The 杏吧专区 is among 56 colleges and universities to earn the inaugural Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
The LEAD Award honors academic library programs and initiatives that encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion in a range of areas. Those areas include content, programs, research, technology, accessibility, exhibitions and community outreach.
杏吧专区淲e are an extraordinarily diverse university, so we want each of our students and faculty and staff 杏吧专区 as well as our community 杏吧专区 to see themselves in the library, in what we exhibit, in events we host, in what we collect. That杏吧专区檚 a very important part of what a library is,杏吧专区 said Dr. Brian Doherty who leads UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 as dean of 杏吧专区 Libraries.
杏吧专区淲e杏吧专区檙e also a socio-intellectual community, a gathering place, a hub for information, but also for the birth of new ideas and a social environment where people feel welcome and inclined to forge relationships 杏吧专区 intellectual relationships, collaboration, interdisciplinary relationships,杏吧专区 he added.
The recognition underscores campus-wide efforts designed to foster access, opportunity and success for underrepresented groups. In October, those overarching efforts earned UL Lafayette a sixth straight Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity.
As with the HEED Award, LEAD recognition rests on the strength of initiatives outlined in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence. The plan sets forth objectives in areas such as engagement across campus and in the community; recruiting and hiring a faculty from diverse backgrounds; and increasing enrollment and retention among underrepresented students.
Those efforts are led by the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 . Kiwana McClung, who leads the office as the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 chief diversity officer, said that the LEAD Award recognizes Dupr茅 Library杏吧专区檚 杏吧专区渓ongstanding status as a hub for content, programs, practices and resources that foster access, equity and acceptance.杏吧专区
INSIGHT Into Diversity, the largest diversity magazine and website in higher education according to its website, agreed. In a press release announcing the 2024 LEAD Award recipients, Lenore Pearlstein, the magazine杏吧专区檚 owner and publisher, stated: 杏吧专区淲e are proud to honor these college and university libraries as role models for other institutions of higher education.杏吧专区
That assessment rests on the strength of many efforts, initiatives and library resources acknowledged by INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.
Among them, McClung explained, is the Ernest J. Gaines Center, which is housed in Dupr茅 Library. Its extensive archives and resources attract scholars and researchers from around the world who study Gaines and his fiction. The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 writer-in-residence emeritus, who died in 2019 at age 86, is considered among American literature杏吧专区檚 most influential chroniclers of race, class and poverty. The center also hosts initiatives and programs that focus on Black culture and traditions, as well as issues such as gender, sexuality, identity, race and economic hierarchies.
INSIGHT Into Diversity杏吧专区檚 also recognized the 杏吧专区淨ueering the Collection: Expanding and Archiving LGBTQ+ History in Southwest Louisiana.杏吧专区 The National Endowment for the Humanities funded the initiative. Dupr茅 Library expanded its books, artifacts, manuscripts and oral histories that reflect Louisiana杏吧专区檚 LGBTQ+ community. The expanded collection assists 杏吧专区 scholars and the public in conducting research on LGBTQ+ history in the state.
McClung also cited recognition of library-hosted events coordinated by students, including the month-long 杏吧专区淎ccessibility and Universal Design杏吧专区 program. Through a series of exhibits and workshops, students with disabilities shared their stories and experiences to promote awareness.
The exhibit included oral histories, artifacts such as books written in Braille, and materials loaned from the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Office of Disability Services 杏吧专区渢hat represent yet another of many examples of Dupr茅 Library杏吧专区檚 wide-ranging offerings and initiatives that support and accessibility and inclusion.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淟EAD recognition, in turn, not only underscores the library杏吧专区檚 longstanding leadership in those areas, but represents that the success of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 inclusive excellence model can be credited to contributions from many departments and areas and entities across campus,杏吧专区 McClung explained.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette is among 56 colleges and universities to earn the inaugural Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The LEAD Award recognizes Dupr茅 Library杏吧专区檚 longstanding status as a hub for content, programs, practices and resources that foster access, equity and acceptance. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区