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"Equity of Access" is a powerful concept that characterizes the central tenet of librarianship. Applying Ockham’s Razor, that entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity, to librarianship’s goal of equity of access we find that inherent in this goal are activities as diverse as working for universal literacy; defending intellectual freedom; preserving and making accessible the human record in all languages; and ensuring that preschoolers have books to read.

The American Library Association identifies Equity of Access as one of the guiding principles for investment of energies and resources:

The Association advocates funding and policies that support libraries as great democratic institutions, serving people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and providing the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work.

This paper will view the following facets of Equity of Access:

1. Why equity of access
2. How equity of access fits into the mission of libraries
3. How equity of access solidifies the library’s place in society
4. How equity of access makes the community a stronger and safer place.

Why Equity of Access

Equity of access is explicit in the stated mission and goals of the American Library Association:

ALA will promote efforts to ensure that every individual has access to needed information at the time needed and in a format the individual can utilize, through provision of library and information services.

Librarians'  commitment to the ideal of equity of access is fundamental to fostering the democratic process.  In "Serving the Demands of Democracy," McCook has characterized the efforts made by librarians to guarantee access to information for people in rural and urban settings regardless of economic status or heritage.

While outreach activities such as bookmobiles, purchase of audiobooks, large print books, and other materials that provide access to information for those citizens covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act are accepted practices in achieving equity of access, the purchase of non English materials with public funds is often a contentious issue.  In view of the need to gain public acceptance for initiatives to provide information services for  the non English speaking, this facet of equity of access  will form the focal point of this discussion.

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has provided the basis for an acquisitions policy that includes the purchase of foreign language materials through its role in oversight of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The OCR provides a checklist for school districts to see if they are in compliance.   The following is one of the bulleted items (bold face added):  

[School districts should] ensure that necessary staff, curricular materials, and facilities are in place and used properly.

School media centers in their role to support curriculum are obvious allies of the mission to provide equity of access to those with limited English proficiency (LEP).  The national organization that represents the views and visions of library media educators is the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).  While the visions statements of the AASL include the following: "[School Media Centers should be] An open, friendly, welcoming organization that embraces cultural and ethnic diversity," there is no specific statement on the AASL web site with regard to its role in providing appropriate materials for LEP students which may include some materials in the students' native language when there are sufficient numbers of speakers of a specific language to justify such purchases.  Is it preferable for little or no learning to take place when a student is deprived of understandable instruction, or rather to provide tools for transition in the student's native language as he/she acquires English?  Unfortunately, reasoned discussions of best practices have been occluded by the rhetoric of "English only" and "one nation, one language" as bilingual education has  been displaced by limited time immersion or transition programs.

Universal education is a cornerstone of the democratic ideals infused in legislative and judicial code in the United States.  Yet, the prevalence of unfunded mandates at national and state levels have forced schools to make difficult decisions on how to utilize diminishing fiscal resources.  Casualties of budgetary crises are often those programs and resources considered peripheral to the core curriculum and may include bilingual programs, afterschool tutoring, and the acquisition of non English materials for school media centers.  The impact of equity of access is readily seen in  measures of  achievement such as The Nation's Report Card: Reading Highlights 2002.  An examination of the achievement gap on reading scores among different ethnic groups shows virtually no change in the period 1992 to 2002.  The most significant correlation between achievement and socieconomic factors is seen in family income, which disproportionately affects minority students, whether or not English is the native language.  In the ten year period viewed in the Report Card, the score gap increased slighly for both African Americans and Hispanics at grade 12 level. What is not seen in the Report Card is that by grade 12 many Hispanic students are no longer part of the public school population.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 27% of Hispanic students failed to complete high school in 2001 compared with 7.3% for white students and 10.9% for African Americans. Public education, at one time viewed as the "great equalizer" has failed to retain and educate those who stand to benefit the most.

The Spanish author, Pedro Salinas, in an essay entitled "The new illiterates" (La responsabilidad del escritor.  Barcelona: Seix Barral, 1961.  91-126) ponders the broader question of the non-reader in a society (the United States) where the lack of personal wealth to purchase reading materials is not a barrier.  He recognizes that the nearly universal access to education in the western world has, in effect, divided humanity into two sectors which he humorously describes as follows:

Allende esa raya, las legiones de favorecidos por la suerte que alcanzaron ese estado venturoso, en que se sabe, sin vacilar, que c-o es co; que c-a es ca, y que gracias a esa sapienca, descifran sin pena los carteles que por doquier nos cantan las palabras mágias:  "Coca Cola."

Beyond that boundary, there are the legions of those blessed by fate who have achieved the felicitous state in which that know, without hesitation, that c-o is "co"; that c-a is "ca," and thanks to that knowledge, they are able to decipher without effort the ubiquitous signs that call out to us the magic words:  "Coca Cola."

