Inclusion and Representation Matter: Homogeneity in Youth Literature with Dis(Abled) Characters

Abstract: Picture books, juvenile books, and young adult books that portray persons with disabilities have made great strides in the last thirty years. Many negative stereotypes in youth literature have been replaced by accurate, honest portrayals of individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. Unfortunately the majority of the characters, both in the protagonist role and in supporting roles, in the books with positive representations of disability are not depicted as racially or ethnically diverse. This study is a content analysis of both the descriptions of characters in the texts of books and the illustrations (if applicable) in all three categories - picture, juvenile, and young adult - to find the intersections between characters with a disability and his/her race or ethnicity. The gender of the characters with a disability will also be noted. Many of the books in this study have been awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, an award given annually by the American Library Association to authors or illustrators of books with artistic expression of disability, and/or the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, awarded every even year to an author and/or illustrator to recognize positive portrayals of people with developmental disabilities. This poster was orginally presented at the Discerning Diverse Voices: Symposium on Diversity at the University of Alabama, March 2016.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1001/thumbnail.jp

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Faculty buy-in of an institutional repository can be an uphill battle. Even as IRs become more common and more popular, some faculty may still not understand what it is or how it can benefit them. Other faculty may understand the concept of an IR but might be frustrated by the thought of it being just another administrative task added to their ever-increasing to-do list. The need to educate faculty on why the repository is important and how it can support their pursuit of tenure and promotion goals remains a challenge for most IR administrators. Do you start with the faculty or the administration? Do you try to talk to faculty one-on-one or do you go to department meetings? Can you hold open sessions in the library or other central locations on campus? This poster will address these questions and will provide a framework that you can take back to your campus and use to build rapport with faculty.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1033/thumbnail.jp

The Upsides of Downsizing

There are many advantages to working at a large state university, some include more diversified academic offerings, bigger budgets, and name recognition. However, smaller state universities offer a plethora of advantages as well. In this poster, two former research and instruction librarians from the University of Alabama will present the upsides of their new positions at the University of North Alabama and Jacksonville State University. They will highlight the many advantages of downsizing, including closer collaboration with students, getting to know your faculty and administration across campus, and “service to the profession” opportunities that are unique to smaller schools. Both librarians will discuss how opportunities for hybrid embedded librarianship, research collaboration with faculty, and more specified outreach initiatives are leading to not just cross-collaborations with departments and colleges, but within the larger community as a whole. They will highlight how smaller schools require them to acquire new skill sets, leading to growth in the professional knowledge base. They will also discuss how they adjusted their expectations and adapted their big-school ideas to a smaller environment. Both will also provide tips and tricks they found useful in dealing with stress during their transitions and the acquirement of new roles and responsibilities.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1008/thumbnail.jp

Sweet and Savory: Separating Fact from Fiction

Too many information diets are overpopulated with junk. This information junk combined with a lack of critical-thinking skills can make digesting news, world events, and other content difficult. This recipe is intended to assist the consumer of information cuisine to get back on track with healthy habits. The intention is to expose those unhealthy lifestyle choices that we are predisposed to make, challenge the habits, and balance the diet through adding quality ingredients and enhanced preparation skills to our practices in the future

The University of Alabama Libraries and Student Support Services Partnership: Non-Traditional Outreach to Academic Support Programs

Abstract: At the University of Alabama Libraries we have partnered with the Student Support Services TRiO program, a grant-funded program through the U. S. Department of Education that works to increase the retention and graduation rates of first generation college students, students with limited family income, and students with disabilities. We have developed a program that utilizes a combination of classroom instruction in the library and outreach hours at the Student Support Services building, we are able to engage with the students on multiple levels while remaining cognizant of any accommodations they may require. We provide instruction on utilizing the library’s website as well as one-on-one consultations for students who need research support. Although this program is only in its second semester it has proved quite successful and we see great potential for expansion to other non-traditional academic services on campus. Originally presented at the Atlanta Area Bibliographic Instruction Group conference, June 2016.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1002/thumbnail.jp

Outreach to Student Support Services at the University of Alabama: Engaging While Including

Outreach programs on university campuses are crucial to reducing anxiety in students from diverse backgrounds who may not have been introduced to an academic library environment, its resources, and its role in their academic success. Traditional liaison programs are geared towards students within their majors; as the campus evolves, so must the role of the liaison. At the University of Alabama Libraries we have partnered with the Student Support Services (SSS) TRiO program, a grant-funded program through the U. S. Department of Education that works to increase the retention and graduation rates of first generation college students, students with limited family income, and students with disabilities. Boasting a 91% average retention rate, the program works with a broad spectrum of students. By the numbers, the students in the program are 65% female, 74% are low income and first generation, and 62% are Black or African American. The presenters, working in conjunction with the Academic Counselors in SSS, have created a comprehensive outreach program through which they are able to engage with the students on multiple levels while remaining cognizant of the pressures and needs of the individual students in the program. In addition to open houses, instruction, and Libguides, the presenters have also secured spaces within the Student Support Services building during high traffic periods for visibility and ease of interaction. Meeting with students in familiar spaces provides them a comfortable way to interact and learn research skills, website navigation, and other services that the library provides. Once the student has established a relationship with the librarian, they are more likely to visit the library and utilize more library services, which contributes to the student’s overall academic success.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1004/thumbnail.jp

