Students present on librarianship, diversity, and technology

from left: Tracy Drake, Melissa Villa-Nicholas, LaTesha Velez, Karen Barton

GSLIS master's students Karen Barton and Tracy Drake and doctoral students LaTesha Velez and Melissa Villa-Nicholas discussed librarianship, diversity, and technology at the University of California, Irvine’s History Graduate Student Association’s 17th Annual Conference, "Responding to Crisis: Historical and Contemporary Strategies of Resistance."

The conference brought together graduate students from across the country to discuss this historic moment where academic, interdisciplinary, and community work is increasingly under attack. Conference organizers explain that, “'Historicizing crisis' for this conference means putting the current crisis into context by examining historical conflicts as well as discussing current responses to today’s issues." Students from the fields of medicine, science, law, social sciences, and the humanities participated in presenting their work in order to forge alliances and bring strategies into conversation with each other.

Barton, Drake, Velez, and Villa-Nicholas coordinated their research interests and conference presentation through their membership in the GSLIS Students of Color Student Group. Barton discussed her work in the Urbana Free Library as an advocate and activist of digital literacy training. Drake presented on the history of the Social Responsibilities Round Table and the American Library Association's commitment to diversity and social justice from the years 1969-1984. Velez’s research looked at the mission of inclusion at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro Libraries' diversity initiatives programming. Villa-Nicholas presented on the history of REFORMA and Latina/o librarian activism in the digital age.

The students’ research intersected in order to display the historical and contemporary initiatives and barriers to diversity and activism within librarianship. As a collaborative effort, the four presentations revealed the intersection of technology, diversity, librarianship, and activism.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Kaushik defends dissertation

Doctoral candidate Smirity Kaushik successfully defended her dissertation, "Digital Trust, Safety, and Privacy in the Age of Emerging Technologies," on June 16. 

Smirity Kaushik

Students put designs into practice in escape room course

In the past few years, escape rooms have been on the rise, evolving from simple locked boxes in an open room to complex adventures spanning multiple rooms involving electronics, sound design, and even live actors. This past semester, students enrolled in the Makerspace: Escape Rooms (INFO 418) course brought that same spirit of creativity and design to the Fairy Tale Ball at The Urbana Free Library. 

Children lined up at a station at the Fairy Tale Ball at The Urbana Free Library.

Weech passes away

Associate Professor Emeritus Terry Laverne Weech passed away on June 5, 2025, in Staunton, Virginia. He was the widower of Eunice Hovis Weech, who passed away on October 16, 2022. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Brenda Bruce, and her husband, Timothy, and cousins, Wilber Rehmann and Susan Henry Anderson.

Terry L Weech