December 13, 2016 Meeting of Diversity Committee

Minute Taker—Qiang Jin

• Approve November meeting minutes
• Updates and Announcements
  • New digital sign and table tents
  • Collaboration with other community libraries
• ClimateQUAL Update
• Report on Discussion with Staff Development and Training Committee
• Planning for Spring 2017
  • Collaboration with ISchool Diversity Committee—Co-Sponsor film 13^th on February 16—info on film here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13TH_(film)
  • Other ideas—Do we want to think about showing both versions of Birth of a Nation
  • Co-sponsoring Sesquicentennial Events

Next meeting:            January 10, 2017

Cindy will be absent

Parking Lot/Future Agenda Items:

• Greg Knott report back from Big 10 HR meeting
• Review Charge
• Other

Cindy Ingold, JJ Pionke, Greg Knott, Heather Murphy, Ben Riegler, Ellen Swain, Harriett Green, Laila Moustafa, Angie Gruendl, Qiang Jin
Absent: Zoe Revell

• Qiang Jin – Minute Taker
• I. Approve November meeting minutes
  The meeting minutes were approved.
• II. Updates and Announcements
  • New digital sign and table tents
    • JoAnn and Dean Wilkin created a new digital sign with input from several other groups and individuals to encourage feedback about how we can make the Library more welcoming. The digital sign will be displayed in as many places as possible. The UGL also asked for table tents to be created. Other libraries can use these too. Note that this wording comes from the Library Diversity Statement.
  • Library Diversity Statement
    • The University of Illinois Library is committed to an environment that welcomes, cultivates, values, respects and supports the differences and contributions of all students, faculty and staff at the University of Illinois, and the community. In addition, the University Library is dedicated to creating an inclusive community grounded in respect and appreciation for all individuals who work in the library. The Library recognizes diversity as a constantly changing concept. It is purposefully defined broadly as encompassing, but not limited to, individuals’ social, cultural, mental and physical differences.
  • Collaboration with other community libraries
    Four librarians from the University Library attended a meeting of librarians in the community at Champaign Public Library on December 7, 2016. It was a brainstorming meeting to discuss ways that the Libraries in Champaign county can collaborate to work on programming and initiatives to respond to the current climate in our country.  On January 24, 2017, there will be a meet and greet for librarians and others from the community at 7 p.m. in the backroom of Pizza M in Urbana. Greg commented that we need to reach out to small rural libraries in the community.
    • IPRH: Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities
    On December 6th, Ayla Stein and Hannah Stitzlein joined the informal discussions on campus at the IPRH event “What is to be Done? The Work of the Humanities in the Present,” <http://illinois.edu/emailer/newsletter/113040.html>
    The title of the discussion was “Library as Safe Space and Information Center.” In the wake of recent national events people felt it necessary to join the discussion of “What is to be done?” as information professionals. The desire was to foster a discussion centered around serving communities, both on and off campus, making sure that the library is a welcoming environment to all (including, but not limited to LGBTQQI+, people of color, people of all religious affiliations, and of all economic statuses), and that people know that it is a place for acquiring judgment-free, and impartial information. At the discussion, the role of the library was raised, and events and activities were proposed.
• III. ClimateQUAL Update
  • The most recent information from the ClimateQUAL Implementation is in the December issue of LON. The ClimateQUAL Implementation Team talked about issues raised from the focus groups including who can be on what committees. The Team is thinking of sponsoring a session for library employees with EC  to disucss best practices for committees including what is expected of committee chairs and members.
    With the issue raised from focus groups about the appropriate use LIBNEWS-L, Cindy met with Megean Osuchowski and Tom Habing to talk about best practices for using LIBNEWS-L. The ClimateQUAL Implementation Team will create a tips sheet for using LIBNEWS-L.
• IV. Report on Discussion with Staff Development and Training Committee
  • The Staff Development and Training Committee met on December 6, 2016 and discussed how to move forward on the ClimateQUAL recommendations.  We also have comments and input from other venues including the 2016 Library retreat, library-wide focus groups held in summer 2016, and discussions within SDTC and DC.  The committees need to know what to focus on in the coming months.   Cindy will work on combining all the recommendations into a list. Lisa volunteered to create a web tools survey that will be sent to both committees, so that we can vote and prioritize recommendations.
• V. Planning for Spring 2017
  • ISchool Diversity Committee will show a film 13th on February 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13TH_(film) The Library Diversity Committee will co-sponsor the event.
    The committee reviewed our charge at the meeting. We concluded that we need to collaborate with public libraries to serve the campus as well as the community. Greg said that we need to get in touch with decision makers both Democrats and Republicans. We need to have workshops providing information, policy on how to register to vote.
    We will have another Celebration of Diversity Potluck in 2017. We need to avoid Ramadan or any other conflicting holidays. We will check dates with YMCA.
    The committee did not talk about showing D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation and Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation.
• VI. Planning for Fall 2017
  • JJ is interested in doing an exhibit/movie/round-table/lecture in October 2017 during the National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Greg suggested that we focus on how to deal with mental health issues for students, and library employees.
• Next Meeting:
  January 10, 2017
  Greg Knott, minute taker