I am ACRL Member of the Week

Committed, trusting, open.

I am currently reading "Becoming" by Michelle Obama, and "We Were Eight Years in Power" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which are very interesting to read in tandem during this time as they both reflect on the Barack Obama presidency.

Community, opportunity, exchange.

I have always valued the ACRL conferences. The quality and variety of programs has been excellent over the years. I consider my work with different ACRL committees to be very fulfilling and meaningful professional service. The Women & Gender Studies Section has been my ALA/ACRL community over the years and is where I developed many leadership skills. Knowing a group of committed individuals from across the country through our shared work in WGSS gave me a network of wonderful people who are professional friends I look forward to seeing at each conference.

I’m the director of College Library, which focuses on library service to undergraduates, and I have a role in thinking about library spaces across the different libraries. I've learned a lot about informal learning spaces and the opportunities to connect with campus partners on how we support student success through intentional management of space. I have also been very active in developing social justice work in the libraries, giving careful attention to our growing understanding of the importance of this work to support all our students.

I believe it is important to examine all that we do in an academic library with a social justice lens. I think that we need to take a stand against neutrality, do what we can to address our own complicity in the systems of white supremacy, and work to lift up the voices of people whose experiences have been silenced and/or marginalized. This is a part of academic librarianship because injustice is a part of the experiences of the students and faculty we support.