In addition to changing the INLS 781 course credits, the Committee also discussed the addition of four courses for the Professionals Science Master’s in Digital Curation. The committee approved these courses, which will be added to the permanent course list.

The SILS Diversity Committee met on Tuesday, March 27th. Topics on the agenda are as follows.

• The committee had a conversation involving several items concerning the Diversity Certificate that students can earn:
  • Brainstormed for future guest speakers, webinars, and panels to organize
  • Discussed ways to bring student awareness to the importance and advantage of the certificate, such as a diversity component in boot camp,
  • Updated resources on the Diversity Certificate Sakai page
  • Began discussion on the best platform for Diversity Certificate candidates to communicate with each other (most likely a Facebook page, or the Sakai forum
  • Pronouns have been removed from the working on the certificate itself
• It has been confirmed that students can change their names on class rosters through Connect Carolina. Instructions on how to do so: When you log in, look near the bottom of the page under the “Personal Information” section. There is a link called “Names”. Once you click on that, you can add a new name and set it to be your preferred name. Your preferred name should show up on class rosters.
• The committee worked to update the SILS diversity statement. The revised statement must now be voted on by staff and faculty. While refreshing the statement is a start, the committee recognizes that integrating the commitment into the daily activities of SILS will require more than changing language.
• The committee continued the discussion of best practices for faculty to include diversity statements in their syllabi. There is the possibility of sharing a short article from two professors at Brown University on a simple strategy for faculty to include diversity statements in their syllabi. The committee also discussed the findings of Stephen Krueger (MSLS ’17) his masters paper titled, “Diversity and Inclusion Education at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill”, where he examined 115 syllabi of SILS courses for evidence of diversity and inclusion and found them to be lacking.
• The committee discussed a list of avenues for advertising in order to reach underrepresented communities when there are open faculty positions.

This past week, three INLS 781 professors – Brad Hemminger, Brian Sturm, and Mary Grace Flaherty – joined the Master’s Committee to discuss INLS 781 and 581 – the purpose and scope of each course, what knowledge and deliverables students should have/produce by the end of each course, and whether or not the courses in their current form are giving students what they need to successfully complete their Master’s Papers. Because 1.5-credit courses require as much faculty preparation as a 3-credit course, and because students often continue to work on their proposals and research collection once 781 ends, the majority of the Committee agreed that changing 781 to a 3-credit course could be beneficial to both students and the faculty who teach 781. The Committee agreed to collect data from course evaluations and a student poll that would support this decision. The next step will be to introduce the topic and the data at an upcoming faculty meeting and bring the Committee’s proposal to a vote.

In addition to discussing 781 and 581, the Committee confirmed that Dr. Flaherty’s Special Topics course Disaster Planning for Libraries was approved to be added to the SILS course catalogue as INLS 711, a 1.5-credit course. The addition of four more 1.5-credit courses will be discussed at the next meeting.

Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Sponsored by AMLISS+Sloane Art Library

Sloane Art Library

March 7 @ 5 PM

Pizza and Instructions Provided!

Wikipedia’s gender trouble is well-documented. In a 2011 survey, the Wikimedia Foundation found that less than 10% of its contributors were women. While the reasons for the gender gap are up for debate, the practical effect of this disparity is not: content is skewed by the lack of representation from women.

Let’s change that.

Art+Feminism’s Edit-a-thons and other initiatives make an impact on the gender gap through crucial improvements to gender, feminism and art related subjects on Wikipedia. Since 2014, Art+Feminism edit-a-thons have taken place across the world, creating and improving over 11,000 articles.

For more information about the event, check out our Facebook page @AMLISSUNC and our event website:

Help the Prison Books Collective fill book and zine requests from people in prison! The work is very fulfilling: you’ll read a letter from an inmate, find some books in our collection, write a brief note back, and package them for mailing. The Prison Book Collective gets book requests from NC and AL, and zine requests from all over the country.

The workday will be Sunday, March 25 from 1-4pm. Transportation will be provided.

If you are interested, just email Caitlin Rivas (crivas@unc.edu).

Workday organized by the Special Libraries Association.

Ever wondered what it’s really like in a prison library? Join the Special Libraries Association for a fascinating tour of the Butner Prison Library on Friday, April 13 at 2pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain a unique perspective on the essential work prison librarians provide.

Banned books in North Carolina prisons include well-known titles such as I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Marvel’s The Avengers, and Webster’s Large Print Dictionary (we’re REALLY scratching our heads over that one). We will learn more about why books are banned, and hear the librarian’s point of view on providing essential services to inmates. Read the full list of banned books here.

If you’re interested in attending the tour, just email Caitlin Rivas (crivas@unc.edu). Transportation will be provided.

Senior Jordan Dodson is double-majoring in computer science and information science within the UNC School of Information and Library Science. She is a research assistant in the Interactive Information System Laboratory. Her research focuses on how collaborative agents like chatbots can assist people. Read her interview here: