Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Keynote Speech & Q&A: Inclusive Outreach Matters

Felicia A. Smith, Stanford University Libraries

In this keynote, Felicia Smith will share examples of outreach efforts she conducted for libraries, that included the Office of Accessibility, First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FLI) students, incarcerated juveniles, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and underrepresented minority students.

Inclusive outreach and engagement with diverse communities is important and can easily be incorporated into everyday librarianship with just a little imagination and a minimal amount of effort. It is helpful to start by conducting an environmental scan of campus and identifying opportunities for outreach. It is vital to compose a measurable set of objectives, and clearly articulate what will be achieved, including a way to assess outcomes. It is also important to understand the differences between inclusion and diversity, which are misused interchangeably.

Felicia Smith’s mission as the only Racial Justice & Social Equity Librarian is to highlight communities that have been systematically devalued resulting in underrepresentation in scholarly settings and publications. This is problematic because important communities are being “disappeared” from the historical narrative, leading to a distorted interpretation of the past that then leads to dangerous implications for the present. Simply put, lack of inclusion matters.

The goal of this keynote is to encourage attendees to amplify notable voices that have been intentionally silenced – so that those voices can be heard; and to make the excluded or unseen – seen.

Student Outreach Leading to Library Careers

Annalee Hickman Pierson, BYU Law Library

Michael Whitchurch, BYU Library

Brandon Patterson, University of Utah Eccles Health Sciences Library

As library employers compete for the best applicants for open positions, we have found ourselves struggling to fill new positions. As libraries continue to evolve, it makes sense to also evolve our strategies to recruit top talent. This session will focus on ways we can encourage students to see themselves working in libraries by being co-collaborators, peer educators, and knowledge seekers while in college. This session will (1) describe various ways librarians can connect students to the profession and keep them connected; (2) detail potential mentoring talking points and success stories; and (3) consider ways to encourage more diverse applicants by rethinking applicant requirements.

Buil[d]ing up th[e] [I]deal [A]cademy

Steph Crowell, Utah State University Libraries

Erin Davis, Utah State University Libraries

Utah State University Libraries are committed to better articulating and improving our hiring practices. Presenters will discuss diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) concerns and solutions from the perspective of one librarian on a hiring committee and a recent hire. Although we began to assess and offer recommendations for removing bias and guaranteeing all candidates fair and equitable treatment, we have found that continuous improvement takes time and long-term effort. Presenters will share more about the hidden labor that goes into creating, sustaining, and improving these practices.

Lunch

Using OER to Meet Diverse Community Needs: Case Studies and Tools

Michael Whitchurch, BYU Library

Carol Kunzler

Stephanie Western

Justin Kani

Emma Lanners

Engage in a discussion of OER through a DEIA lens as UALC OER committee members share case studies demonstrating how, in partnerships with campus stakeholders, they are meeting the unique needs of their diverse communities using the versatility of open resources. Explore tools and openly available resources that will help you meet your community’s diverse needs.

Using Emergent Strategy to Grow DEIA Efforts

Rachel Lawyer, Utah State University Libraries

Emergent strategy is a framework grown by activist Adrienne Maree Brown all about building complex patterns and systems of change through relatively small interactions. Using her book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds as a guide, in this session participants will learn the fundamental principles of emergent strategy and reflect upon and discuss how they can help library folks build inclusive library communities. Note: one of the principles of emergent strategy is that “there is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it.” As a facilitator, I will be employing this principle in the session and therefore while my proposed session does have structure and a purpose, there will be space for finding that conversation.

Improving User Experience with ILLiad Hidden Fields

Hiroko Hashitani, University of Utah Library

Utilization of ILLiad's hidden fields (ItemInfo 1 through 5 and UserInfo 1 through 5) to create custom fields for new services. UUM has used these fields to accommodate users’ preferences on eBooks/print books, pick-up/delivery of ILL items, and preferred names that are different from their legal names. We hoped to expand our service to those who cannot come to the library and wish to use their preferred names to provide a more inclusive library experience.

Snack Social and Q&A with Available Presenters