Building a Diverse and Inclusive Library: Academic year 2022-23

The Collins Memorial Library staff actively support the University in advancing equity, diversity, creating inclusive experiences for all members of our community and confronting institutional bias and structural racism. Together with our partners in the Orbis Cascade Alliance of Academic Libraries and the Oberlin Group, we seek to build diverse collections and environments that foster and honor a wide array of perspectives, thoughts, and experiences.  We commit to work that overcomes cultural, historical and divisive biases and recognize the importance that diverse perspectives bring to our society. We also recognize the history of our profession in regard to marginalizing underrepresented individuals and groups and work toward eliminating barriers to services, spaces, resources and scholarship within academic libraries.

To learn more about how the University of Puget Sound supports an inclusive community visit the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity:  https://www.pugetsound.edu/equity-diversity-puget-sound/contact-office-institutional-equity-and-diversity

Some recent action steps we have implemented:

Teaching, Research and Reference Services: 
The library pursues an intense and multifaceted instructional program that intentionally incorporates practices in support of DEI.

  • In research consultations with students, we utilize a strengths-based approach, meeting students where they are, listening to and validating their interests, and collaboratively creating a research action plan with them, instead of prescribing particular approaches or sources. In addition, librarians offer research appointments outside of the M-F, 8-5, traditional business hours in order to be available to students who may have school and work schedules that otherwise would prevent them from meeting with a librarian.
  • In both individual and classroom work, librarians use diverse examples to illustrate information literacy concepts–highlighting scholarly and creative works by minoritized authors; using a more expansive list of genres; introducing collections of diverse voices; and using social justice themes to inform inquiry and search strategies, for example:
    • Highlighting Prince and Purple Rain in a research class on American song
    • Encouraging students in Biology 101 to think about structural inequities that could
      contribute to the health impacts that could be caused by wildfire exposure 
    • Introducing algorithmic bias and inviting students to reflect on all the ways that such bias impacts them in both their personal lives and in the lives of those different from them 
    • Analyzing zines as primary sources, and promoting zines as a means of creative expression 
  • Whenever possible, librarians incorporate principles and practices of critical information literacy pedagogy, such as:
    • Explicitly discussing the social, political, and economic structures of information networks and inviting critical reflection on instances of information privilege
    • Using student-centered learning scenarios such presenting an open-ended  problem that requires student collaboration to generate multiple possible responses

Access to Information:
We are cognizant of the bias in the Library of Congress subject headings and continue to evaluate ways we can address this. For example, librarians in the PNW took action after learning from the Change the Subject video, an important film documenting a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings. Our library consortium, the Orbis-Cascade Alliance replaced the term “Illegal aliens” with the terms “Undocumented immigrants” in the online PRIMO catalog. We continue to review subject headings and how information is categorized to reflect a more inclusive taxonomy.

Archives & Special Collections  
Archives & Special Collections staff actively collect materials that represent a diversity of voices. This includes a collection of artists’ books by artists of color, selected in collaboration with the African American Studies liaison librarian, and zines created by indigenous authors and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Archives also hosts regular class sessions on topics such as systemic racism, women in science, the origins of University of Puget Sound’s Queer Studies Program, and Japanese-American incarceration during World War II. Digital teaching kits available on the library’s website complement these lesson plans.

Links to some of the digital teaching kits are below:

Staff Development: 
Library staff are committed to learning and reflecting on these important issues. One example is participation in the Alliance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Library User Experience speaker series. Library staff have engaged in discussions about materials in our collection and developed this resource to foster discussions:  Identifying racism materials zine

Collections:
We have set aside special funding to support book purchases associated with DEI themes. We have also added a number of digital resources:

