Emma Antobam-Ntekudzi was a recipient of an ACRL DVC’s travel grant. She attended the 3rd National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) from September 26th to September 30th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Below are a few words from Emma about the conference and what she learned:

“JCLC is organized by the ALA ethnic affiliates: Black Caucus of the American Library (BCALA), American Indian Library Association (AILA), Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). This year’s conference brought together librarians of color who were all thrilled to join in fellowship. The theme of Gathering All People’s: Embracing Culture & Community was evident in the diverse topics and cultures represented. Many sessions focused on retention efforts, hiring and support; JCLC was a safe space to share personal experiences and challenges particular to librarians of color in the field of librarianship.”

“Tribal libraries are planned and administered by a tribe, pueblo, village or Native group. Its purpose is to contribute to nation building. Their beginnings originated in treaties with the United States Government that outlined federal support for educational provisions; libraries are included in that description. In the 60s and 70s documents on tribal libraries were disorganized and neglected. In 1974 only 17 Native American librarians were identified in ALA. That number has since increased but there is still poor recruitment of Native librarians. In the late 1970s, modern Native leadership pushed for establishing and improving these libraries. A major victory occurred in Denver 1978 with the White House Preconference on Indian Library & Information Services on or near Reservations. This was a significant step in the development of tribal libraries and it was the first known Indian meeting concerned with library services. The National Indian Omnibus Library Bill mandated federal funding for tribal libraries. As of now 1% of IMLS funding goes to tribal libraries.”

“Diversity and inclusion remain a significant part of the conversation around librarianship and this was addressed at JCLC. I attended a session entitled Diversity and Research: Impact on Decision Makin in Libraries and LIS Education where a panel of library directors, university professors and librarians talked about diversity leadership, implicit bias and stereotyping in workplaces. Attendees shared their experiences involving microaggressions amongst colleagues; for librarians of color, such encounters create anxiety, outrage, a sense of exclusion and workplace stress. Panelists focused on the need for more diversity programs within libraries as well as job descriptions that include diversity requirements or cultural competency components.”

“Another session called Mentoring the Next Generation of Librarians of Color emphasized the importance of mentoring. As a tool, mentoring can help with retention and provide librarians of color with a sense of belonging.”

Read Emma’s full report here: JCLC_Conference Report

This concludes travel grant reports for this year’s winners.

Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol was a recipient of an ACRL DVC’s travel grant. She attended the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Biennial Conference in Arlington, VA. Below are a few words from Tatiana about the conference and what she learned:

“This international conference attracts faculty, administrators, and many others who are interested in implementing undergraduate research initiatives at their institutions. The conference theme, “Creating Collaborative Connections in and through Undergraduate Research,” permeated through presentations, panel discussions, workshops, poster sessions, and keynotes.”

“I attended the session that featured a partnership between a librarian and a faculty member who worked together on engaging undergraduate students in writing and publishing book reviews. In addition to identifying opportunities and challenges for working with undergraduates on composing, editing, and publishing book reviews, the presenters also discussed the process of guiding students on how to enter scholarly conversations around books they were reviewing. At the end of their presentation, the speakers posed a number of questions for attendees to ponder while adopting the book review project at their own institutions.”

“The session that I co-presented with an English faculty member also highlighted an interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at capturing and showcasing undergraduate research. Particularly, we discussed why and how we developed a conference proceedings student journal with a team of students.”

“As a result of participating at the CUR conference, I am taking away a much broader definition of undergraduate research as an accessible, diverse, and inclusive initiative that can take many forms at different institutions and can be enhanced by interdisciplinary partnerships.”

Read Tatiana’s full report here: CUR conference report

Stay tuned for more travel grant reports from the recipients!

Carol Howe was a recipient of an ACRL DVC’s travel grant. She attended the 2018 Special Libraries Association conference. Below are a few words from Carol about the conference and what she learned:

“I started by attending a half day workshop on finding and using chemical information. This was amazing! Two experts presented to just a handful of attendees, so the presentation was very personalized. We learned about the types of literature used by chemists; basic and advanced strategies for finding chemical information; how to respond to different types of questions; the basics of substructure, sequence, and reaction searching; and the types of questions that chemists typically ask. It was well worth the additional cost of attending a pre-conference workshop!”

“During the Astronomy Roundtable, attendees learned about efforts to produce a Unified Astronomy Thesaurus. Experts currently use a variety of astronomy subject headings, but this would be a way to standardize the language. Astronomers are encouraged to join the conversation. ”

“Finally, I attended a session on science communication. The presenter encouraged future, popular science writers to think about these things: Who are you trying to reach? What’s your ‘take home’ message? What type of communication is best suited when writing for the public?”

Read Carol’s full report here: 2018SLA_ConferenceReport_CarolHowe

Stay tuned for more travel grant reports from the recipients!

Karen Sheldon was a recipient of an ACRL DVC’s travel grant. She attended the annual NASIG conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Below are a few words from Karen about the conference and what she learned:

“From June 8^th through 11^th, I attended the 33^rd annual NASIG conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Transforming the Information Community.’ The conference included not only many valuable workshops, but also many structured opportunities to interact informally including dine arounds, bingo night, and ice cream socials.”

“The advent of folio suggests changes in the electronic resource management market, moving from platform fees with included support to open access platforms with support fees. An interesting feature will be the Codex app, a cross search across to find orders, loans, instances, and other information related to the record. Folio could reduce library spending on platform fees while offering a more integrated solution. ”

“An important lesson related to consortia contracts found that contracts must specify the rights for individual titles to be useful. I have begun tracking perpetual access for my library and will take their lessons into account. I am submitting requests to vendors, asking for clarification on perpetual access rights in instances where licensing is unavailable or unclear.”

