Diversity Management as a Key Challenge to the Library in the Multicultural Society

Abstract

Libraries are strongly concerned with intercultural issues. They can play an active role as a social meeting place. Multifaceted activities and services provide groups of different ethnical backgrounds with possibilities to enjoy their cultural heritage as well as to cultivate their mothertongue. Libraries facilitate learning the language of the new country and thus gaining access to the new society and participation in its cultural live. The challenge is how to create and promote library services caring for the special needs described above. For this reason, a student-initiated anthology was published as the latest part of a book series realized at the Institute of Library and Information Science at Humboldt University, Berlin. ”Bridges for Babylon” offers different approaches to the subject of the intercultural library. On this basement diversity management seems to be the key to successful multicultural library work. Only a general intercultural sensitivity throughout the library staff and a self-evident handling of the given diversity enable further activities.