
13.
Please
describe
any
aspects
of
your
background,
experience,
or
training
that
you
feel
have
most
impacted
your
sense
of
your
own
cultural
competence.
(n=43)

23. Q13:
Please
describe
any
aspects
of
your
background,
experience,
or
training
that
you
feel
have
most
impacted
your
sense
of
your
own
cultural
competence.
-­‐
a
sample
of
responses
-­‐
! “I'm
a
librarian
of
color
and
have
not
tried
to
be
or
pretend
that
I'm
of
another
race/
ethnicity.
I'm
not
ashamed
of
my
ethnicity
as
some
members
of
my
family
seem
to
be.”
! “I
have
worked
throughout
my
life
and
my
profession
years
to
develop
cultural
competencies
and
have
commifed
to
working
towards
building
diversity
in
librarianship.
I
am
mul)racial
and
queer
so
within
my
family
and
my
life
I
am
constantly
traversing
through
different
cultures.
I
was
a
Spectrum
Scholar
and
went
through
the
Spectrum
Leadership
InsBtute
which
addresses
some
of
these
issues
as
well.”
! “Living
in
a
diverse
metropolitan
area
during
college,
world
travel
from
a
young
age,
1
year
of
working
overseas
in
local
business
(not
US
company),
military
spouse
(very
diverse
popula)on
actually),
15
years
of
working
in
CA
community
college
libraries,
diverse
friends
and
colleagues,
generally
an
open
and
kind
person
to
all
people
(something
ins)lled
in
me
by
my
own
family
while
growing
up).
Professional
dialogue
on
these
topics
just
reinforces
all
of
this
for
me.
“

24. TentaBve
“To-­‐Do”
checklist
! Be
ethnically
or
culturally
diverse
! Have
other
kinds
of
diversity
in
your
background
(ie.
sexual
orienta)on)
! Live
in
an
urban/diverse
place
! Travel
or
live
overseas
! Par)cipate
in
diversity-­‐related
professional
development,
associa)ons,
or
training
! Study
anthropology
and/or
other
cultures
(ie.
Asian
studies)
! Take
a
diversity
class
in
library
school
! Cul)vate
diverse
personal
rela)onships
-­‐
make
friends
with
someone
from
another
culture
! Serve
a
diverse
popula)on
in
your
workplace
(but
wait
a
minute…)

25. A
more
pragmaBc
“To-­‐do”
checklist?
Things
we
can’t
change
! Be
ethnically
or
culturally
diverse
! Have
other
kinds
of
diversity
in
your
background
(ie.
sexual
orienta)on)
! Serve
a
diverse
popula)on
in
your
workplace
Things
we
CAN
change
! Live
in
an
urban/diverse
place
! Travel
or
live
overseas
! Study
anthropology
and/or
other
cultures
(ie.
Asian
studies)
! Take
a
diversity
class
[in
library
school]
! Cul)vate
diverse
personal
rela)onships
-­‐
make
friends
with
someone
from
another
culture
! Par)cipate
in
diversity-­‐related
professional
development,
associa)ons,
or
training

26. QuesBon
Time!
Contact
Us:
Katherine
Becvar
becvark@smccd.edu
Sarah
Naumann
sarah.naumann@csueastbay.edu

27. Works
Cited
Alexander,
David
L.
“American
Indian
Studies,
Mul)culturalism,
and
the
Academic
Library.”
College
&
Research
Libraries.
74.1
(Jan
2013):
60-­‐68.
Print.
Benne,
Janet
M.
"Cul)va)ng
Intercultural
Competence:
A
Process
Perspec)ve.”
In
The
SAGE
Handbook
of
Intercultural
Competence.
Ed.
Darla
K.
Deardorff.
Los
Angeles:
SAGE,
2009.
121-­‐40.
Print.
Hughes,
Amy
and
Carissa
Tsosie.
“Ya’
at’
eeh!
Serving
American
Indian
Students.”
American
Library
Associa)on
Conference.
Anaheim,
CA.
24
June,
2012.
Mestre,
Lori.
Librarians
serving
diverse
popula:ons:
Challenges
&
opportuni:es.
Chicago:
Associa)on
of
College
and
Research
Libraries,
2010.
Print.
Monteil-­‐Overall,
Patricia.
“Cultural
Competence:
A
Conceptual
Framework
for
Library
and
Informa)on
Science
Professionals.”
Library
Quarterly
79.2
(April
2009):
175-­‐204.
Mon)el-­‐Overall,
Patricia.
"Developing
cultural
competence
to
create
mul)cultural
libraries."
Paper
presented
at
American
Library
Associa)on
annual
conference,
Chicago,
IL,
June
2009.
Oxley,
Rebecca.
“iDiversity
and
LIS
Educa)on:
Student-­‐Based
Groups
Promo)ng
Cultural
Competence
as
a
Vision
for
the
Profession.”
Library
Quarterly
83.3
(July
2013):
236-­‐242.
Ryan,
Marianne,
and
M.
Asim
Qayyum.
"Designing
an
Intercultural
Training
Framework
for
Informa)on
Professionals."
Reference
&
User
Services
Quarterly
51.3
(2012):
226-­‐230.
Shorter-­‐Gooden,
Kumea.
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