Increasing diversity in American society demands information concerning the availablity of ethnic resources for teaching, for providing information to ethnic communities, and for conducting research. Ethnic museums, libraries, and archives are rich sources of this information. Seven hundred and eighty-six such cultural institutions are described in this Guide, covering over 70 ethnic groups. Any organization or institution that concerns itself with the multicultural aspects of life in the United States will be interested in owning this volume, the most current and comprehensive work of its kind. It describes not only the collections but the sponsoring organization's publications and other special services.

Data in each entry were elicited via a questionnaire completed by an officer of the group. Each entry covers the following information: institution name; address; telephone and fax numbers; type of institution; sponsoring organization; personnel; contact person; date founded; scope (local to international); hours available; admission; types of visitors; staff; operating budget; publications; collection (extent and nature of books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, artifacts, archival records); and comments on the institution's objectives and special services (exhibits, tours, performing arts presentations, speakers, and so forth).

A diverse nation from its beginnings, the United States is increasingly faced with the challenge of absorbing new immigrant groups and creating a tolerance for a plurality of cultures. As agencies known to preserve cultural heritage, libraries and their collections must be truly representative of the pluralistic populations they serve. This book overviews cultural diversity in libraries and helps redefine the nature of public and academic libraries in a multicultural society.

Throughout this volume, the authors note that librarians are searching for a more relevant cultural identity for their institutions by asking what the nature of librarianship is, what sort of a library do they work in, what sort of a library should they strive to create in the future, and what sort of a population does their library serve. To address these questions, this book provides an historical overview of the response of libraries to multiculturalism, education and research in multicultural librarianship, the impact of demographic trends on library patrons, and administrative concerns. Several case studies exemplify the discussion.