Information Needs in a Hurricane Gustav Evacuation Shelter: Reflections on a Librarian’s Volunteer Experience

For three years following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, residents of the Gulf Coast enjoyed a reprieve from serious threats. But in 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike confirmed that massive evacuations are now a reality of hurricane season. A consequence of such large evacuations is the establishment of hundreds of shelters across the country. Opportunities exist to improve information assistance and information dissemination in hurricane shelters. Information professionals can help by conducting research and documenting their experiences in shelters. This article discusses observations of evacuees’ information needs at a Hurricane Gustav shelter in Knoxville, Tennessee, and details the resources and methods that volunteers employed in response to those needs. This article is written from the perspective of a librarian who volunteered during the shelter’s five-day operation. The experience resulted in useful insight and practical recommendations for assisting evacuees with information needs in shelters

Of Fairs and Festivals: Librarians Teach Thematic First-Year Seminars

For almost a century, library skills instruction by academic librarians has been a vital component of university programs created to help first-year students adapt to the social and academic environment of college life (Walter, 2004). Asretention of first-year students has become a strategic goal for universities, a variety of firstyear experience (FYE) programs have been developed over the last decade to address this goal. For many academic librarians, the FYE programs have resulted in an increased collaboration with faculty (Walter, 2004). This collaboration ranges from assisting faculty with incorporating information literacy skills within classroom instruction to embedding librarians within classes throughout the semester. In addition to programs that focus on developing or strengthening learning skills, others have been developed to form social communities for students that are based on shared interests. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has created a number of FYE programs that address both academic and social challenges to retention. Creation of a themed FYE class, the Freshman Seminar 129, provided the UTK Libraries with an additional opportunity for librarians to be involved in the University’s retention efforts for first-year students

Walking the Walk: A Path to Support Open Access Publishing [Poster]

Scholarly communication is the lifeblood of universities. Threats to the free flow of research and ideas continue to jeopardize the entire academy; however administrators, scholars, and librarians are now pursuing options to reclaim research produced in the academy\u27s domain. One way to do this is with Open Access. Open Access has been a topic of interest and intense depabe for academic librarians. Ways to create awareness about and encourage publication in Open Access journals have been discussed at library conferences for the better part of the decade. But what is the next step? What happens when the library\u27s promotion pays off and teaching faculty seek support for their open access endeavors? This poster describes the steps taken to create a pilot program for an open access support fund at a Research I university. The program is one way to walk the walk of open access promotion by offering to subsidize costs associated with some open access publications. The poster includes practical information and tips such as: steps that can be taken to create a similar program; library and academic positions which may be involved; and opportunities and barriers that exist. Program documents, statistics and general impressions are provided

Library and Information Science Professionals as Community Action Researchers in an Academic Setting: Top Ten Directions to Further Institutional Change for People of Diverse Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities

The need for progressive change in people???s attitudes and behaviors is essential for a communitywide acceptance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. This article examines our role as library and information science (LIS) professionals working in an academic environment to promote equality of sexual minorities by taking community action and creating social awareness and acceptance on their behalf. Findings based on qualitative studies and action research conducted in the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) help identify typical barriers and challenges faced by local LGBTQ individuals toward self-fulfillment and social and political empowerment. Research participants share their marginalizing experiences that paint a picture of slow acceptance reflected in the lukewarm campus and community climate of support toward LGBTQ individuals. It forms the contextual motivation for the authors as openly gay LIS professionals to promote ???top ten??? prioritized community actions of ???what do we need to do??? and ???how do we do it??? on behalf of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Current directions of progress made in the UTK academic environment over a period of two years are shared in this paper. Future efforts are also identified that require extending traditional library functions of information provision to reflect contemporary nontraditional expectations of relevance that include proactive social justice efforts for libraries and LIS professionals to come out of the closet in support of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.published or submitted for publicatio

Library experiences of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Flood survivors

More than one million residents were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Flood. Uprooted from their lives and dispersed across the country, survivors found themselves hundreds of miles away from home. Some found comfort and much needed information in public libraries. This article discusses the library experiences of survivors as revealed through an online survey and in-depth interviews. The study, conducted from August to October of 2006, found that nearly one-half of survey respondents and 40% of interviewees used libraries following the disasters. The reasons for their visits included Internet access, information and technology assistance, mental escape, and refuge. Participants also discussed how the destruction of libraries added to their sense of loss and how the restoration of libraries gave them a sense of hope.Published versio

A “queer” manifesto of interventions for libraries to “come out” of the closet! A study of “queer” youth experiences during the coming out process

Based on qualitative analysis of data gathered during in-depth narrative interviews and informal discussions about “queer” youth experiences with twenty-one “queer” individuals, this paper presents a “queer” manifesto of library interventions in support of “queer” youth during various phases of the coming out process. Important characteristics of coming out are discussed, especially as a life-long process for “queer” individuals to acknowledge their sexuality and share that awareness with others. Significant concerns and challenges faced by “queer” youth during different phases in their coming out experiences provide a context for the identification of library interventions that reflect (and require) extending traditional library functions of information provision as well as fulfilling non-traditional expectations that include proactive social justice efforts for libraries to come out of the closet in support of “queer” youth.Published versio

Data from Voices of Diversity (Interviews)

Voices of Diversity is an online multimedia archive of stories submitted by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Intellectual and social growth is best fostered in a campus community comprised of individuals with varying backgrounds, perspectives, interests, talents, and values. The personal story serves as a powerful tool in aiding the creation of a diverse campus environment by spreading ideas, highlighting differing viewpoints and emphasizing unique personal experiences. This project seeks to document the experiences of University of Tennessee, Knoxville students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) through personal storytelling. The submissions are text, audio, or a combination thereof. The online archive will serve as a way to document UT’s GLBT history, provide a voice for UTK’s GLBT community, and educate others through the personal and powerful means of storytelling. This project does not have research questions to be answered, instead it is a project to document, archive, and present the experiences of GLBT individuals who are affiliated with The University of Tennessee, Knoxville