The multicultural nature of South Africa is recognised by our Constitution when it says that "the South African nation consists of a diversity of cultural, religious and linguistic communities." It also states that "everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice" (South Africa, 1996). This supports the IFLA (1998: 6) International Guidelines for Library Services to Multicultural Communities which recommends that all ethnic, linguistic and other cultural groups be provided with library materials and services according to the same standards. It urges public libraries around the world to strive towards providing materials and services to all communities on an equitable basis - in their preferred languages and reflecting their own cultures. The LIASA policy supports this by recommending that libraries acquire, preserve and make available the widest variety of materials to reflect the plurality and diversity of South African society. Providing equitable library collections and services for the culturally diverse population of the City of Johannesburg is also supported by policy. This includes the Minimum Standards for the CJLIS (2003-2006) which maintains that the library should reflect the variety of cultures represented in the community; support cultural traditions; and be provided in the languages spoken and read in the local community. It also includes the Policy for the Selection of Materials for CJLIS (2002) which states that the Library's materials should reflect the cultural diversity of the City, especially materials in the languages of the indigenous communities. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the multicultural nature of South African communities - specifically that of Johannesburg - is reflected in the collections and services of public libraries. It also aims to identify suggestions on how these might be improved to ensure the representation of library collections and services to culturally diverse communities. To achieve this, a local and international literature review was conducted and interviews were held with librarians from CJLIS, Region Eight. It became evident from the investigation, that although policy documents that support the principle of providing equitable services and collections to culturally diverse communities exist, public libraries - such as the CJLIS, Region Eight, which operates within a culturally diverse environment - often do not provide these. The findings show that most of the collections and services are only offered in English and are not representative of the diverse communities. Reasons for this include the shortage of financial resources; non-availability of published materials in indigenous languages; and the lack of skills to offer these services. It is also evident from the study that multicultural services should be based on a thorough understanding of the composition and needs of each group in the community. This should be accomplished by means of user profiles and needs assessments. Based on these findings, recommendations on the development of multicultural library services and collections were made which may be applied - not only to the CJLIS - but also to other public libraries in South Africa that are similarly confronted with serving culturally diverse communities. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

The problem approach is used in this thesis. An analysis of the problem is made in the Introduction. The change refers to the development of a multi-cultural society in Britain. The arrival of parents with different language and culture from the Greek and Greek Cypriot community, who wish to maintain their Greek identity is examined as the specific change. The no-change is related to the English education system which is seen as transmitting an English culture. The problem is, how to accommodate the wishes of Greek parents while maintaining an English ethos. The lack of response of English primary education to such demands between the years 1902-1980 is examined. The Greek supplementary schools in Britain are seen as the proposed solution to the problem. Chapter I deals with the development of the Greek community in Britain since 1955 and the demands for the maintenance of a Greek identity. In Chapter II the lack of change in English primary education to meet the educational needs of children from the various ethnic groups is analysed. Chapter III analyses multi-cultural education policies related to primary education since the 1960s. The policies of the D.E.S. at national level and two LEAS (ILEA and Haringey) are examined. Chapter IV deals with the study of aims, administration, finance and structure of the Greek supplementary schools in Britain. Chapter V examines the curriculum and Chapter VI deals with the teachers of these schools. Chapter VII presents the responses to Greek supplementary schools from Greek and Greek Cypriot groups and organisations in Britain as well as the responses of the Ministries of Education in Cyprus and in Greece. Finally chapter VIII presents the responses to these schools by English educational authorities (including DES, Schools Council, NUT, ILEA, Haringey LEA) and of teachers in a selected number of schools in Haringey.

Although sexual education programs are staples in the middle and high school curricula, many of these courses are abstinence-based which do not serve the needs of the teen demographic, let alone those who are LGBTQAI+ (Orenstein, 2016). “LGBT teens are often left out of discussions in sex education classrooms in the United States because of discriminatory curricula, ignorance on the part of some teachers and students, or fear of retribution from conservative political and religious activists” (Bittner, 2012, p. 357). LGBTQAI+-focused literature can help fill the gaps in sexuality/sexual health information not addressed in public school curricula. Content analysis, both quantitative and qualitative divulges sexuality and sexual health issues examined in LGBTQAI+ marketed young adult literature. Individual interviews of LGTQAI+ young adults add insight into whether the positive and negative aspects of the young adult literature, discovered through content analysis, affect them in their enjoyment of or willingness to read the book, whether the issues in the book are authentic and pertinent to their everyday life, and if the books fulfill an information need they have about sexuality or sexual health. The mixed methods complement each other as the content analysis explores what is contained in the texts while the interviews with LGBTQAI+ teens will determine the significance of those findings. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / 2019 / September 18, 2019. / LGBTQ, Library Science, Literature, School Libraries, Young Adult Literature, Young Adults / Includes bibliographical references. / Michelle M. Kazmer, Professor Directing Dissertation; Amy Burdette, University Representative; Charles Hinnant, Committee Member; Don Latham, Committee Member.

