Introduction

      The Melting Pot; Practical Collection Development and Programming for Diverse Populations is a training course for librarians who purchase, program and promote their library’s services. As a training course the Melting Pot is designed to help librarians with existing knowledge perform a specific task (Morrison, 2007, pg.8); serve an emerging diverse community.  As such, this course is theoretically constructivist in nature (Snyder, 2009). The modules and their activities are designed to be; constructive, sequential and interlinked (Meyers and Nulty, 2009) and the motivation for students taking this course is predominately extrinsic, it is for professional advancement (Reiser, pg. 87). The assigned projects (analyses of policies, bibliographies, press releases) are authentic, real-world and relevant (Meyers, 2009). This course will promote awareness of community demographics and its inextricable tie to professional duty. As well as the actions required to assure libraries meet community needs; continual monitoring of community groups, creation of inclusive policies and inclusion of non- traditional sources of materials and programming to meet the needs of diverse populations.

Course overview

     This class is intended to demonstrate to those in public libraries tasked with purchasing materials as well as creating, planning, implementing and promoting programming; that the choices we make in regards to our collections and programming affect on how libraries are viewed within a community. This class will provide the tools to investigate, analyze, review and assess community demographics as well as show the need to continually evaluate, rethink and update library policies that may interfere with addressing current community desires and needs.

Course Goals and Objectives

     The following are the course objectives for The Melting Pot; Practical Collection Development and Programming for Diverse Populations.

1.     Increase students’ understanding and recognition of the importance, duty and necessity to continually review and analyze the library’s community.

2.     Demonstrate the need for students to review, evaluate and update their library’s current policies regarding material acquisition and programming.

3.     Create and implement effective services for diverse groups served by libraries.

4.     Help students identify online, local, cultural and social agencies as resources to address their library’s diverse populations.

5.     The need to create and collaborate with colleagues.

6.     To provide librarians who purchase, program and promote a chance to hone existing research and creative skills and apply them effectively and immediately to their library.

Learning Objectives

o   Students will develop an awareness of various racial, socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and ethnic groups by analyzing online census data and comparing their library’s collections and program offerings to determine if they are inclusive and reflect the library’s community.

o   Students will demonstrate knowledge of ethical considerations per the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights so that they will be able to contrast their own beliefs and attitudes with those of their culturally diverse community populations in a nonjudgmental fashion.

o   Students will complete a SWOT analysis of their library to determine if the collective culture (policies, collections, programming and promotion) of their library is one that promotes serving a diverse patronage.

o   Students will develop the ability to integrate multicultural materials and programming into their libraries by researching and evaluating online and print resources, by recognizing the importance of partnerships with local agencies, institutions and using available forums for sharing of information and ideas.

o   Students will be able to promote library collections and programming by composing press releases and articles targeted  at local multicultural and special interest (language, sexual orientation, culture)media including; newspapers, cable stations and radio in their library’s community.

Course information

     Modules are made available to students on Mondays by 12 noon EDT. The current Module runs for two weeks. Modules contain reading assignments, activities, and additional course material relevant to the study topic.  Assigned readings, discussions, and other projects must be completed within the module timeframe. Upon completion of the course and all activities student will receive a continuing education certificate.

Participation

     Every module requires participation in the class discussion board. Students must post for each topic and comment on at least one other classmate’s post.

Students will be required to contribute to the class Wiki, adding favorite and useful resources from each module as the course progresses.

Students must open accounts on several free resource sites: Webjunction, Delicious and SlideShare that will provide Web 2.0 tools to collaborate, promote interactivity and share resources.

Feedback

     The course allows for constant feedback by way of discussion board, email and also the private or group chat capabilities of WebTycho and similar course management systems.

Grading

Project	Grade	Grade	Grade
Census PowerPoint and upload to SlideShare	13- 15pts Comparison between 2000 and 2010 census Underserved population identified and uploaded to SlideShare	8-12pts Had most of the elements required; uploaded to SlideShare	0-7pts.  No Census comparisons. Did not identify underserved population.
Revised Policies Assignment	8-10 pts Provided viable revisions for the policies	5-7 pts. Had most of the elements required.	0-4pts Did not compose an inclusive policy
Film review	8- 10pts Chose a film that represented underserved population.	5-7 pts Chose a film that represented underserved population.	0-4pts No relevant comments. Did not address an underserved population.
Bibliography	13-15pts Composed a well rounded bibliography with multimedia sources. resources	9-12pts Composed a good bibliography not as diverse as requested	0-8pts Not diverse; no multimedia selections.
Event project (poster and press release)	17-20pts Event well chosen and represented. Well designed Promoted appropriately.	13-16pts. Event well chosen and represented. Graphics above average.	0-12pts. Mediocre event choice. Poor layout; poor choice of promotion
Wiki participation	8-10pts Wiki resource after most modules	5-7pts Frequent but not consistent posts.	0-4pts Few or no posts.
Discussion board postings	17-20pts Posted on time and relevant comments and responded to classmates	13-16 pts. Occasional late posting Mostly relevant comments Responded frequently to classmate postings.	0-12pts. Infrequent Poorly written or off topic posts.
Creation of Delicious, Webjunction, SlideShare accounts	5pts Created accounts for all and used them as resources	4pts Created and used somewhat	1pt. Created and didn’t use.

