2024 Core Forum

Neurodiversity within the librarian professional is often neglected as a subject of scholarly conversation. With higher rates of neurodivergent students approaching traditional college-age, it is more important than ever to embrace neurodivergence within the academic library. This starts with fostering an inclusive environment for library staff, faculty, students, and patrons. Hiring a neurodiverse library staff creates a safe space for neurodivergent students through example. Neurodivergent library staff can also work with library administration to incorporate inclusive mental and physical spaces within the library. The concept of the library as a safe-space for college students is a familiar narrative, and this sentiment should be extended to library staff as well.

Recently, a HBCU started a pilot project capturing the stories of immigrant students and intertwining them with the learning experiences of the text Our Stories Carried Us Here. This project began as a collaborative effort with the library, College of Liberal Arts and the Office of International Affairs. One objective this project seeks to answer is, "What impact does attending a historically black university play on domestic, as well international students, success in  (1) debunking myths, stereotypes, and/or biases of individuals born in different regions; (2) gaining new insights on immigration issues; (3) and expanding awareness of international issues?" A second objective is to aid in broadening the knowledge of all student's values, cultural practices, roles, and ritualized procedures that tie them together while meeting the mission of the HBCU. This interactive workshop recaps the first semester of International Our Voices and the progression of future projects at the HBCU to answer the question above. Audience members will engage in (1) addressing strategic inclusive efforts for international students that involve domestic students; (2) learning the dynamic of Story Stitch circles for campus team gatherings; and (3) considering best practices for starting digital storytelling practices and library archival options.

As the transgender population increases in size and visibility, a resulting backlash has gripped America--and libraries are in the crossfire. Misinformation campaigns targeting transgender people are being leveraged as part of a concerted effort to censor books, displays, and programs; reduce free access for patrons of all ages; harass or threaten library and information science (LIS) workers; and interfere with or even shut down the operations of libraries across the country. Thus, LIS workers have a major stake in understanding and combatting anti-trans misinformation when they encounter it; but, due to these campaigns' widespread nature, it can be difficult for the average person to discern between what is fact, what's fiction, and what's opinion. Learn how and why anti-trans misinformation is created and spread, how you can distinguish between reliable and unreliable information, and why LIS workers have a uniquely important part to play in speaking out against anti-trans misinformation.

Embedding EDI into organizations requires strategic tools and practical approaches to create impact and represent diverse individuals and equity seeking groups. Our organization has undertaken several projects to address issues of inequality and access. These efforts have been coordinated by the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Strategist, the Community Engagement Librarian and the DEIA committee. Examples include hosting a Drag Story Time in collaboration with the Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, expanding and developing more formal prayer spaces in the library with the Muslim Student Association, hosting a Library Night @ Varsity Volleyball with Athletics and Recreation, having our local public library’s Bookmobile weekly stop on campus, creating a pronoun usage guide, developing diverse library displays and reading lists to represent cultural observances during the year and a Black History Month reading event.

Librarians have traditionally approached spatial assessment via a heavily data driven approach--gate counts, heat maps, etc.--with occasional focus groups to gather qualitative data. However, to understand our users and their use of our space, we should leverage alternative methods to learn how our patrons read and thus imagine our spaces. In this presentation we will explore Edward’s Soja’s notions of Thirdspace and David Seamon’s concept of at-homeness as possible frameworks for space assessment. Understanding these principles can provide a new perspective through which to achieve a homeostasis between what home provides and what work space provides, thus realizing the ideal third space. The idea of purposeful space assessment (Danuta 29), or space assessment we use to define our function or purpose as a library is still fairly new- as is the integration of anthropological methodologies in LIS spaces research (Bedwell 4). To move beyond a counting frame of mind into one that asks why, that explores behaviors qualitatively instead of quantitatively, is an area of growth we seek to explore in this presentation, in addition to potential practical assessment tools for attendees to take back to their institutions.

The CARE data principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) are a conceptual framework meant to ensure ethical collection, sharing, and stewardship of Indigenous data. As part of a workshop hosted by [a consortium of data curators and stewards] in 2022, librarians created a foundational data curation primer on the CARE data principles and how they apply to data management, curation, and sharing. The primer touches on the cultural context regarding the CARE data principles, the historical misuse of Indigenous data, Tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous Peoples' right to governance of their data. Using the CURATE(D) checklist, the primer walks information professionals, researchers, and data curators through key questions and steps to ensure ethical use, sharing, and preservation of data.  This poster will connect librarians both to the primer and to further resources about ethical data practices and explore ways of implementing CARE principles.

In this poster session, the presenters will share their Library’s progress toward uncovering, understanding and addressing organizational efforts in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) through the implementation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Self-Assessment Audit (DEISAA) developed by Dr. Kawana Bright and Nikhat J. Ghouse. The presenters will discuss the audit process including identifying the key roles and responsibilities of the Library’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, establishing a communication strategy, and sharing the results with library personnel and other campus stakeholders. The session will conclude with a discussion of the Library’s current efforts working with campus partners to identify actionable steps to address the recommendations from the audit including cultivating an organizational culture that values the importance of operationalizing DEIA work in the Library, and strategizing to develop an attainable, sustainable and transparent DEIA Action Plan to guide the library toward progressive growth and success.

