Bordentown, NJ, July 20, 2021: On July 20, 2021, the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) Executive Board approved $20,000 in funding to provide two American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholarships for New Jersey residents and to support equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) recruitment and retention training. Beginning in FY24, NJLA will include $8,500 in its Operating Budget to support an annual New Jersey ALA Spectrum Scholarship.

The latest data on enrollment in ALA Accredited Masters programs by racial and ethnic origin reported in the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) 2020 Statistical Report show that enrollments remain predominantly white. With 56 schools reporting, and incorporating additional data from the United States Census Bureau, the following statistics provide a picture of today’s Library & Information Science programs:

● 9,763 white students constitute 62% percent of the enrollment
● Black students comprise 4.7%, while they constitute 13.4% of the US population and 15.1% of the NJ population
● Hispanic students comprise 9.6% compared to their 18.5% in the US and 20.9% in NJ
● Asian or Pacific Islanders comprise 3.4% compared to their 6.1% percent in the US and 10.1% in NJ
● 114 American Indian or Alaskan Natives account for 0.5% of the total compared to 1.3% in the US and 0.6% in NJ

NJLA Executive Director Juliet Machie says, “I am so proud of the leadership demonstrated by the NJLA Executive Board in pioneering Spectrum Scholarships at the state association level. This small step in an area of great need will go a long way in encouraging our New Jersey library workers who are aspiring to go to library school.”

Since 1997, ALA has granted more than 1,500 Spectrum Scholarships and Doctoral Fellowships. The ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program was created by the dedicated work of Dr. Betty Turock, ALA Past President (1995-1996), and Elizabeth Martinez, Executive Director of ALA (1994-1997). The ALA Spectrum Scholarships are a respected accolade with a strong track record of success and a sizable alumni base for future scholars to leverage.

Dr. Betty Turock, Past President and Honorary Member of ALA, Professor and Dean Emerita of Rutgers University School of Communication and Information and co-creator of the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Initiative in 1997, states “I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with the leaders and members of the New Jersey Library Association as they respond to the shifting demographic ballasts of our state and the nation by investing in the future of libraries and librarians through a new statewide Spectrum Scholarship program. Initiated by the American Library Association, NJLA’s anchor organization, it will encourage ongoing programs that bring action to the profession’s principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion by committing funding to recruit and retain librarians representative of the changing face of our country. This workforce will have the cultural competency and skill to understand the experiences, languages, and perspectives of the diverse emerging majorities of our nation’s populations. Greater diversity is not only a social and moral issue, it is also essential for the continued vitality of library programs and services. With its recent action, NJLA has responded as a leader once again to one of the major 21st century questions before our profession: If libraries are not able to advance culturally competent programs and services for emerging majorities, will emerging majorities be willing to support libraries? Kudos to NJLA for answering this question through its commitment to a Spectrum Scholarship Program.”

Beyond financial support, the New Jersey Spectrum Scholarship recipient will have access to the ALA Leadership Institute, a network of over 1,500 ALA Spectrum Scholars and additional NJLA benefits such as NJLA membership, Conference registration and organizational mentors.

Keisha Miller, an NJLA Executive Board Member and the NJLA Library Workers of Color Section President, shares, “One of the five laws of library science is as said by S.R. Ranganathan: ‘A library is a growing organism’. Every organization has room for growth, and that holds true to the New Jersey Library Association. As a longstanding member of NJLA, this organization has taken steps to improve, and putting into place actionable measures that are reflective of the library workers it represents by dedicating funding towards EDI in New Jersey librarianship to support current and future library workers, is an upstanding move. I am ecstatically looking forward to how this develops (and becomes an example for other states across the country). I hope that this is an invitation to Black and Brown people to continue the work towards completion of their respective degree in library science, or to pursue a career in the library profession.”

This initiative will be a foundational block for the continued efforts to advance racial equity in librarianship and library leadership. Over time, the association hopes to increase the number of available New Jersey ALA Spectrum Scholarships, as well as provide additional programming, initiatives and opportunities to make an impactful positive change in New Jersey library leadership.

NJLA President Kate Jaggers states that “The time has come for NJLA to make a clear commitment to advance EDI in New Jersey libraries. The Spectrum Scholarship initiative, and programs such as the upcoming Information Equity Conference this October, are overdue steps towards helping New Jersey libraries provide more supportive institutions and to better engage and embrace the communities they serve. We’re looking forward to even more positive steps toward a better, stronger future.”

Interested in supporting this initiative? Consider financial donations to the New Jersey ALA Spectrum Scholarship (https://www.njla.org/njlaedi) or contact Juliet Machie at [email protected] to discuss additional levels of support.