  • AVON (Academic Video Online): a video subscription that delivers almost 70,000 titles spanning subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.
  • Black Thought and Culture: A collection of approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by major American black leaders, teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures, covering 250 years of history. Includes letters, speeches, prefatory essays, political leaflets, interviews, periodicals, and trial transcripts.
  • LGBT Thought and Culture: An online resource hosting books, periodicals, and archival materials documenting LGBT political, social and cultural movements throughout the twentieth century and into the present day. The collection illuminates the lives of lesbians, gays, transgender, and bisexual individuals and the community.
  • North American Indian Thought and Culture: Brings together more than 100,000 pages, many of which are previously unpublished, rare, or hard to find. Integrates autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files for the first time. The result is a comprehensive representation of historical events as told by the individuals who lived through them. Supports scholarly research into the history of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Peoples.
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Collins Library Links:  Spotlight on Special Collections

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Spotlight on Special Collections

In a previous Collins Library Links, we shared information on University Archives and Manuscripts.  Today we share information on our special collections.  We know that students benefit from working with the unique items in our collections.  To examine a medieval manuscript, turn the pages of a book hand printed hundreds of years ago, or discover the artistry of a contemporary hand made book, they develop a connection with the past and present and reflect upon how knowledge is transmitted.

Cosmographia (1584)
Cosmographia (1584)

The University of Puget Sound Archives & Special Collections is home to hundreds of linear feet of books, including rare materials, artists’ books, and zines.  Our earliest books date from the 16th century, including a 1584 edition of Peter Apian’s scientific text Cosmographia and a 1538 edition of Plutarch’s Lives.  Special Collections is also home to a Geneva Bible, the same edition of the Bible used by William Shakespeare, John Donne, and numerous other 16th century English Protestants.

Areas of strength in our collection include religious and philosophical texts, local history, literature, the sciences, and artists’ books.

What are Artists’ Books?

Books are My Utopia (2020)

Artists’ books are works of art inspired by the form and function of the book.  They may look like traditional codices, or they may take on entirely new forms.  Formats in our Special Collections include accordion books, books made from fabric, and even a set of documents housed in a lunchbox.  Numerous artists’ books from Special Collections are included in the current Collins Library exhibit, Changing the Conversation, which is on display through December 11th.

One of the newest additions to our artists’ books collection is Books are My Utopia (pictured above), a collection of aphorisms about books and reading.  Each page features a printed quote along with hand-rendered calligraphic embellishment by artist Will Rueter.

What are Zines?

A selection of Collins Library zines

Zines are small-format, low-budget, inexpensive booklets that are self-published and ephemeral in nature.  The zine scene is inherently democratic: anyone can make a zine about anything for any reason.  Many zines celebrate niche interests, embrace creative expression, foreground personal narratives, or argue for a particular political or social position.  Special Collections is home to more than 500 zines exploring topics as varied as reproductive health, electronic music, LGBTQ rights, women in prison, and environmental concerns.  

Special Collections in the Classroom

The Archives & Special Collections encourages faculty to visit our space with their classes to familiarize students with rare books, artists’ books, and zines.  Students can handle books that are hundreds of years old and discover how books, reading, and subject areas such as science and literature have changed over time.  They can also explore the creative possibilities of book design and learn new ways to tell their own stories through nontraditional book arts.  To discuss a session or set up a time to visit Special Collections, contact archives@pugetsound.edu.    


Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial LibraryLibrary Guides
Questions? Contact your liaison librarian
Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, library director
Remember – Your best search engine is a librarian!

Connect with us!

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Now on Display! Scripts, Scribes, and Scribbles!

This exhibit is all about hand lettering including medieval manuscripts, hand written books, 19th century penmanship textbooks, pens and inkwells, examples of contemporary calligraphy, personal handwritten journals and letters, writing desks, a “doodle wall,” and much, much more!  

