Annual Report 2002-2003

Purpose and Organization

The 2002-2003 UT Libraries’ Diversity Committee, consisting of fifteen library staff and faculty members from across the organization, continued to provide a leadership role in diversity initiatives for the Libraries. The Committee’s mission, as created in Spring 2001, served as the guiding force in the Committee’s projects and activities:

The University of Tennessee Libraries' Diversity Committee is dedicated to creating a more inclusive community in all realms of service grounded in respect and appreciation for individual differences. The Committee endorses a broad definition of diversity, and seeks to provide programs and resources that enhance knowledge and encourage understanding of diversity. The Committee strives to provide leadership for the Libraries in meeting the needs of all its constituencies and special populations.

A summary of Diversity Committee activities and accomplishments, based on the Committee's goals for 2002-2003, follows for the period July 1, 2002-June 30, 2003.

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Services

Create a welcoming environment.

Educate library staff on diversity issues to better prepare them for working with an increasingly diverse population

• 9/02, 10/02 -- The Committee began a series of workshops in September for library staff to learn more about assisting patrons with disabilities. UT's Office of Disability Services assisted with "Helping Patrons with Disabilities." Information was presented on how to help patrons with disabilities, and barriers in the library and on campus.
• 10/02-11/02 – The Committee met with Theotis Robinson, Vice President of UT’s Office of Equity and Diversity, and others to explore ways the Committee might be involved in educating library staff and the campus community about the background and significance of the 2000 Geier Consent Decree.
• 1/03 -- The Committee collaborated with UT's Innovative Technology Center and hosted a workshop on “Creating Accessible Webpages.” Hands-on training was provided for library staff.

Highlight diversity within the Libraries through displays, signs, and other welcoming materials.

• 8/02 -- The Committee welcomed back students, faculty, and staff for the new academic year with a display entitled DIVERSITY @ UT LIBRARIES=YOU. The display, located on the first floor of Hodges Library, highlighted aspects of the Libraries’ diversity initiatives.

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Collections

Promote diversity in the Libraries’ collections.

Showcase collections and branch libraries.

• Spring ’03 -- The Committee created a display on the first floor of Hodges Library to support UT’s Africa Semester. Included in the display were selected titles from the Libraries’ collection.
• 6/03 -- Plans were underway by the end of June to create a cultural reading area in Hodges Library with the purpose of showcasing titles from the Libraries’ collection related to the many dimensions of diversity.

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Staff Enrichment

Provide a nourishing workplace for staff.

Continue to provide opportunities for social interaction and communication.

• 12/02 -- The Diversity Committee partnered with the Libraries' Staff Association to host the annual December holiday party for library employees. The Committee provided information on a wide variety of festivals and celebrations that are held throughout the world in the winter months.

Recognize and reward individuals for their service to the Libraries.

• 10/02 -- The Diversity Committee organized and hosted the Libraries' first Student Recognition Festival on October 31, 2002. All student workers at the UT Libraries were honored. Special recognition was given to those students who had worked at the Libraries for two or more years. For these students, a library book in their area of study was bookplated in their honor.

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Recruitment

Recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

Assist in the administration of the proposed Diversity Library Residency Program.

• 1/03-6/03 -- A subcommittee of the Diversity Committee (Virginia Bayne, Tiffani Conner, Jill Keally, Thura Mack, Becky Roller, Anthony Smith, Molly Royse) assisted Library Personnel in designing a Diversity Library Residency Program and in educating the library staff about the Program. This group also served as the search committee for the resident positions as the search process was initiated later in the semester. Five individuals were interviewed for the Residency Program in June.

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Research and Communication

Evaluate, collect and share information.

• The Committee’s website (http://www.lib.utk.edu/diversity) was revised and enhanced throughout the year to better serve as a vehicle for information and communication to individuals both within and outside the Libraries.

Provide continuing education for committee members.

• 2/03 -- The Committee participated in a retreat to focus on specific opportunities and activities, including the University’s “Life of the Mind” Program, the Residency Program and staff training needs.

Planning and Outreach

Take a leadership role in creating collaborations within the University community, the profession, and beyond.