Parents and caregivers enrolled in academic institutions deal with intense schedules and time demands; balancing school, family, and work means it can be hard for these students to visit a local public library. As a public librarian-turned academic librarian, I used my experience in youth services to develop a collection of early literacy kits (Story Time in a Bag) working in collaboration with our Masters of Teaching students and the local public library. These kits contain picture books and early learning activities to support literacy without adding an extra errand to the list.

National Coming Out Day is just one opportunity throughout the year that allows libraries to celebrate our queer-identifying community members. During the year 2023, our academic library seized this opportunity by hosting two exciting events tailored for our LGBTQ+ students and community members. The library collaborated with ALLIES and Queers & Allies to organize a Queer Closet event during the day. In the evening, we hosted a Boy Band-themed fitness class. While one of these events was incredibly successful, receiving excellent feedback, the other event was poorly attended and missed the mark. This experience provided valuable insight, highlighting events that the library could annually participate in while prompting a reassessment of the less successful event. This poster aims to showcase both our successful and less successful attempts to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in an academic setting.

This health sciences library shows how they use space and resources to support all university health sciences students. This includes a School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Health, and a Trauma Center, Level 1 facility. As the only building on the health sciences campus that is accessible by badge access 24/7, the library serves as an anchor point. Security officers monitor the building and surrounding areas during non-business hours, meaning our student staff members are not required to work outside of business hours. For over ten years, the library has not housed physical medical journals or texts, which allows increased space for flexible student areas that can adapt to personal need and learning style, namely: individual and group study rooms, comfortable pods, cafe tables, tables and chairs, and soft furniture. Along with increased flexible student space, the library shares space with campus partners who offer courses, labs, or resources to health science students. The library offers checkout technology to all students which includes virtual reality headsets, Anatomage tablets, and podcasting equipment. These examples demonstrate how this health sciences library provides access equitably to students and enhances learning opportunities in the academic environment.

This poster session will detail the planning and implementation of a space in the University Library for students who parent on campus. The space is a partnership between the Library, Dean of Students, Student Union and Students who Parent on Campus. We are also partnering with others, such as the campus food bank, when requested. The space includes furniture, a lactation pod, height adjustable desks with computers and a play space with books and toys. The space opened in September 2023 and has received very positive feedback and media coverage, even extending beyond the local area. This secure space helps with equity for parents who can now bring their children with them to the library and work, without the fear of disrupting other users. The challenges of reconciling library staff expectations and communications for such a space with those of so many external partners will be covered, as well as EDI and accessibility concerns. Also emphasized, will be the security, safety and health considerations, along with our process for creating policy and procedures. Also included will be tips on furniture procurement, facility modifications and child proofing. The space is being used as the model for opening similar spaces across campus.

This presentation will focus on the lived experience of a librarian who recently moved into a large middle management role at a sizable R1 institution, while adjusting to a new discovery of their neurodiversity. Through discussing their lived experience, the presenter hopes to illustrate some of the lessons about neurodiversity in their current leadership role. They will also discuss their new journey into understanding their life as a neurodivergent person and how it intersects with their career. Finally, while this presentation will provide tips that the presenter has found helpful in their experience with neurodiversity and library leadership, it will also stress that part of neurodiversity is a lack of universality to our experiences. The presentation will address the importance of discovering what works on your own path. It will also discuss how to work with your neurodiverse colleagues to discover what will help them best succeed in their roles in their own institutions.

n the summer of 2023, three departments within the Access and Resource Services Division of a large academic library created paid summer internships to provide opportunities for graduate students from underrepresented groups to gain practical library and preservation experience. In preparing for our second round of internships, we reflected on what went right during our pilot year and where we could improve, including streamlining recruitment and onboarding workflows and creating a community for our interns. This presentation will focus on the changes we made and their impact on the success of the 2024 intern program. Panelists will share observations on the use of library internships as a DEI strategy and the logistics of creating engaging internship experiences, including developing job descriptions, hiring checklists, interview questions, potential projects and funding sources. We will discuss both intern and library staff assessments of the value of participating in one or both years of our internship program. This presentation will be helpful to those who want to implement shorter internship programs in libraries of different types and sizes and to creatively leverage collaboration between departments and libraries for easier planning and higher impact.

As censorship becomes more prevalent throughout the country, states are turning to legislation to cut attempts off at the knee. From proposed legislation threatening state funding to libraries to proposed administrative fees to individuals who challenge multiple books per month, states are looking for ways to defend the inalienable right to read. In New Mexico recently proposed legislation which aimed to curtail censorship within public libraries was recently introduced but ran out of time in a short budget session. While this legislation was well supported and will likely be reintroduced, there are lessons to be learned. Follow the legislative process, and hear from NM Deputy State Librarian and ALA UABB member, Kate Alderete on the ups and downs of passing anti book ban legislation and what ALA resources are available to library workers.