Scripts, Scribes and Scribbles brings together examples of handwriting and illustrates how handwriting has been taught, reproduced, and reimagined over the past five hundred years. Displaying a range of books and manuscripts from the Collins Library collection and many private donors and collectors, the exhibition addresses the role of handwriting in the age of print newly legible.​

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Collins Library Links: Updates from Collins Library: New Resources, Streaming Media and Research Marathons

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Updates from Collins Library:
New Resources, Streaming Media and Research Marathons

New Resources:

The Library recently began providing access to the following open access primary source resources available on the JSTOR platform.   Additional collections will be added in the future.  These are linked to in the ‘Databases A-Z’ list found on the library’s homepage:

  • American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices from the Inside
    Brings together hundreds of newspapers published within prisons by incarcerated people over the past 200 years. When complete, the collection will contain newspapers from prisons in every state, representing penal institutions of all kinds, including women-only institutions.
  • Student Activism
    Serves as a scholarly bridge from the extensive history of student protest in the United States to the study of today’s vibrant, continually unfolding actions. The collection captures the voices of students across the great range of protest, political actions, and equal-rights advocacy from the 20th and early 21st century United States.

Streaming Media:

This is a reminder that the Library maintains a detailed guide to Streaming Media which is accessible from the library website:  https://library.pugetsound.edu/streamingmedia.  This guide provides information about currently available resources, copyright & fair use, classroom access, and requesting content.  As you plan for the spring semester, please remember it is important to check on access to streaming media resources as often the terms of agreement and licenses are time sensitive and films that have been available previously may need to be relicensed.  For any questions, please consult with Andrea Klyn.

Research Marathons:

The Library has set the dates for the popular Research Marathon sessions for November 15 and 29, from 6-10 pm, in Library 118.  The Research Marathons aim to help students start or continue their course research projects, and are supported by our Peer Research Advisors and Associate Director Peggy Burge.  During the four-hour sessions students have the opportunity to work together, enjoy coffee and conversation, and get personalized research assistance.  Please share with your students. ​


Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial LibraryLibrary Guides
Questions? Contact your liaison librarian
Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, library director
Remember – Your best search engine is a librarian!

Connect with us!

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New display in Collins Memorial Library: Postcards for Perec

Jane Carlin, Library Director, had a chance to connect with Bristol, England based artist Linda Parr this past summer. As a result, Collins Library is pleased to share Parr’s work in the Collins Library.

The display (in the Reading Room) showcases the project Postcards for Perec. Georges Perec was a French novelist and filmmaker. Linda Parr coordinated an international project in which artists created postcards to illustrate one of Perec’s text. The idea of this project was to respond to Georges Perec’s 243 imaginary postcard messages by making the missing images, then sending real postcards. There was an enthusiastic worldwide response, catching the imagination of students & professors, artists & writers, Perec scholars, translators, mathematicians and architects. (from: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7815557/postcards-for-perec ).  All the images are documented on Instagram (just follow Postcards for Perec) or stop by Collins to view the postcard images!

Linda Parr is an English writer and artist. Parr’s work is often inspired by literature; she enjoys close reading as an artist and the counterpoint of text and art. She has an MA in Multidisciplinary Printmaking from the University of the West of England in Bristol UK and is co-organizer of World Book Night collaborative projects. Her artists’ books are held in national and international collections.

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Collins Library recognizes Native American Heritage Month

Collins Library recognizes Native American Heritage Month. 

Check out our display of books in the front of the library and browse through this resource: https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/​ that provides links to a number of important primary sources.


Wilma Mankiller, First Female Chief of the Cherokee Nation

Wilma Mankiller

Quick overview: 
Wilma Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on November 18, 1945. Four decades later, in 1985, Mankiller became the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. She sought to improve the nation’s health care, education system and government. She decided not to seek re-election in 1995 due to ill health. After leaving office, Mankiller remained an activist for Native-American and women’s rights until her death, on April 6, 2010, in Adair County, Oklahoma. 

Background: 
Wilma Pearl Mankiller was a descendant of the Cherokee Indians, the Native Americans who were forced to leave their homelands in 1830s; she was also of Dutch and Irish descent. She grew up on Mankiller Flats, located near Rocky Mountain, Oklahoma, before moving with her family in the mid-1950s to San Francisco, California. Mankiller attended Skyline College and San Francisco State University in California before enrolling at Flaming Rainbow University in Oklahoma, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences. Thereafter, she took graduate courses at the University of Arkansas. Wilma Mankiller ran for deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1983 and won, subsequently serving in that position for two years. Then, in 1985, she was named the tribe’s principal chief—making history as the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee people. 

