Virginia's Academic Library Consortium

Welcome & VIVA Update 

Genya O'Gara, VIVA Director 

Keynote: Charting the Course Toward Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Tyler Walters, Ph.D. - Dean and Professor, University Libraries at Virginia Tech

Member Talks - Lightning Round

Littles in the library: helping student parents reach big goals while caring for small people

Suzanne Sherry and Lisa Payne from Brightpoint Community College

Community Colleges traditionally serve marginalized and underrepresented students. Brightpoint Community College students are often first-in-college, New Americans/ESL students, food and/or housing insecure, and racial and ethnic minorities. These students often need additional assistance to be successful in their goals. Brightpoint Community College Library, working across the institution, created systemic supports for student parents in the library spaces. Working with the college’s CAPS program (College Attainment for Parent Students),Brightpoint Library created child-friendly study spaces, added a lactation pod, and curated passive programming for parent-child groups. Parenting students can now feel seen, welcome, and cared for using the library in spaces designed for their unique needs.

Beyond the Reading List: The Finding Diverse Voices LibGuide 

Christopher Lowder, Megan Reichelt, Heidi Blackburn, and Ashley Blinstrub from George Mason University

Academic libraries across the world have set up anti-racist resources: reading lists, pages of library databases, definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) terminology, and links to university and external resources, especially in response to the Black Lives Matter movements of 2013 and2020. However, a critical gap remains in supporting researchers to go beyond superficial reading lists and navigate the systematic challenges ingrained within the publishing landscape. This proposal introduces the collaborative LibGuide, "Finding Diverse Voices," as a self-paced tool designed to guide researchers in understanding the societal and intersectional complexities inherent in locating diverse authorship and resources. Transcending the traditional curated bibliography, this multidisciplinary LibGuide delves into the intricate histories and challenges embedded in research, fostering a deeper comprehension of the subject matter and offering advice on how to navigate these systems. Rather than offering users our preselected ideas of diverse resources, our LibGuide provides them with context and critical thinking tools to navigate the challenges of academic research that systemically promotes homogeneity. This comprehensive approach to academic research includes strategies for finding diverse voices in academic and non-academic sources: including special collections, zines, professional resources, and academic journals

Open for All: Centering Inclusion and Representation in OER Work

Abbey Childs and Karen Bjork from Virginia Commonwealth University 

Open educational practices are about more than saving students money on textbook costs. Creating and customizing open educational resources allow faculty the opportunity to create course materials that better reflect their students’ lived experiences, bolstering student engagement and belonging. This short talk demonstrates how the Open and Affordable Course Content initiative at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), informed by the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, has facilitated the creation of inclusive and representative course materials for VCU faculty and students.

Wrap Up

Loftan Hooker (VCU), Chair of the VIVA Outreach Event Planning Committee