Serving the Underserved: Strategies for Inclusive Community Engagement

by Catharine Bomhold

Focusing on needs and services outside the library walls, this book outlines a fresh approach to how libraries can think about and effectively reach underserved populations. Readers will discover strategies for identifying information needs where underserved populations are and learn about many successful services, programs, and partnerships. Underserved populations frequently do not have access to a library—or they may even be unaware that they have an information need. How can we as a profession effectively reach them? This text, geared to both graduate and undergraduate LIS students as well as practicing librarians and library staff, provides contextual information on historically underserved populations as defined by the ALA Office for Diversity, Outreach, and Literacy Services (ODLOS), explores information use behaviors for these groups, and presents examples of successful strategies and programs. Readers will  The text features contributed chapters from noted authorities such as Paul T. Jaeger, Ana Ndumu, Helen Chou, Bharat Mehra, Jeanie Austin, Emily Jacobson, Julie Hersberger, Carrie Scott Banks, Barbara Klipper, JJ Pionke, Nicole Dalmer, and Vanessa Kitzie, plus an afterword by Nicole A. Cooke.

Genres: Librarianship

248 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2024

Reviews

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to read all at once, but sections will be useful for different librarians in understanding how to serve various communities. Useful for all librarians, though not the entire book. I found the LGBT section to be helpful, along with the chapter on people who are neurodivergent.