Death and Legacy: 
Wilma Mankiller was a leader to her people through difficult times. After leaving office, her activism on behalf of Native Americans and women continued. Wilma Mankiller died on April 6, 2010, at the age of 64, in Oklahoma. After learning of Mankiller’s passing in 2010, President Barack Obama issued a statement about legendary Cherokee chief: “As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America,” he stated. “Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work.”

Maria Tallchief

Maria Tallchief, Prima Ballerina for the New York City Ballet

Quick overview: 
Born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma, Tallchief was one of the country’s leading ballerinas from the 1940s to the ’60s. The daughter of an Osage tribe member, she was also a trailblazer for Native Americans in the world of ballet. Tallchief grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she studied ballet for years, working with Ernest Belcher and Bronislava Nijinska. 

Background: 
During her early career, in the 1940s, Tallchief danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. It was also around this time that she became known professionally as Maria Tallchief, combining the two parts of her Indian name. In 1947, she became the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet—a title that she would hold for the next 13 years. That same year, Tallchief became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet. In addition to her work with the NYCB and Paris Opera Ballet, she was a guest performer with the American Ballet Theatre. 

Legacy: 
In 1996 Tallchief became one of only five artists to receive the Kennedy Center Honors for their artistic contributions in the United States. That same year, the dancer was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1999, Tallchief was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government, which honors individuals who “are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.” Tallchief died on April 11, 2013, at the age of 88, at a hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She was survived by her daughter, Elise Paschen, her sister and fellow ballerina, Marjorie Tallchief, and two grandchildren.

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VOTE! Stop by the Collins Library and pick up a VOTE bookmark printed in the Makerspace

Need a reliable source of information to help you make up your mind?

Look no further, Collins Library recommends checking out the News Literacy Project for info on how to spot election misinformation: NewsLit.Org/Election2022.

We also recommend vote.org to help you find out how, when, and where to vote.

For detailed WA voting info: Sos.WA.Gov/Elections/Voters

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Collins Library Links: October is National Archives Month Spotlight on the University Archives

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October is National Archives Month
Spotlight on the University Archives

This issue of the Director’s Digest focuses on our Archives.  Watch this space next month for an introduction to our Special Collections, including rare and artists’ books!

Archives support organizations, corporations, and communities by collecting and organizing information. Archival institutions collect and preserve history through the acquisition of records, photographs, ephemera, and other materials. Patrons of archives use archival collections to conduct research, learn about their communities, and much more.  

The University of Puget Sound Archives preserves and makes accessible materials of lasting historical value that support research, teaching, and administrative activities at Puget Sound.  The documents tell the story of the University and our place in history. 

Our Archives are managed by Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Jane Connelly (pictured below at right) and Assistant Archivist, Olivia Inglin (left).

Jane provides outreach, education, and reference support to patrons in the Archives.  Prior to arriving at the University of Puget Sound, she worked in the archives of Seattle University Law Library and DePaul University.  She spends her free time reading, writing, and traveling.

Olivia is responsible for processing archival holdings and also providing reference and research support to patrons. Olivia earned a Masters of Library Information Studies and a Master of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, camping, hiking, and spending time with her cat, Lazslo. 

About the Archives

The Archives is comprised of two main collection areas, these are: 

University Records 

  • University Records document the history of the university since its founding in 1888. Our collections include administrative records, student publications, photographs, and ephemera relating to campus life. 

