Diversity Committee Minutes for May 02, 2002

DIVERSITY COMMITTEE MINUTES
May 2, 2002

Present: Anthony Smith, Thura Mack, Tiffani Conner, Renee Smith, Anne Pemberton, Becky Roller, Tamara Miller, Jill Keally, Molly Royse

I. LAMA Grant

· Celebration of Proposal Acceptance
Thura, Tiffani, Jill, Molly (Becky too?) – Grant working group for next year’s TLA pre-conference.

The LAMA Grant Award will be presented in June at ALA.

II. Reports from Small Groups

Forum -- Anthony presented topics to be covered in future Committee events:

· Provide training re. Disabled patrons.
--Diversity Committee will help with promotion. Anne is working on the planning of this.
· Provide training on intercultural communication.
· Create opportunities for staff social interaction.
--Partner with LSA on the holiday party, making the party more inclusive.
· Recruit a more diverse work force and recognize student workers.
--Partner with SIS? Sponsor a forum re. librarianship as a career.
--Establish a program for inserting bookplates to recognize students with 2 or more years of service.
· Develop an employee mentoring program.
· Create displays to highlight our diverse collections.
--Field trip to Haley’s farm related to this
--Work with subject librarians, new subject guides, etc.
· Sponsor a forum on the Geier decree.

Timeline for Forum—The Committee ranked the forum topics in the order below

· 1. Forum on serving disabled patrons
2. Intercultural communication
· 3. As soon as the new LSA is in place, begin working on ideas for collaboration re. the holiday party.
· 4A. Recognize student workers with bookplates.
· 5. ???
· 6. Geier decree forum--Do in summer (Jill and Tamara)--assignments yet to be made.

Membership -- Becky and Renee

· Make some modifications to 4/11/02 draft of membership criteria.
· Perhaps include how to fill vacancies that occur during the year?
· We may need to embellish criteria (eg. Explain “balance------“
Timeline for Membership:

· Subgroup will meet 5/9/02.
· Put out the call in May for volunteers to join the Committee.
· Have membership for 2002-2003 in place by July/Aug.


Next meeting

· Newsletter—Include a blurb on Diversity Committee membership in the next training newsletter.
· Grant follow-up
· Call for membership plans


Posted By: Maribeth Manoff
Email: mmanoff@utk.edu
Committee: Diversity Committee