However, the underpinnings of the literate society, K-12 education programs, seem to display today a growing gap between those who will have ready access to information because they are able to read and understand works of fiction, instructional materials, or technical information and those will be marginalized because of low literacy levels and/or deficient knowledge of English.

In the United States the Spanish speaking represent the largest segment of the population that speaks a language other than English at home.  At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, this group numbered 28.1 million, or, approximately 60% of the 47 million U.S. residents whose households reported themselves as non English speaking.  An examination of the reading habits of the adult U.S. population as reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics (1999) shows a significant difference among different racial/ethnic groups.  

Public library systems are poised to fulfill these needs because magazines, newspapers, and books form an integral part of the collection of every public library. However,  are there adequate materials available in languages other than English? Again, returning to the profile of the Spanish speaking, the 2000 U.S. Census also revelaed that of the 28.1 million who use Spanish in the household nearly 8 million considered their English proficiency to be very poor or non existent (Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000, p. 4).  Clearly, for these 8 million equal access means access to materials in their native language.

The disenfranchisement of a significant portion of the population will not further the goals of a democaracy that depends on an informed citizenry to examine issues of public concern, to vote, to exercise good judgement as a consumer, to value and promote education, to become the next generation of technicians,  teachers, health and medical personnel, researchers, academicians, and artists.  As educational attainment filters out those students who fail to achieve academic benchmarks -- a disporoportionate number of whom will be poor and minority -- the 21st century workforce will be concomitantly less diverse.  On the other hand, true equity of access will have as a natural outcome increased diversity in all aspects of society.  

How Equity of Access Fits into the Mission of Libraries

It was a long struggle to define equity of access as reflective of  library missions. The elegant definition set forth today as a guiding principle by the American Library Association is that Equity of Access means  serving people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and providing the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work.

It took over a century for librarians to break down barriers and develop strategies that would provide equity of access. These have been outlined in the McCook's paper "Rocks in the Whirlpool."

Areas that libraries address to achieve equity of access  and resources include:

• Literacy
• Linguistic diversity
• Multicultural
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Equal Access to Telecommunications and Computing Resources

How Equity of Access Solidifies the Library’s Place in Society

The American Library Association includes in its mission statement a priority area titled Public Awareness:  "ALA will promote the role of librarians and the use of libraries and their resources and services as well as the awareness of their importance to all segments of society."  This statement is broad and inclusive in scope.  The commitment to promulgating library services for all members of society is further strengthened by the stated raison d'être of the various divisions, round tables, and committees within ALA, as well as ALA affiliates.  (See list below)

• Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS)
• Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT)
• Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
  • El día de los niños/El día de los libros
  • Nací para leer: Cómo criar un niño lector (Born to read)
•  Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)                   
  • Guidelines for Library Services to Hispanics
• American Indian Library Association
• Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
• Black Caucus of ALA 
• Chinese American Librarians Association 
• REFORMA
• ProLiteracy Worldwide

Useful promotional materials, ideas for programming, collection development tips, and other discussions of strategies that worked may be found at the above web sites.  

However,  there are two major hurdles to overcome.  The first is to convince the underserved that the library and its services have value for them.  The second is to gain acceptance from the majority population for added services which may be as trivial as bilingual or multilingual signage to the allocation of funds for acquisition of library materials on a weighted basis that gives fair representation to all segments of the community.

The library's role as a promoter of literacy (for adults as well as children) and the cultivation of life long reading habits is transparent to those who have grown up with a well-organized system of public libraries that offer free access to materials and services.  Victor Hugo's eloquent defense of the book as a treasure and vessel of knowledge is a vain effort as his interlocutor and would be arsonist (a reference to the burning of the library of the Louvre in 1871) responds laconically "I don't know how to read."  And one must question as does Hugo in the poem's title, "Who is to blame?"

• Alpízar, Marla, and Patricia Presti.  Reaching Out to Florida's Spanish-speaking Population.  Florida Libraries 45.1 (2002): 14018.
• Jascó, Péter.  Digital Ready-Reference Sources in Spanish.  Information Today 20 Nov 2002: 17.  
• Junion-Metz, Gail.  To Better Serve Spanish Speakers: Spanish-language Web Tutorials y mucho más.  School Library Journal 48.12 (2002): 27.
• Marquis, Solina Kasten.  Collections and Services for the Spanish-Speaking: Accessibility.  Public Libraries 42.3 (2003): 172-177. 
• Minkel, Walter.  Early Literacy, en Español:  We Need More Web Sites in Spanish for Kids and Parents.  School Library Journal 49 (2003):10.
• Ospina, Carmen.  If You Build It, Will They Come?  Críticas 34 (2003): 18-19.
• Rogers, Michael.  Serving Up World Languages.  Library Journal 128 (2003):1.  42-44.
• Seyfarth, John.  Putting Together a Public Computer for Spanish Speaking Patrons.  Nebraska Library Association Quarterly 34.2 (2003): 17-18.
• Shapiro, Michael.  Developing Virtual Spanish-Language Resources: Exploring a Best Practices Model for Public Libraries.  OLA Quarterly (Oregon Library Association) 9.2.:15-19.
• United States.  Department of Commerce.  Economic and Statistics Administration.  National Telecommunications and Information Administration.   Falling through the Net:  Toward Digital Inclusion.  A Report on Americans’ Access to Technology Tools.  October 2000, 31.  <http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn00/contents00.html>. 

