@article{a996d75a37b94b8ebb28ae1ca77d6257,
title = "Championing Institutional Goals: Academic Libraries Supporting Graduate Women in STEM",
abstract = "Academic libraries are well-positioned within their scientific research communities to assist with the retention of women in STEM fields. Librarians have an opportunity to find new ways to match collections and services to student needs and institutional goals by providing resources and programming in support of women in STEM. This paper will focus on the ways in which academic librarians can help support female graduate students in STEM, beginning with a review of the literature to determine the causes for the under-representation of women graduate students in some STEM fields. Next, it will review interventions conducted by institutions to address the uneven distribution, including a scan for resources or services provided by the library. Finally, it will use the findings presented in the literature to propose services and resources that libraries and librarians can provide to help address the issues that contribute to the low number of women in STEM fields.",
keywords = "Academic science libraries, Graduate students, Institutional goals, Library programming, Outreach, Women in STEM",
author = "Laura Palumbo",
note = "Funding Information: One such highly visible issue facing academic institutions, and one with much national focus, is the ongoing lack of female representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has long sponsored grants to academic institutions for the creation of programs aimed at the promotion of women in STEM, with efforts dating back to at least 1982 ( Kirkpatrick, 2014 ). However, according to recent data by the NSF, only 20.0% of doctoral degrees in physics are awarded to females, 22.6% of engineering doctorates are earned by women, 21.4% of computer science doctorates, and 28.2% of mathematics doctorates. The disparity inherent in these numbers is further highlighted when compared with the 60.8% of total doctoral degrees awarded to women in fields outside of science and engineering ( National Science Foundation, 2013 , Table 7-2). Among the recent efforts to contribute to gender equity is a five-year Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Strategic Plan outlining proposals to address under-representation by women through a variety of avenues, including additional funding to NSF to assist in “…designing graduate education for tomorrow's STEM workforce” ( US Department of Education, 2015, p. 1 ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Elsevier Inc.",
year = "2016",
month = may,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.acalib.2016.03.003",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "42",
pages = "192--199",
journal = "Journal of Academic Librarianship",
issn = "0099-1333",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
number = "3",
}