Kenya S. Flash Virtual Lecture Series in Librarianship
GODORT and ACRL Politics, Policy, and International Relations Section (PPIRS) will host a free online annual speaker series in honor of our beloved colleague, the late Kenya Siana Flash. Ms. Flash was the Librarian for Political Science, Global Information and Government Information at Yale University from 2017 until her untimely death in December 2021.
Ms. Flash was an active member of both organizations. She was elected to the PPIRS’ Executive Board and served on the Professional Development and Membership Committees, and helped launch the Preparedness & Security Group. Ms. Flash was sponsored by GODORT in ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program and served on their Government Information for Children Committee, Program Committee, was the Coordinator for the International Documents Task Force, and was a GODORT Representative to the ALA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Assembly and Liaison to the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SSRT). In her professional activities she was an endless advocate, an expert whose counsel was consistently sought and admired as a mentor who helped forge relationships and collaboration among librarians.
The Kenya S. Flash Virtual Lecture Series in Librarianship invites individuals of accomplishment, experience, and passion to present on any number of topics near and dear to Kenya. Broad topic areas include Policy, Politics, or Political Science, International Relations, Government Information, Global/Area Studies, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Social Justice, and Accessibility. While Kenya is no longer with us, her memory, spirit and mission to improve librarianship through education lives on in this lecture series.
2025 Lecture:
Empowering Minds: Inclusive Collections and Services for all
Date and time: July 14, 2025, 1pm ET
Registration:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kioTbv9jS0WkrPd3bns4cA#/registration
Webinar Description:
The 2025 Kenya Flash Lecture offers a panel presentation from Sheila Garcia Mazari, Tiffeni Fontno, and Rachel Elrod, each of whom works to provide inclusive collections and services to underserved communities of color.
Dr. Rachael Elrod (U. of Florida) will discuss her work on the Diverse BookFinder (DBF), an IMLS National Leadership project that created a comprehensive database of children’s and young adult books featuring Black and Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (BIPOC) and a Collection Analysis Tool (CAT), a free online tool designed to help librarians understand both who are in their books and how they are represented.
Dr. Tiffeni Fontno (Vanderbilt University) brings experience as an elementary classroom teacher and school librarian to her current work as Director of the Peabody Library. She utilizes her position as a librarian and educator to bridge divides and create opportunities for young people to see themselves reflected in literature, fostering lifelong readers and library advocates.
Sheila Garcia Mazari (UCSC) assisted in building Grand Valley State University’s Undocumented Students’ Cartoneras Collection, which aimed to capture the voices and experiences of GVSU’s undocumented student population.
Speaker Bios:
Sheila Garcia Mazari (she/her) is the Online Learning Librarian at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a 2016 ALA Spectrum Scholar and a 2019 Emerging Leader. Sheila is a former Resident Librarian at the University of Michigan and served as the 2020-2021 Convener of the ACRL Residency Interest Group (RIG).
Rachael Elrod, Ed.D. is an Associate University Librarian, Associate Chair of Departmental Libraries, Director of the Education Library, and Education Librarian at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on diverse youth literature, neurodivergent student experiences, and critical information literacy. A dedicated leader in professional organizations, Dr. Elrod has held numerous elected and appointed roles across ALA divisions and received the 2024 EMIERT Multicultural Award for her work on BIPOC representation in picture books.
Tiffeni Fontno is the Director of the Peabody Library at Vanderbilt University. Before taking on this role, she worked as a third-grade teacher and a school librarian. Tiffeni is an experienced academic librarian specializing in education and curriculum librarianship. Her research interests include literacy, African American children's literature, and curriculum development. Tiffeni is an active member of the American Library Association. As a member of ALA’s PolicyCorps, she advocates for libraries, particularly regarding banned books, literacy, and information access for minoritized communities. She also holds a doctorate in Leadership for Organizations from the University of Dayton.