Partnering with Academic Support Programs to Promote Student Success

Outreach programs on university campuses are crucial to reducing anxiety in students from diverse backgrounds who may not have been introduced to an academic library environment, its resources, and its role in their academic success. Traditional liaison programs are geared towards students within their majors; as the campus evolves, so must the role of the liaison. At the University of Alabama Libraries we have partnered with the Student Support Services (SSS) TRiO program, a grant-funded program through the U. S. Department of Education that works to increase the retention and graduation rates of first generation college students, students with limited family income, and students with disabilities. The presenters, working in conjunction with the Academic Counselors in SSS, have created a comprehensive outreach program through which they are able to engage with the students on multiple levels while remaining cognizant of the pressures and needs of the individual students in the program.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1009/thumbnail.jp

Beyond Reinventing the Library Scavenger Hunt: Teaching Library Literacy to First-Year Experience Students Using an Escape Room

Librarians are always looking for inventive ways to engage first year students in Library Orientation programs. In 2017, ACRL released the First Year Experience Cookbook, which included chapters on topics such as how to use social media to engage FYE students and various innovations of the traditional scavenger hunt, among other great ideas. This book showcased how we are looking for new ways to promote active learning of both online and physical resources and to help students understand the importance of the library in their college career at the beginning of their college experience. As early adopters of the Escape Room program, the presenters in this workshop have had a chance to use, assess, and improve the program they are using with their FYE students. In this interactive workshop, the presenters will teach you how to develop an Escape Room game for your library orientation programs, how to assess the effectiveness of your game, and how to continually improve and update it up to keep it fresh for you and the students. They will be bringing their kits and a will have a special LOEX-themed game to give you a chance to “break out” of the traditional and into the innovative world of team-based strategy that has shown to be exceptionally effective at their institution. The presenters will also share the results of their current study of this FYE program. Their current post-instruction survey instrument is comprised of 6 yes/no questions and 2 free-form response questions. With over 150 survey responses to date, preliminary data trends show that over 90% of the students state they have a better understanding of the library and 95% have a better understanding of the library’s website. Over 50% of the student responses to date indicate that the students have retained the ability to name specific website links and specific physical collections within the library.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1010/thumbnail.jp

The University of Alabama Libraries and Student Support Services (SSS) Partnership: Non-Traditional Outreach to Academic Support Programs

Abstract: Outreach programs on University campuses are crucial to reaching students who may not otherwise be introduced to the library and the services that the library can offer. In addition to traditional library liaison work with colleges within the university as a whole, it is important to develop outreach programs to work with students in academic support services. At the University of Alabama Libraries we have partnered with the Student Support Services TRiO program, a grant-funded program through the U. S. Department of Education that works to increase the retention and graduation rates of first generation college students, students with limited family income, and students with disabilities. We have developed a program that utilizes a combination of classroom instruction in the library and outreach hours at the Student Support Services building, we are able to engage with the students on multiple levels while remaining cognizant of any accommodations they may require. We provide instruction on utilizing the library’s website as well as one-on-one consultations for students who need research support. Although this program is only in its second semester it has proved quite successful and we see great potential for expansion to other non-traditional academic services on campus. This poster was originally presented at the Alabama Library Association annual convention, April 2016https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1003/thumbnail.jp

Caucusing with Your Colleagues: Sharing Ideas to Create Effective Outreach Strategies

At The University of Alabama, librarians from Gorgas Information Services (GIS) pursue a wide variety of outreach activities in order to reduce library anxiety and promote the services that the libraries have to offer. Among other things, GIS librarians collaborate with Student Support Services, provide weekly on-site research help and workshops at an on-campus residential community via the Gorgas Library at Ridgecrest program, and offer “satellite reference” help at meeting spaces around campus. Although these programs are unique in scope and purpose, GIS librarians have discovered that collaboration on fundamental outreach strategies is key to the success of individual programs. To that end, librarians in GIS have instituted a monthly outreach meeting in order to discuss outreach strategies, brainstorm new ideas, and share their experiences – both positive and negative. In this panel, we will discuss the evolution of this idea, what we’ve learned from the process, and talk about how this sort of formalized collaboration can be easily transferable and applicable to other areas of academic librarianship.https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1005/thumbnail.jp