Researchers have found that negative sexual experiences occur in nightlife settings, and have sought to identify the drivers of these experiences as well as preventive solutions. This body of inquiry overwhelmingly focuses on the experiences and needs of young women who are assumed to be cisgender and heterosexual, and does not consider potentially differing needs of gender and sexuality minorities. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to include gender and sexuality minority voices in this conversation and surface identity-specific experiences, needs, and ideas for how to support sexual safety in nightlife contexts. Data collection was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 40 gender and sexuality minorities who went out in New York City nightlife an average of at least once per week. Through reflexive thematic analysis, a three-part Continuum of Sexual Safety in Nightlife was developed: (a) as long as bad things don’t happen, (b) consent is mandatory, and (c) I’m being myself and you are too. Ideas for how nightlife operators could alter their establishments to improve feelings of sexual safety for gender and sexuality minority patrons were identified across physical venues, policies, and staff hiring and training. Implications of the findings are discussed. Future studies should extend this preliminary research to better understand the needs and experiences of gender and sexuality minority nightlife patrons and evaluate the economic case for implementing these suggestions in nightlife settings.

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The primary focus of the current study was to identify health disparities between sexual minority subgroups by examining differences of health indicators in lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals, and compare these to their heterosexual counterparts. Data was drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and variables examined in sexual minorities were related to health care access and utilization, risky health behaviors, and overall disease prevalence and outcomes. Findings suggest there are still some current health disparities in terms of insurance coverage, access to medical care, substance use, and prevalence of certain health conditions. However, a trend analysis conducted to examine three NHANES panels, suggests a mild improvement in some of these areas. Further findings, discussion, limitations of the study, current implications, and future directions are addressed.

The aim of this thesis is to study how public libraries can work to support and promote a national minority language. In the thesis Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language is reviewed from 2000 to present.  The data was collected through qualitative interviews with five key figures from Uppsala Library and the Uppsala municipality, visits in four local public libraries and the digital library during the spring 2019 and by examining the official documents of the municipality and information that the local public libraries have produced between 2000 and 2019. Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language is discussed in the thesis through themes of power, nationalism and identity processes and analyzed in terms of language revitalization. The findings show that during the first decade Uppsala treated the Finnish language as any other foreign language. It provided access to media in Finnish, but the Finnish language was not visible in the library policy or in the library’s information material and program activities in Finnish were few. A major change in Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language started in 2010 when the municipality joined the administrative area for the Finnish language. Since 2010 Uppsala Library has with special efforts supported and promoted the Finnish language. Finnish is used in the library’s information material and is visible in the municipality’s and the library’s documents. Uppsala Library offers many kinds of media in Finnish. The library has organized events where the Finnish language is used for children and adults. The events have also brought to light the Swedish Finns’ experiences and the historical connection the Finnish language has to Sweden. Information in Finnish in the physical and digital libraries, however, could be improved. The objective of the Swedish policy on minorities is to provide support for the historical minority languages so that they are kept alive. Uppsala Library’s work during the 2010s shows public libraries’ potential as a forum for minority politics and their importance in the work with minority language revitalization. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Gender and sexual minorities (GSM) experience considerably worse health outcomes than heterosexual and cisgender people, yet no comprehensive understanding of GSM health exists due to a dearth of research. GSM leaders in Dallas expressed need for a community needs assessment of GSM health. In response to this call, the Center for Psychosocial Health Research conducted a needs assessment of gender and sexual minority health in Dallas (35 interviews, 6 focus groups). Competency was one area highlighted and shared across existing research. Thus, the current study explored how competency impacts gender and sexual minorities' experience of health care in Dallas. We utilized a consensual qualitative research approach to analyze competency-related contents. The meaning and implications of emerging core ideas were explored. These findings were also used to develop a survey instrument.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work