What is the ULIB Diversity Fellowship?

When I applied for the Diversity Fellowship UL (University Library IUPUI) the first thing I wanted to know was "exactly what is the Diversity Fellowship". After working in the UL for the past three weeks, I am finally starting to understand what our (the Diversity Fellows - myself and Trina) job is.

There are basically two parts to our job, innovation and support. Innovation is a fancy way for me to describe the part of our work that has to do with coming up with diversity initiatives and projects that have to do with Trina and myself reaching out to the campus community.

Our first major project was to create a display for GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender) History month. In order to create this display we not only used the library to do research, but we also reached out to several different campus organizations.

In the future, besides continuing our series of displays, Trina and I hope to be in contact with campus organizations in order to help them learn ways that the UL can help them complete their own projects. By doing this we hope to make the UL a place that is more reflective of the diversity of the student population.

The support portion of our job is just what it sounds like. When we are finished with our own projects. We are encouraged to help librarians do their work. In the short three weeks that we have been here, we have worked in several different areas of the library including the digitization lab, special collections (the team that without which our display would have never been more than a good idea) and external relations.

Helping these librarians with their projects not only helps us become more familiar with how the library works, but it allows us to offer the librarians our own unique student perspectives...

So far the fellowship has been a really cool experience...I will keep you posted throughout the year on our latest and greatest adventure.

Be well,
Ashley