Modules

MODULE 1 WEEK 1&2	LEARNING OBJECTIVE	COURSE RESOURCES	ASSESSMENT
Demographics and Diversity This module will discuss the use and analysis of government statistics (www.Census.gov) of populations in the United States to identify various groups that make up their library’s community.	Students will develop an awareness of various racial, socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and ethnic groups by analyzing online census data and comparing their library’s collections and program offerings to determine if they are inclusive and reflect the library’s community.	Websites: American Factfinder(Census) http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en American Library Association (ALA) Underserved Populations http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=outreachresource Students must set up a free account On Slide Share www.Slideshare.com Students can create a Delicious account to bookmark resources www.delicious.com Read Finding the Underserved. Library Journal: Library News, Reviews and Views. http: www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6602835.html	Students will compare and contrast Census numbers using the 2010 and the 2000 numbers. Students will prepare a PowerPoint presentation of their findings. Students will upload their presentation to SlideShare. Discussion board topics: Do Census numbers match who students observe using their library. Who is their library’s underserved populations. Post a resource to the wiki.

MODULE 2 WEEKS 3 & 4	LEARNING OBJECTIVE	COURSE RESOURCES	ASSESSMENT
Diversity and Professional Due Diligence Students will analyze Library Bill of Rights and discuss bias and its impact on library services.	Students will demonstrate knowledge of ethical considerations per the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights so that they will be able to contrast their own beliefs and attitudes with those of their culturally diverse community populations in a nonjudgmental fashion.	Websites American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/index.cfm Webjunction Students must set up a free account Webjunction http://www.webjunction.com Public Libraries and Effective Inclusion & Diversity Training  by Kathryn Perkins http://www.webjunction.org/create-deliver-training/-/articles/content/86091081	Students will create a Webjunction account and read their resources on diversity and inclusion. Discussion board topics: Students will post their ideas and thoughts about the ALA Library Bill of Rights. Students will discuss materials or programs that have been excluded from their library due to personal or community, etc. biases or concerns. Post a resource to the wiki.

MODULE 3 WEEKS 5 & 6	LEARNING OBJECTIVE	COURSE RESOURCES	ASSESSMENT
Diversity and Library Culture Using the information garnered in modules 1 and 2 students will perform a SWOT analysis of their library.	Students will complete a SWOT analysis of their library to determine if the collective culture (policies, collections, programming and promotion) of their library is one that promotes serving a diverse patronage.	Websites American Library Association (ALA) The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/index.cfm American Library Association (ALA) Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/emiert/emiebulletin/emiertbulletin.cfm ADA Toolkit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaissues/adalibrarykit.cfm NPR Multicultural Books Offer Diverse Reading Experience Public Libraries Help Grandparent Caregivers	Students will review their library’s policies on collection development and programming to evaluate if they promote inclusion of materials and services that serve a diverse population. Students will submit their library’s policy on either collections or programming; they will then revise that library’s policies to maximize inclusiveness for their library’s community. Discussion board topic: Students will post what changes they made to their policies to make them more sensitive and inclusive. Post a resource to the wiki.

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MODULE 4 WEEKS 6 & 7	LEARNING OBJECTIVE	COURSE RESOURCES	ASSESSMENT
Resources This module concerns finding and providing library worthy resources to buy materials and create programs for their library’s underserved populations.	Students will develop the ability to integrate multicultural materials and programming into their libraries by researching and evaluating online and print resources, by recognizing the importance of partnerships with local agencies, institutions and using available forums for sharing of information and ideas.	List of  multicultural films List of multicultural vendors List of types of local agencies	Students will view a film from a provided list of movies and write a film review. Students will post their review on the wiki. Using an underserved group in their library’s community students will compose a bibliographic list of resources including film, magazines, books (non-fiction and fiction), local, agencies, and media.

MODULE 5 WEEKS 8 & 9	LEARNING OBJECTIVE	COURSE RESOURCES	ASSESSMENT
PROMOTION & COLLABORATION This module discusses how to use media to reach the diverse populations in library’s community. It also encourages students to promote and share resources for the betterment of library services to all people.	Students will be able to promote library collections and programming by composing press releases and articles targeted  at local multicultural and special interest (language, sexual orientation, culture)media including; newspapers, cable stations and radio in their library’s community.	Press release examples List of free language translators Watch public library promotion video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= zPzJoQb9D4A	Students will create an event (book club, computer class, film club, etc) targeted at an underserved population. Students will create a poster for the event. Students will write a press release. Students will provide a list of local media outlets that serve a diverse population Discussion board topic: Students will post their experiences in reaching out to diverse media outlets. Post a resource to the wiki.

References

ALA | EMIERT Bulletin. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/emiert/emiebulletin/emiertbulletin.cfm

ALA | GLBT Round Table. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/index.cfm

ALA | Library Bill of Rights. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/index.cfm

ALA | Library Outreach Resources. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=outreachresource

ALA | The ADA Library Kit. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaissues/adalibrarykit.cfm

American Factfinder. (n.d.). Retrieved 2011, from http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=Search

Futterman, M. (2008, October 15). Finding the Underserved. Library Journal: Library News, Reviews and Views. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6602835.html

Greenville Library (Producer). (2009, May 20). Welcome to Your Public Library [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPzJoQb9D4A

Meyers, N. M., & Nulty, D. D. (2009). How to use (five) curriculum design principles to align authentic. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(5), 565–577.

Morrison, Morrison, G.R., S. Ross, and J. E. Kemp. (2007). Designing effective instruction (5th ed.). New York: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN: 0-470-07426-4.

Multicultural Books Offer Diverse Reading Experience: NPR. (2007, July 19). NPR: National Public Radio: News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts: NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12093236

Online Training Resources for Librarians - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. (n.d.). Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Retrieved from http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Online_Training_Resources_for_Librarians

Perkins, K. (2009, March). WebJunction - Create and Deliver Training. Webjunction. Retrieved from http://www.webjunction.org/create-deliver-training/-/articles/content/86091081

Reiser, R. A. (2002). A history of instructional design and technology. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (pp. 26-53). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Upload & Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.Slideshare.com