Abstract
The study first reviews the history of Asian immigrants since 1850s and the significance of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 on current Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) population and demographics in the United States. Then the study summarizes previous research of AAPI librarians and conducts a new survey to inquire the status of AAPI librarians. From 91 completed surveys out of over 600 distributed, the study shows a demographic picture of AAPI librarians and lists factors associated with AAPI librarians’ career choices. In addition, the study compares United States immigration and international student data with MLS conferred by race/ethnicity data in order to predict the future growth of AAPI librarians. The analyses of both data sources show that more international students from Asia are studying in the United States and becoming the United States citizens and residents, but fewer international students and Asian American students, compared with other race/ethnic groups, choose librarianship as a career. At the end, the study predicts the future growth of AAPI librarians will be slower compared to other minority groups, and the percentage of AAPI librarians among total credentialed librarians will become lower. pp. 111-129