Native Students in Library and Information Science Education, 1990-2019

Past Trends and Implications for Future Advancement

Abstract

In this longitudinal study, we explored institutional-level factors that may have contributed to the success of Native students in graduate Library Information Science (LIS) programs from 1990-2019. We used a mixed methods design: first we assessed patterns of participation of Native students in LIS for that period; next we identified the LIS programs that graduated the most Native students and investigated them in depth using a case-study approach. We utilized data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). We found that the low participation of Native students in LIS replicated overall trends in the participation of Native students in graduate education in non-tribal establishments. We also found that the low participation of Native students remained a major historical trend characterizing the participation of Native students in LIS. The study suggests that institutional factors contributing to the success of Native students in LIS include effective recruitment, financial aid, and the assurance of their continuous enrollment and graduation via cohort learning, mentorship, flexibility of curriculum choices, and practical experiences. Substantively, this study contributes to the understanding of factors affecting the participation of Native students in graduate education, and it may be a foundation for further research into factors affecting Native students’ success in non-tribal colleges. Methodologically, it offers a model replicable for similar investigations in other fields.