Fulfillment of information needs for the non English speaking will inevitably involve the purchase of foreign language materials as well as the use of languages other than English in the public sphere. While the United States is accepting of diversity in some contexts -- holiday  celebrations,  artistic manifestations, culinary arts -- there is an inexplicable discomfort in the public use of languages other than English as well as the purchase of non English materials for  educational and instructional  purposes, leisure reading, and entertainment.  This apparent contradiction in a country that espouses diversity and celebrates multiculturalism in public venues is a contradiction that has not gone unnoticed.  Former Illinois Senator Paul Simon wrote in 1980 (The Tongue Tied American: Confronting the Foreign Language Crisis.  New York: Continuum) "[we] have this unusal, deep-seated phenomenon: a historical barrier to the learning of another language in a land of great ethnic diversity" (p. 12).  Foreign language instruction in the United States is far from universal.  The latest report from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) indicates that in fall 2000 only 43.8% of students in grades 9-12 in U.S. public secondary schools were enrolled in foreign language courses.  Of further significance is the fact very few continue beyond beginning level courses.  These students, who will become the workforce of the 21st century, are ill equipped to access global information.  Today, according to the latest (March 2004) Global Reach survey of languages on the internet, only 35.8% of the online population are native speakers of English.  

The connection between knowledge of a foreign language and the ability to use it effectively in the workplace is an obvious one.  Informational professionals who are proficient in a foreign language are more likely to examine promotional materials and place orders for foreign language books and audiovisuals than those who are unable to read any language other than English.  They are more likely to be aware of community interests through monitorying of local foreign language radio.  When the information need of a user can be best satisfied with materials in his or her non English native language, how will the information professional -- whose education more likely than not has not included formal applied foreign language study -- be able to locate and use these sources of information?  The latest curriculum report (2003) from the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) indicates that only three ALA-accredited master's programs have a foreign language requirement.  In an era of increasing globalization this is truly perplexing. The internet has provided access to information sources worldwide yet many U.S. information professionals are ill equipped to search for, read, interpret, and evaluate resources that are not in English.  

Recruitment of information professionals from minority communities in the United States is also a way of integrating a library into the life of the community.  It has been the focus of several initiatives of the ALA Office of Diversity.  While there has been some progress in the number of minority graduates of ALA accredited programs the gap between need and the number of new professionals to fill that need does not seem to narrow appreciably despite the focused scholarship initiatives, mentorship programs, and other recruitment efforts.  The last year for which data are available on new graduates of master's level library/information science programs the 2001-2002 academic year.  According to information collected and analyzed by the Association for Library and Information Science Education there were 4,595 graduates from ALA-accredited programs in the United States.  Ethnic/racial data is available for 4,116 of those graduates and is computed in the table below.  

How Equity of Access Makes the Community a Stronger and Safer Place

Bringing about equitable access to information is how libraries function as liberty’s cornerstone. In Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty (Nancy Kranich, Chicago: ALA, 2001.) twenty authors analyze the contribution libraries have made to ensure freedom and provide a public sphere  for uncensored discourse. Librarians  provide meeting spaces accessible to all; develop library collections that present various aspects of current issues; hold public discussion programs; and are increasingly a key mechanism in providing internet access to those who cannot afford individual telecommunication services. Librarians’ efforts to overturn the CIPA decision have resulted in the Supreme Court requiring unfiltering by request.

Today one of the biggest threats to the future of Equity of Access is the USA Patriot Act for by suppression of the free and open exchange of information and the intimidation of those seeking to exercise free inquiry. So that individuals may not feel threatened in seeking information librarians throughout the  United States have joined together to oppose those portions of the USA  Patriot Act that suppress free inquiry.  ALA has published a resolution in support of the rights of library users

A commitment to free expression, a stand against repressive laws such as the USA Patriot Act and a sincere dedication to fostering lifelong learning are the means by which librarians work to strengthen  society.In communities where people have more opportunity to develop their innate capabilities, the creative sector will flourish. Librarians  are a vital public service that can nurture creativity and provide the  resources to bring about informed revisioning.  To “ignite a passion for change, ” as Henton characterizes the work of the civic revolutionary, is to help bring about equitable opportunity for all people. (Henton, Douglas C. Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting the Passion for  Change in America’s Communities.  San Francisco: Wiley & Sons, 2004).