Manuscript Collections 

Some recent classes and partnerships in the Archives & Special Collections include:

  • A visit from the Junia Todd Hallen study group, which explored materials related to women and women’s suffrage.
  • Tacoma Public History (HIST 379):  Andrew Gomez’s students reviewed books related to the naming of Mt. Rainier.
  • Chinese Painting in the West (SSI2 157):  Zaixin Hong’s students observed a Chinese scroll.
  • Origins of the Modern World (HON 212):  David Latimer’s students reviewed early scientific texts, including the Cosmographia (1584) and 18th century books related to Newtonian philosophy.
  • Reformation Bibles (HIST 311):  Katherine Smith’s student reviewed Bibles and related religious texts, including a Geneva Bible from 1595, and King James Bible from 1633, and original manuscript leaves from the Books of Hours.
  • Thinking Like an Archivist (HUM 399):  Peggy Burge’s students stepped into the shoes of an archivist and learned how to process and arrange archival records using original and facsimile materials from the Abby Williams Hill papers.
  • Prisons, Gender, and Education (REL 307):  Tanya Erzen’s students utilized zines created by women in prison.
  • A visit from artist Na Omi Shin.

Links 

University Records

Manuscript Collections    


Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial LibraryLibrary Guides
Questions? Contact your liaison librarian
Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, library director
Remember – Your best search engine is a librarian!

Connect with us!

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Sound Ideas: Open Access at Puget Sound




Sound Ideas represents the scholarship and creative works of the faculty, staff and students of the University of Puget Sound. Organized and made accessible by Collins Memorial Library, Sound Ideas demonstrates our institutional commitment to helping enrich the global academic community through sharing and collaboration.

Sound Ideas provides faculty members a venue for posting iterations of their published work, in compliance with their publishers’ license, resulting in increased user access, as well as providing a means of complying with the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act. Faculty members who are unsure about what a publisher’s license permits in relation to posting work on personal websites or institutional repositories can contact their liaison librarian for a consultation.

Faculty members can self-submit their work to Sound Ideas if they’ve retained the required rights. First time users will need to create an account, while returning users can simply login, fill out a form with descriptive information, and upload their work.

Sound Ideas content is accessed by users around the world

Notable scholarly collections:

  • Faculty Scholarship in Sound Ideas
    This collection acts as a partial index of faculty members’ published works. Where possible, we have provided links to summary or full text versions of these works.
  • Conferences & Events in Sound Ideas
    The University of Puget Sound is host to many conferences and special events throughout the year. These collections include program information, proceedings and videos from the events.
  • Race & Pedagogy Journal
    This peer-reviewed OA journal provides a forum for cultivating  critical discussions around the issues of teaching and race in an effort to mitigate the effects of discrimination and structural racism, and thereby, improve education for all students. R&PJ is managed and edited by the University of Puget Sound under the auspices of the Race and Pedagogy Institute.


Some journal publishers allow authors to pay for individual articles to be fully Open Access. Fees vary, but can be significant at times. The University Enrichment Committee facilitates funding opportunities for faculty members seeking Open Access or other publication fees. Details can be found on the Faculty Research Guidelines Document.

Further Reading

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It’s Open Access Week!

Collins Memorial Library is recognizing Open Access Week.

“Open for Climate Justice” is the theme for this year’s International Open Access Week (October 24-30, 2022.)

Open Access (OA) refers to freely available, digital, online information. Open access scholarly literature is free of charge to the user and often carries less restrictive copyright and licensing barriers than traditionally published works, for both the users and the authors. “Introduction to OA” by University of Washington Libraries is licensed under CC BY 4.0

The Open Access movement was birthed from a conference of the Open Society Institute, where attendees drafted the Budapest Open Access Initiative, which was published in early 2002. The initiative called for using new technology to develop an “unprecedented public good” through free exchange of scholarly literature. The document went on to describe this define this as Open Access:

“By ‘open access’ to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.”

Open Access Explained, a short video from PHD Comic gives a great overview of the context in which Open Access provides important benefits.

Creative Commons

Copyright is the intellectual property law that protects a creative work from theft or misuse.  It is the creator’s legal claim to the works that he or she creates. By default, any original creative work is copyrighted to the creator when that work is expressed in a tangible form.  

Creative Commons’ easy-to-use copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work — on conditions of your choice. CC licenses let you easily change your copyright terms from the default of “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved.”

Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable you to modify your copyright terms to best suit your needs.


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