Read Karen’s full report here: NASIG2018_ConferenceReport_KarenSheldon

Stay tuned for more travel grant reports from the recipients!

2018-19 Value of Academic Library Travel Scholarships Applications – Due August 31

Applications for the current round of the Value of Academic Libraries Travel Scholarships are due August 31. The ACRL Board of Directors has allocated $10,000 in fiscal year 2019 to offer travel scholarships of up to $2,000 each for librarians presenting on their work demonstrating the impact of academic libraries in the broader landscape of higher education.

This program is one of several developed by ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries Committee to support librarians in their efforts to communicate to our partners in higher education including administrators, scholars, and teachers working in all disciplines. These travel scholarships support the community in taking up a recommendation from the ACRL report Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas to Research (prepared by OCLC Research and released in September 2017 for download or purchase) that academic librarians effectively communicate their contributions both up to institutional stakeholders and out to other departments.

ACRL invites practicing librarians and information professionals to apply for funding to present their work at higher education conferences or disciplinary conferences where they will reach audiences outside the library field. The presentations may be based on practice-based work or formal research projects. Two rounds of applications will be reviewed in the coming year. The first are due August 31, 2018. The second round of applications will be due February 15, 2019.

Complete details on the Value of Academic Libraries Travel Scholarships, including how to apply, are available on the ACRL website.

The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing more than 10,000 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. ACRL is on the web at acrl.org, Facebook at facebook.com/ala.acrl, and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

The Delaware Valley chapter of the ACRL now allocates up to $2000 annually to award travel grants to its members. Congratulations to our 2017-18 grant recipients!

Emma Antobam-Ntekudzi

Reference & Instruction Librarian
(CUNY) Bronx Community College

Joint Conference of Librarians of Color
Albuquerque, New Mexico | September 26-30, 2018

In her own words, how the conference will help Emma achieve her professional development goals:

The Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC) is an important consortium made up of five library associations representing and supporting minority librarians: the American Indian Library Association (AILA), Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). They are a major proponent of innovation, learning, information access and equity. JCLC’s 2018 National Conference in September will be a coming together of librarians from all areas of librarianship and ethnicities. Attendees and participants from national and international institutions spend days sharing ideas and meaningful dialogue about the current state and future of libraries that serve diverse communities.

The conference will cover many “tracks” or themes that I believe will be beneficial to my home library.  My focus is on the improvement of library instruction and library services. For instance, ACRL’s revised framework is still new and incorporating it into everyday teaching should be a priority for all Instruction librarians. Another concern is on growing a library’s collection to reflect the community. Some of this will be discussed in the Collections, Programs and Services track. As a first generation West African-Haitian American woman in a field once lacking in diversity, I am excited to learn more about how librarians of color are contributing to the field and continuing to shape the new definition of a 21st century librarian.

My library, located in the Bronx, serves a population primarily of Latino and African American students, first generation West Indian students, West African students and other international students. My colleagues and I understand the importance of the student body being able to see and interact with library faculty that reflect their diversity. Thus, the conference’s varying track/themes cover topics that align with my interests. The Advocacy, Outreach and Collaboration track will provide me with insight into what other libraries are doing to connect with and cater to their students and communities of color. Offering support for student success and inclusion is certainly a priority for my colleagues, chief librarian and our college’s teaching faculty. I also look forward to the Technology and Innovation track presenting new education tools for librarians to use with Instruction courses and to create a better user experience for students, staff and faculty.

From this year’s conference I expect to learn a great deal about varying trends and topics in librarianship. All of which affect my day-to-day work as an academic librarian. With a comprehensive program, the conference will prove to be a major learning experience for me. In my current role, I intend to build my knowledge base and return with ideas or action plans for my college library.

Carol Howe

Science Librarian – Haverford College

Special Libraries Association (SLA) Annual Conference
Baltimore, Maryland | June 10-13 2018

In her own words, how the conference will help Carol achieve her professional development goals:

Karen Sheldon

Electronic and Instructional Services Librarian
Delaware Valley University

NASIG Conference: Transforming the Information Community
Atlanta, Georgia | June 8-11, 2018

In her own words, how the conference will help Karen achieve her professional development goals:

Like many, I am an accidental electronic resources librarian. Finding the NASIG Core Competencies for E-Resources Librarians was a light in the darkness. This is why it is so important for me to be able to attend the NASIG conference this June. The conference will be an opportunity to discuss face-to-face with vendors and other librarians the problems our library has experienced and learn about potential solutions. I’m working on tracking perpetual access for our e-journals, negotiating contracts with vendors, and using statistics to learn more about our electronic resources collection. All these goals would be directed supported by presentations at NASIG, benefiting myself and my institution greatly.

National Library Legislative Day is a two-day advocacy event (May 7-8, 2018) that brings hundreds of librarians, trustees, library supporters and patrons to Washington, D.C. to meet with their members of Congress and to rally support for library issues and policies.

Interested in attending this event? ACRL/DVC offers a stipend up to $700 to cover expenses (registration, travel, and lodging). Continue reading “Ready to Be Heard? Funding Is Available for Library Legislative Day Participation”

The mission of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the ACRL is to promote the profession of librarianship and scholarly research in the field and to support the professional development of its members.

To further this mission, the Chapter allocates up to $2000 annually to award professional development travel grants to its members.

Funding may be used toward conference registration, travel, food, and lodging. Grant amounts will be based on applicant need and the number of applications received.

Online Application

https://goo.gl/forms/zRvrBFR34HZwIG7J2 

Application Deadline for 2018:

April 14, 2018 Continue reading “New! Apply for a Travel Grant”