• 9/02 -- The Committee supported the University's new Black Cultural Center by purchasing a brick during the Center's Courtyard Brick Project in the fall of 2001. Library staff were encouraged by the Committee to participate in the Center's grand opening activities on September 6-7, 2002.
• 10/02 -- The Diversity Committee participated in the University's annual Fall Festival by submitting an entry to the festival's scarecrow contest. The Committee's Diverse Scarecrow won 2nd place in the university-wide competition.
• 10/02 -- Along with the University’s Black Cultural Programming Committee and the Library Friends, the Diversity Committee sponsored a visit to campus by the best-selling author, BeBe Moore Campbell.
• 12/02 -- The Diversity Committee received the University's Team Excellence Award for 2002. The award is presented to a team that exemplifies the true essence of teamwork in advancing the goals of the unit and the university. Selection is based upon outstanding performance and results due to group achievement. A plaque was presented to the Committee by the Provost, and each Committee member received a certificate.
• 2/03 -- In support of UT’s Africa Semester, the Committee created a display on first floor of Hodges Library. The display featured African artifacts as well as books from the Libraries' collection.
• 2/03-6/03 -- The Committee began working early in the semester to create ways the Committee and/or the Libraries could support the new UT “Life of the Mind” Program, which was to begin in Fall 2003. Efforts ranged from a committee member serving on the University’s and Libraries’ “Life of the Mind” committees to planning a library display and highlighting library resources in the Committee’s new Culture Corner to support the themes of the “Life of the Mind” book selection, The Color of Water.

Raise the visibility of the Libraries’ diversity efforts through conference presentations, publications, etc.

• 11/02 -- Committee members collaborated with the UT School of Information Science Student Chapter of the Tennessee Library Association to present a panel discussion on "Programming for Changing Communities: Diversity Issues in Today's Libraries." An overview of the Committee's organization, goals, and current projects was presented.
• 4/03 -- Members of the Diversity Committee (Tiffani Conner, Jill Keally, Thura Mack, Becky Roller, Molly Royse) conducted a pre-conference, entitled "Diversity is Excellence: Ensuring a Successful Future,” at the annual Tennessee Library Association (TLA) Conference. Fees for the pre-conference were subsidized through an American Library Association LAMA Cultural Diversity Grant, which was awarded to the Committee in Spring '02.
• 4/03 -- At the 2003 Tennessee Library Association Conference, Committee members participated in two presentations and one poster session. The presentations were: "Moving Beyond: Recognizing and Transforming Barriers to Diversity" (Virginia Bayne, LouAnn Blocker, Dianne Myers, Sheila Stephens) and "Discovering Your Diversity Climate" (Tiffani Conner, Tamara Miller, Molly Royse). The poster session (Thura Mack, Molly Royse) was entitled "Diversity @ Our Library: The Evolution of a Diversity Initiative at UT Libraries".
• 4/03 -- At the 11th National Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference, Diversity Committee members conducted a roundtable session and presented a poster session. The roundtable discussion was entitled "Collaborating to Achieve Diversity" (Jill Keally, Thura Mack, Molly Royse). The poster session, "Charting a Course for Diversity: An Experience in Climate Assessment," described the Committee's 2001 climate assessment project (Tiffani Conner, Tamara Miller, Molly Royse).

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Looking Forward.

In its second full year of existence, the Libraries’ Diversity Committee has been successful in continuing to promote the value of diversity for both UT Libraries and the library profession at large. When the Committee was selected as the recipient of the University’s Team Excellence Award for 2002, it was also evident that the Committee had achieved a degree of success in promoting diversity at the university level. It was most rewarding, as well as challenging, for the Committee to be recognized in such a manner. The Committee will craft its goals and priorities for 2003-04 carefully so as to allow for innovative and meaningful ways to continue to strengthen the Libraries’ evolving leadership role in diversity initiatives at UT.

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Submitted by Molly Royse, Co-Chair
UT Libraries’ Diversity Committee
10/03

2005-2006 Annual Report

2003-2004 Annual Report

2002-2003 Annual Report

2001-2002 Annual Report