Enhance Equitable Environments

September 16, 2020

I Wish My Parents Knew: A New Message For Parents From First Gen Students

Meeting user needs on the basis of equity and inclusion is embedded in the UW Libraries Mission, Vision and Values. A central part of Libraries outreach and education efforts focus on collaboration with UW First Year Programs, including parent orientation to over 500 parents, many of which include those of first generation college students. In…

August 12, 2020

Special Collections Library Launches New Digital Exhibit on Protest History in Seattle

For the last few months, I have been working on creating a new digital exhibit: We Are All The Conspiracy: The Day After Protest, Seattle 7, and Community Activism in 1970s Seattle, featuring material about the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF), a political group founded on the University of Washington’s campus in January 1970. Seven members…

June 5, 2020

Responding to the Call: George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and Systemic Change

Dear UW Community: Thank you to our UW leadership across all three campuses,  President Ana Mari Cauce and Laura Cañate, UW MBA ’18, for your powerful words. We recognize the clarity of this moment and share a commitment to anti-racist work across the UW Libraries. Speaking on behalf of UW Libraries to all individuals and…

May 21, 2020

Accessibility Is Essential for Remote Learning

Today, May 21st, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (#GAAD) focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments.  As the Accessibility Coordinator for UW Libraries, I routinely answer questions about what the Libraries are doing to ensure accessibility is considered and properly implemented, especially as more content…

May 12, 2020

Recommended Reads for Equity – Evolving the Collection for Remote Engagement

As students in the iSchool’s Library and Information Science program, we have been working at UW Libraries during our tenure here. Our capstone project is focused on the UW Libraries Recommended Reads for Equity collection, an initiative that was launched in 2018 with the support from a UW Diversity and Inclusion Seed Grant and the…

April 28, 2020

Insights from Going Public: Opening Scholarship to All

UW Libraries inaugural Going Public event launched in 2017 as a forum for sharing ideas and exploring ways researchers communicate their work to the public through the media. In the following years, other topics were explored–like public scholarship, citizen science, and community-based participatory research. Hosting events like this is central to UW Libraries mission and…

March 25, 2020

Course Reserves: Online Alternatives vs. Equivalents

As we head into our online spring 2020 quarter, we know that instructors and students are searching for ways to access course texts and readings.  At the same time, for the health and safety of all, UW Libraries’ physical spaces are closed to staff and users until further notice, and there is no access to…

The New National Emergency Library and Why It Matters for Huskies

The New National Emergency Library and Why It Matters for Huskies The Internet Archives recently announced the creation of a National Emergency Library, opening up more than 1.4 million ebooks to address the increased global demand and need for electronic reading and research material to serve the nation’s displaced learners. Why is this action important?…

January 30, 2020

Beyond Books: Building Community through Bothell/Cascadia’s Community Reads  

As public spaces devoted to teaching and learning, our Libraries have a duty and responsibility to steward diversity, equity and inclusion.  At UW Libraries, this is embedded in our Libraries Strategic Plan. At the UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library, this work has long been a part of our professional learning and community engagement…

October 22, 2019

UW Press and Libraries Collaborate on Open-Access Books

Reposted from UW Press Blog 10/21/2019 From October 21st to 27th, the University of Washington Press will be highlighting its open-access publications and partnerships as part of International Open Access Week. UW Press and Libraries Collaborate on Open-Access Books Thanks to a new partnership between UW Press and Libraries and a grant from the Kenneth…