Seeding the Vision: Designing a Minority Librarian Residency Program

The University of Tennessee Libraries, in keeping with a long-standing commitment to diversity, is launching its first minority librarian residency program. The UT program follows examples set by ALA, ACRL, ARL, and many other information organizations, which foster cultural enrichment and understanding of cultural differences. The aforementioned associations continue to provide successful residency and internship programs at various ranks of librarianship. In 1997, ARL launched the Leadership and Career Development Program (LCD Program) designed to prepare more minority leaders within academic libraries. Also in 1997, ALA started the Spectrum Scholar Initiative program to encourage and increase minority student enrollment in library science degree programs. The overwhelming success of these two programs inspired the University of Tennessee (UT) to create its first minority librarian residency program. Ohio State University, University of Buffalo, University of Iowa Libraries, University of Minnesota Libraries, and the University of California at Santa Barbara all had minority residency programs in place that proved useful in designing UT’s program

The use of STEM programming to create global citizens

A global citizen sees the world through a wide lens. This view is critical if teachers are to educate their students about their roles in a global society. Academic libraries can play a part in educating for global citizenship by facilitating STEM programs and conferences for educators. At the University of Tennessee, The Big Orange STEM Saturday for Educators (EduBOSS) provides an opportunity for teachers to participate with an experiential learning method which can serve as a model for their schools to use in helping students acquire a global thinking practice. The EduBOSS initiative creates a standard of practice and dialogue among various entities of STEM communities. This educational concept is creating a practice that puts a standard into place so students and teachers get consistent information and guidance about STEM college expectations and careers. Foundation of EduBOSS STEM programming fosters significant relationship building between academic libraries and K12 schools, area STEM businesses and organizations, and campus departments. EduBOSS, which can be replicated at other institutions, is proving to be a successful model that is sustained through strategic partnerships and is creating a community of practice that promotes STEM teaching and learning. Using Educators as a Tool Educators are vital in producing global citizens. Academic libraries are getting better at addressing this trend and working to provide programs that will aid educators. Educators are responsible for cultivating students’ experiences to see beyond their norm. The University of Tennessee’s EduBOSS program invites educators to an academic library setting to have conversations about their needs. We provide space for them to meet with experts and design customized learning experiences that they can transfer back to the classroom. This method is called inquiry-based instruction which expands on what educators already know about STEM topics. It is becoming a benchmark for emerging STEM literacy elements and practices. Creating Global Citizens Educators use the takeaways gained from the EduBOSS conference and implement them into their classrooms. This helps reinforce students’ engagement in STEM topics. Connecting students with these real-world experiences helps them recognize how they can fit into global communities. These new applications help to grow their interest and encourages them to seek more opportunities to learn about STEM in higher education

STEM Bridges: Evolution of an Academic Library STEM Outreach Program

Big Orange STEM Saturday (BOSS) is a sustainable model of outreach that fosters the STEM cycle of discovery and learning experiences. Through this program, the library creates and reinforces a bridge between secondary educational experiences and higher education that facilitates the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to the world. Local high school students are able to engage with experts in several different ways to explore what STEM has to offer and to look beyond their current experiences. This approach creates a venue for STEM teaching spaces outside the school classroom for enrichment and innovation. Over the past 5 years, the variety of experiences offered at BOSS have expanded and the reputation of the program has grown. This article explores the challenges, lessons, and impact that this program has had on its constituents, with a particular focus on the impact the library can have when exploring nontraditional areas of support and outreach

Social Gerontology- Integrative and Territorial Aspects: A Citation Analysis of Subject Scatter and Database Coverage

To determine the mix of resources used in social gerontology research, a citation analysis was conducted. A representative sample of citations was selected from three prominent gerontology journals and information was added to determine subject scatter and database coverage for the cited materials. Results indicate that a significant portion of gerontology research, even from a social science perspective, relies roughly equally on medical resources as it does social science resources. Furthermore, there is a small but defined core of literature constituting scholarly “territory” unique to gerontology. Analysis of database indexing indicated that broad, interdisciplinary databases provide more comprehensive coverage of the cited materials than do subject-specific databases

Misinformation and Your Health: An Exploration of Where we Find Information Culturally

A 2019 article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine Misinformation as a Misunderstood Challenge to Public Health, scientists explore how health misinformation arises in media and social media, how health information impacts people, and opportunities to rethink how we navigate the health information landscape. The presenters will present key concepts from the research and then facilitate activity and discussion aimed at self-examination and reflection. This conversation will allow presenters to reflect and share about their personal experiences seeking health information and consider the cultural contexts that factor into this process with the goal of improving ability to evaluate health information resources

Making a Good Virtual First Impression: Using Google Sites to Get a Job

Using current technologies and e-portfolios can instill excellent leadership practices that can bridge communication across all cultures. There are many options for presenting a portfolio to prospective employers; but creating your own web portfolio brings you visibility and creates an avenue for sharing your body of work quickly and easily with the professional world. This program will provide a demonstration of the set-up of a free web site, teaching attendees how they can design a glowing custom portfolio