(via Leeanne Romane, McMaster University)
Registration is open for the webinar “Introducing Conversations About Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to Personnel at a Mid-Sized Academic Library”. This free presentation is sponsored by the ACRL University Libraries Section Professional Development Committee. It will take place on Wednesday, June 15, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM CDT via Zoom.
During the spring 2021 semester, librarians and instructional designers at W Frank Steely Library facilitated a series of focused conversations with library personnel centered on introducing ideas of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (IDEA) related to different workflows and functions in our library (collections, hiring/leadership, customer service, and teaching). Each facilitator focused on one library function and provided short readings, resources, and guided questions to engage participants over the course of three to four group sessions. Groups had conversations unique to their area, for example, one group focused on diverse collection management strategies and vocabularies, while others discussed fostering an inclusive work environment through diverse hiring practices, teaching pedagogy, and customer focused spaces and services.
Prior to the conversations, all library personnel completed a university mandated online DEI training. The training grounded some of the conversations around power and privilege. At the conclusion of the conversation series, a list of actionable items was generated and shared with the entire library.
Presenters will describe their experience, as four white women, facilitating these conversations, including their challenges and share best practices for creating safe spaces for meaningful discussion. Presenters will discuss next steps and how we are turning these conversations into actionable and measurable library wide projects. The program will conclude with a brief discussion on initiating these challenging, but crucial conversations when your organization has historically lacked diversity.
Presenter Bios
Andrea Brooks (she/her) is the Pedagogy & Assessment librarian at Northern Kentucky University and the former chair of the library’s Inclusive Excellence committee. She has long held roles relevant to teaching and leading information literacy efforts at her campus. Her research interests most recently include the application of critical and digital pedagogies to her teaching and assessing learning in ways that ground student voices.
Georgia Knuehl (she/her) is the instructional designer for the College of Health and Human Services at NKU, also serves as the chair of the Staff of the Steely Library and is a serving member of the inclusive excellence and training and engagement committees. Also, she is currently a graduate student in the pursuit of a masters in communications.
Crissy Ross (she/her) is the Director of the Johnnie Mae Berry Library at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. She has worked in libraries for over 25 years in various roles and is passionate about open content, social justice, IDEA, information literacy, and access to higher education.
Stephanie Korslund (she/her) is the senior instructional designer for the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She has over a decade experience in working with teachers on the development and design of quality learning experiences. Her current research revolves around the intersection of instructional design and open education, and creating accessible learning spaces online.
To register, please go here. If you can’t make this session but wish to view a recording later, please register so you’ll receive an e-mail that includes a link to the video of the presentation.
Please direct questions and concerns to Laura Gariepy (lwgariepy@vcu.edu) or Sam Harlow (slharlow@uncg.edu), Co-Chairs of the ACRL ULS Professional Development Committee. A full list of the Committee’s past and future programs is available here.