LibGuides: Chapter Topics ~ Spring 2020: Spotlight on

Spotlight on

Spotlight on the ACRL New England Chapter

By Michael Rodriguez, University of Connecticut

In January 2020, following extensive planning and pilot projects led by our Open Access Repository working group, the ACRL New England Chapter signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Massachusetts Amherst to use UMass’s institutional repository to host the presentations, handouts, and other professional learning materials developed for the Chapter's conferences and workshops. These materials are made immediately available online as open access materials. All presenters at the Chapter’s Annual Conference and other events are strongly encouraged to submit their materials to the repository for increased accessibility, visibility, and preservation. This new initiative seeks to model best practices for open and inclusive access. To explore the Chapter’s repository, please go to https://scholarworks.umass.edu/acrl_nec/.

Spotlight on the California State ACRL Chapter

CARL lost a member of our board in early November 2019, the CARL Board approved recognition in December 2019 with the creation of an award that has become very timely. Gayatri Singh Award for Inclusive Excellence in Library Programs and Exhibits. Gayatri was the Reference and Information Services Coordinator and Librarian for Communication at the University of California, San Diego were many and varied, one of the constants in her work was her commitment to providing events and programs that fostered diversity, equity, and inclusion in her community. The CARL board felt honored to be able to continue Gayatri's work, by recognizing others in the California library community who continue to foster these same values of diversity, equity, and inclusion that were a hallmark of Gayatri's professional and personal life. The biennial award recognizes diverse, inclusive, and equitable programs and exhibits in an academic library setting that has been active in the previous two years. Nominations for the award should demonstrate excellence in programming or exhibits that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in an academic library setting. Examples of programming could include (but are not limited to): Workshops hosted by the library; “One book" / Common Reads; Mentorship programs; Film screenings; Exhibits; Author talks. Our first awardee will take place at the 2022 CARL Conference.