By: Shu Wan, Student, University of Iowa My name is Shu Wan and I am originally from China. I’ve been enrolled as an MLIS student at the University of Iowa for almost one month and I have already served as an ArchivesSpace assistant in the Department of Special Collections of the UI Libraries for over one year. Initially coming to Iowa to pursue an advanced degree in U.S. history, I had no idea of library job before getting this assistant job. It was my first interaction with the library profession. As the only foreigner among students and staff working in the...
Intersections
About Intersections
Intersections, the blog of the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS), highlights the work of library and information science workers as they create safe, responsible, and all-inclusive spaces that serve and represent the entire community, as well as initiatives and projects supported by the office that promotes their work. Please note that these blog posts are by individuals and do not reflect the views of their employers.
By: Denice Adkins, Associate Professor, School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, University of Missouri As part of the Diversity Research Grants Program sponsored by ODLOS, we've started a monthly spotlight on research advancing issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries. We welcome your submission of research for inclusion in future spotlights, email us at diversity@ala.org. This month we highlight, Dr. Amy VanScoy of the University at Buffalo and Dr. Kawanna Bright (then a doctoral student at the University of Denver) to discuss their research into...
By: Sally Inglett, President & Founder, MEternally, LLC A dementia-friendly movement is sweeping the nation, and for good reason. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that almost 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related diseases, and a projected 14 million will be by 2050 unless a cure is found. We need to be concerned that these populations, along with personal and professional caregivers, are considered when creating offerings for patrons. The time has come where most lives are impacted by or connected to...
By: Tommy Vinh Bui, Teen and Adult Services, Los Angeles County Library Long have I found myself adrift in a constantly roiling strait of changing cultural identities and blurry borders of personal allegiances. I’m the child of Vietnamese refugees and grew up in the largely Spanish-speaking neighborhood of Pacoima and have found myself serving as a librarian in an array of vulnerable communities throughout my career. My most recent stint as a librarian is in the city of Inglewood. Inglewood is currently undergoing an economic renaissance but wrests with urgent issues...
By: Babak Zarin, Access Services Librarian, Central Rappahannock Regional Library So there you are. Your department is throwing a social reception, and you want to talk with someone, but you have no idea how to get started and you’re starting to wonder why you came in the first place. Social networking is a skill, one that can take a lot of time and experience to develop since it involves you having to go places and speak with people you may not know very well. Social networking is also an increasingly required skill to have as we shift into the “Age of...
By: Katrina Spencer, Literatures & Cultures Librarian, Middlebury College For two years now, I have been publishing a weekly book review column, “The Librarian Is In,” in Middlebury College’s weekly print and digital newspaper, The Campus. I have found it a wonderfully enriching experience that has benefited the community, my critical thinking, my relationships with library users and even one of my side hustles. Let me share some of the cool takeaways and results from my journey. You remain in the public eye. One of the challenges...
By: Kasey Butcher Santana, Ph.D., Library Specialist, Arapahoe Libraries “It worked!" our inmate worker told me when he came in one Tuesday. "My cellie stayed up really late reading the book and then I saw him go next door and I thought there was going to be a fight, but they were talking about what they thought was going to happen. They never talk." Our inmate worker was responding to a program Arapahoe Libraries ran in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility over late spring called One Book, One Facility. The program was designed to build community by...
By: Regina Carter, Teaching & Learning Librarian, UVA Library High School Summer Internship Coordinator and Phylissa Mitchell, Director of Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, & Accessibility and UVA Library High School Summer Internship Program Director When I grow up, I want to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, superstar…Seldom do we hear that one would like to become a librarian let alone an LIS professional. How come? Perhaps it is because we are not great at marketing and tooting our own horns. Perhaps it is due to overall ignorance about our...
By: Kait McNamee, Library Specialist, Arapahoe Library District I first met *Ana on a late weeknight shift. She had come to the library for books but saw me moving equipment out of our recording studio. She asked about the studios and within a few minutes, I learned that in her home country of Venezuela, Ana had been a musician. She asked to book time in the studio, and I gladly gave her the space and the training manuals then left her to it. A few months later, after seeing Ana on a regular basis, she asked for help uploading a video to Youtube. She had, with no prior...
By: Cynthia Kiyotake (ckiyotake@ald.lib.co.us), Library Operations Manager and Richard Lyda, (rlyda@ald.lib.co.us) Mobile Library Services Supervisor, Arapahoe Libraries Providing equitable access to information is a critical responsibility of all public libraries, and sometimes the best way to accomplish this is through bringing the library into communities via the bookmobile. Finding ways to provide library services in traditionally under-served communities has always been a core of the mission of bookmobiles. Do you know there are approximately 647 bookmobiles in...